Comparing Zeffirelli's Romeo And Juliet

Many people prefer the book version of a story rather than the film it tries to become. This is due to the fact that the author’s intent of his own story is much more intriguing and familiar to its readers than just another film version. However, some versions portray the story better than others. Hollywood seems to have taken up the responsibility of creating complicated and compelling characters on screen. Unfortunately, doing so can easily take away a story’s rich, necessary detail. For instance, Shakespeare’s Othello has a few different movie versions of his story. Both movies, the 1990 version by Trevor Nunn and the 1995 version by Oliver Parker, are great productions carried by strong casts. However, there are areas in which the movie and the play differ. These differences tend to interpret the film in a different way compared to what Shakespeare intended. The film portrayals of Shakespeare’s Othello by Parker and the other by Nunn both display the character of Desdemona in very different ways. The Nunn version of this play did a much better job of portraying Desdemona as Shakespeare

The elements the filmmakers choose to use in the film, i.e. the music, location, editing techniques and special effects, help tell the story. Zeffirelli uses his elements to ease the viewer from scene to scene, he is employing the Classical Hollywood Filmmaking technique. A smooth flowing pace, where the viewer does not notice the cuts, plus the music assists in the movements within the cuts. Nothing daring is done in his film, he stays true to the historical appearance of the film, uses ideas that have already been exhibited, such as period piece music and historical costumes. The world famous balcony scene (Act II, scene II) is an example, Zeffirelli employs the same blocking that Shakespeare probably intended. This is one of the few times, Zeffirelli interacts with the locations, and his locations is a town within walls, perceived to be a small town, the location is bare and not crowded.

Baz Lurhmann’s creation of the film Romeo and Juliet has shown that today’s audience can still understand and appreciate William Shakespeare. Typically, when a modern audience think of Shakespeare, they immediately think it will be boring, yet Lurhmann successfully rejuvenates Romeo and Juliet. In his film production he uses a number of different cinematic techniques, costumes and a formidably enjoyable soundtrack; yet changes not one word from Shakespeare’s original play, thus making it appeal to a modern audience.

Of the two cinematic portrayals of the climax, in Act II, scene i, of Romeo & Juliet, the Luhrmann version from 1996 is superior to the Zeffirelli version. When comparing the two one can notice that there are many differences, and similarities. While these two films are telling the same story, it is the differences between the two that lead to Luhrmann’s 1996 version being superior. Due to its more dramatic settings, and character interactions and actor

‘Romeo and Juliet’ is a tragic play about two star crossed lovers written by Shakespeare in 1595. The play is a timeless teenage tradgedy. “The play champions the 16th Century belief that true love always strikes at first sight,” (Lamb 1993: Introduction) and even in modern times an audience still want to believe in such a thing as love at first sight. Act II Scene II the balcony scene displays that romantic notion perfectly.

This director’s choice shows that both directors cherished and respected Shakespeare's written text. In Zeffirelli’s film, the dialogue fits in with the other aspects of the film, such as the costumes and set. since everything is traditional, but what is interesting is that the actors manage to sound very natural and comfortable with the dialogue. They managed to convey strong emotion with help of the text and entirely transformed into the characters. Since, Zefferelli's version both includes the traditional sets, costumes, and language it makes it easy for the audience to understand the original play, the film is straightforward and does not contradict the original play, making the film a credible resort for those who want to have a better understanding of the story. Unlike Zeffirelli’s version, Luhrmann’s costumes and set do not suit the dialogue, making the Shakespearean dialogue in his version both strange to watch and hear, another odd aspect is that at times the characters did not precisely mean what they were saying, for instance, when a character was talking about their sword, they were actually talking about their guns named sword, consequently, this made the dialogue confusing to follow at times. Nevertheless, the actors in both films managed to execute an admirable performance and did Shakespeare's text

In the different film adaptations of Romeo and Juliet, Franco Zefirelli best conveys an emotional impact through the set design, blocking, and other theatrical elements. Zefirelli also chooses to have the film in the fourteenth century so that Shakespeare’s diction is comprehensible. From this, Zeffirelli adaptation is best conveys the romantic impact Shakespeare intends to emphasize.

The New World Encyclopedia includes a lengthy and extensive section on Romeo & Juliet with a copious amount of information or aspects pertaining to the play. In one part, it examines the film adaptations of Romeo & Juliet and discusses the thought process when trying to adapt Shakespeare’s works cinematically. The end of the fourth act being a major focus. This material will help further my understanding and argument of the sacrifices that need to be made to have Shakespearean plays effective on the big screen; especially for modern audiences.

Romeo and Juliet was written about 421 years ago and is still one of the most famous love stories in literature today. Zeffirelli’s film was produced in 1968, only 48 years ago. The film was made 373 years after William Shakespeare’s play, yet Zeffirelli was able to capture the essence of various themes from the play. The theme of Act II scene ii from William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet was best represented in the film.

Hating Rivals "O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?" (Shakespeare 2.2.36). Almost everyone knows of this classic line from William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, along with the tragic love story with the flawed theme of young love. But along with the love story is the story of rivalry destroying all. All reenactments of Romeo and Juliet include and focus on the theme of love, but most fail to convey the importance of the feuding families.

In the Zeffirelli and Luhrmann movie adaptations of the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, the portrayed emotions and behavior of many characters is variable between the films. However, none is more variable than Tybalt, a nephew to Lord Capulet who tends to seek revenge and a spicy demeanor. In the Luhrmann adaptation, Tybalt is seen with more rancor and bloodthirst when beating up and killing his victims, while the Zeffirelli film shows Tybalt as a more playful, yet bothersome idiot. Therefore, Tybalt’s rebellious behavior in the Luhrmann movie is brimming with rage and emotions which relate and appeal to the targeted youth audience of today.

Luhrmann uses lighting more effectively than Zeffirelli to portray the mood and emotions in the story of Romeo and Juliet. To begin with, Zeffirelli’s use of lighting is very weak in his version of the movie, as he does not change the lighting to suit the characters behaviors and the overall feeling of the movie at the time. For example, during the fight scene where Tybalt fights Mercutio the lighting does not change, the light remains clear and bright even after Mercutio dies. This shows that lighting in Zeffirelli’s version is not as powerful as the lighting does not reflect on the characters and how they are acting but just as a light source so you could see what's happening in the movie. On the other hand, Luhrmann’s use of lighting was

As we read the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare we have also watched clips of the play from two different films based on the play. The first film by Franco Zeffirelli was made in the year 1968, this film has the old style vibe while the one made by Baz Luhrmann in 1997 has a more modern feeling compared to the one from Zeffirelli. After reading and watching the play we had to choose a specific act and scene from the play, talking about the difference between the play and the two films based on the play. I chose Act II scene VI which is the part when Romeo and Juliet get married by Friar Laurence in the church.

William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a tragic love story about two star-crossed lovers held back from their family rivalries. Two great directors, Franco Zeffirelli and Baz Luhrmann, tell the story of Romeo and Juliet differently, through their eyes and with their interpretations. Franco Zeffirelli expressed his version of Romeo and Juliet in 1968.In the beginning of the 1967 film, a narrator speaks the famous line, “Two households, both alike in dignity,” as a backdrop of an Italian city is shown, the city of Verona. Franco Zeffirelli’s film contained a very authentic version to what Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet was mainly about. In Mr. Zeffirelli’s film, original Shakespearean dialogue is spoken among the characters, with their dialect seeming to be very accurate for the movie’s time period.

Crucial characteristics of each character, in the play, is conveyed in Zeffirelli’s movie. For example, Tybalt’s personality is combative while still possessing elegance. In the play, he states," Follow me close