Romeo, Romeo, Whereforeart Thou…

I must tell you, I went a little nuts in the USA stocking up on comedy books and DVDs. Not as nuts as I could have gone, mind you, but compared to my usual nut-less self…well, just coat me in chocolate and call me Snickers.

But one of the BEST items I laid my hot little hands on (not that my hands are hot, I may be conceited but I’m not that bad…my ankles however, now they are smokin!) was a DVD of Franko Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet. I used to be obsessed with this film, you see. I was only four and so obviously had no idea what they were really saying – except for the ‘Nurse! Nurse!’ bit; I got that – but I got the gist. They were gorgeous and in love and they died in the end.

The point is, I finally watched it again last night, for the first time in over twenty years. And it was a ton better than I even remembered. Maybe because in all my grown-up wisdom I actually had a clue as to what the heck was going on. Even the ‘It is the lark!’ bit made sense.

But most of all: the music! Up until now Danny Elfman’s fabulous Edward Scissorhands soundtrack has held my number one vote, but I think Romeo and Juliet has actually re-claimed the championship. It is so good it almost kills me. It took me straight back (the way that music does) to my early childhood – and I realised that it is this exact film that first planted the seeds in me of wanting to create. Or more specifically, to create work that affected people. Because this affected me so profoundly – so much so, in fact that I took great masochistic joy in watching it over and over until I had no tears left in my cute little ducts.

Not that my ducts were cute…I may be up myself but I’m not a complete twat. My ear-canal however, now that was scorching!

(I apologise yet again to any of you reading: I really should enforce a ‘no blogging after midnight’ kurfew).