Of the two versions of Romeo and Juliet that we watched in class, I believe that the Luhrmann version was more compelling since it better conveyed the plot with a story and setting that is much more modern but helps one understand the plotline better. When the two houses are visualized as more of gangs and mob bosses, it helps one in modern day remember and associate the plot with current events. In the Zeffirelli version of Romeo and Juliet, while the setting was much more realistic to what Shakespeare most likely visualized, the story was much more bland in my opinion due to the lack of intriguing elements in it. Because of the way Luhrmann directed the film in addition to its setting, it makes for a more compelling and memorable story. When watching the two films, the two elements that stood out the most to me were the symbolic elements as well as the music, …show more content…
This helps to make the message of the love between Romeo and Juliet helping to make amends between the families. While the Zeffirelli version of Romeo and Juliet did include music, it was mostly all instrumental. In Zeffirelli’s version, he focused more on the song of Romeo and Juliet that would play during their shared scenes, and while helping to develop the tone of particular scenes, it didn’t affect the message of any of the character. While the music emphasized the mood, it didn’t affect build upon any of the themes of the movie like the Luhrmann version did
Baz Luhrmann's 1996 film, Romeo + Juliet effectively appropriates the Shakespearean 16th century love tragedy. So why has Luhrmann decided to appropriate Romeo and Juliet? By changing the context, Luhrmann effectively makes the play relevant, discussing his contextual concerns of the 1990’s. This is done through the use of themes in the film, love, family disputes and hate which have remained similar to the original play, although the way they have been presented are different, in particular the form and characters. The form has had an obvious change as the original play has been adapted into a film. Characters in the film have also been appropriated to correspond with Luhrmann's contextual concerns. Hence, Luhrmann successfully appropriates the original Shakespeare play, Romeo and Juliet by maintaining similar themes, but altering the form and characterisation to fit his contextual concerns.
First off, the biggest difference is the time periods of each movie. The older movie was set in Early Renaissance times. The newer movie is set in the early ninety’s. Another difference is the use of special effects. In the
Luhrmann’s variation of the film is more suited to a teenage audience than Zeffirelli’s due to the vibrant settings and modern sets utilised throughout the film. Several of these sets include the beach, high rise buildings and petrol stations. These factors are used to tempt a younger audience. Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet, however takes place in a medieval Italian city. Although the original play was based and performed in this location, teenage viewers cannot relate to the surroundings, hence making it difficult to understand or appreciate the plot.
The play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is about the dilemma of choosing love over loyalty for your family. In the story Romeo and Juliet come from separate families who hate each other, but still find love in each other. They get married without telling their families and eventually the two families get into a fight which ends in Romeo getting banished from the city where Juliet lives. They have a plan for him to get back into to the city to prevent Juliet from being forced to marry another man, but it fails and ends with the suicide death of both Juliet and Romeo. Shakespeare's major theme in the text is that Love plays a major role in our lives and can heavily affect our decisions.
Zeffirelli was closer to the book. Would you like someone changing your thoughts. Yes, Romeo and Juliet is about love, and it can happen anywhere. The Luhrmann version changes everything,including the plot. In the future producers should try to make it closer to the book. It is important to keep in mind that there’s a book and plot to
Romeo and Juliet is a timeless, classic love story written by the incomparable William Shakespeare. Many of Shakespeare’s works are considered literary classics, but none are more loved than Romeo and Juliet. This play masterfully tells the love story of two teenagers in Elizabethan England. The title characters Romeo and Juliet are members of two feuding families, Romeo is a Montague and Juliet is a Capulet. There are different stylistic ways of portraying Romeo and Juliet, and the two most popular film versions portray two very different styles of this one play. Zeferelli's Romeo and Juliet was made in the 1970s, and is the film version most commonly shown in high school classrooms. The newest film version of this play is Baz Luhrmanns
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
Luhrman has based his version at Verona Beach; America and instead of basing it in the 16th century like Zeffirelli, he had his film based in the 20th century, with mansions, shiny cars and bright lights. While Zeffirelli paced his film in an Iambic pentameter – a traditional Shakespeare pace; Luhrman never kept his film at a solid pace. “By modernizing these aspects of the play, and reconstructing the prologue, Luhrmann creates a movie that is more interesting to the modern viewers.” ("Franco Zeffirelli and Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet." 123HelpMe.com). As Zeffirelli may have believed famous actors would steal his show he instead hired fresh new faces to give the movie a more fresh, innocence value, But Luhrman used well known actors to play the lead roles. This worked because more people were attracted to the film by the actors.
Romeo and Juliet is a timeless story about two ill-fated lovers. Originally written by, Shakespeare, this story has been adapted by different directors who all commonly try to add their own unique twist to it. Two of the most prevalent adaptations of Romeo and Juliet have been done by Franco Zeffirelli and Baz Luhrmann, who have taken this love story to the big screen. Franco Zeffirelli’s movie, which was produced in 1968, is extremely authentic and stays true to Shakespeare's vision, whereas, Baz Luhrmann’s version produced in 1996, is contemporary and appeals more to younger audiences. There are various differences and a couple of similarities between Zeffirelli’s and Luhrmann’s movie versions such as the costumes, their interpretations of
Comparing the Openings of the Film Versions of Romeo and Juliet by Franco Zeffirelli and Baz Luhrmann
Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet was an accurate representation of the famous Shakespearean play, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, and was very entertaining for today’s audience. First, this modern version presented the original play in both an appealing and entertaining way for the younger generation. People today are interested in movies that are more romantic yet action packed, and Luhrmann’s version of Romeo and Juliet met these preferences. The film included many scenes from the original play that were changed to be action packed and tragic, such as the gunfights between the Capulets and Montagues, which appealed to the younger audience because of their modern day thinking. Because the film was action packed, the audience took an interest
The movie was faithful to the text but modernized to become easier for the younger gerneration to understand. The changes Baz Lurhmann made in the movie was to make the audience familiar with the movie and relate to it. Using moderized songs, setting and situations increases the younger generation audience. The movie helped many people truly understand the Romeo and Juliet story by just looking at the characters facial expressions or how they were dressed and body language and much more. I think that Baz Lurhmann made a very successful movie by making Romeo and Juliet modern and more interesting for the younger
The scene takes place in a pool, rather than on an actual balcony. Also, instead of the actors coming together from far apart, they are close together the whole time in Luhrmann’s rendition, making the scene seem somewhat unrealistic. The costumes Juliet and Romeo were wearing were more modern, so they did not even look like costumes. Perhaps due to having more experience, the faces of the actors were difficult to read. They also spoke their lines as if in an everyday conversation, as opposed to being actors in a play. These characteristics are why the 1996 version varies from its 1968
Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is a tragic love story where the two youths fall in love against all odds and tragically die at the end, defying their parents. Shakespeare conveys the thought of true love through his play Romeo and Juliet. Different performances can make the play relevant to new contexts because the performances may be set in different time periods helping the viewer understand the context of the play better because it was set in a modern era or because it was set in an older era. The directors who made a production of Romeo and Juliet helped recontextualise Romeo and Juliet from their point of view. The Zeffirelli production of Romeo and Juliet is set in the Elizabethan era, this production shows what the play would have possibly been like in the Elizabethan era. The Baz Luhrmann production Romeo + Juliet shows Romeo and Juliet in a more modern era, by doing so the audience may be able to understand the contexts of Romeo and Juliet better than the Zeffirelli production because the language may be easier to understand also the props and the setting Romeo + Juliet can make the play more relevant to new contexts. However, I think that the Baz Luhrmann production is easier to understand than the Zeffirelli production because Baz Luhrmann set his production of Romeo and Juliet in a different context that Zeffirelli.
There are many different interpretations of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet that have been made into productions, but only a few directors are able to interpret his intentions perfectly. Romeo and Juliet is a play written by William Shakespeare about two star crossed lovers, Romeo, a Montague and Juliet, a Capulet. The two families have had a feud for a very long time, therefore Romeo and Juliet being together would cause them to be punished. Knowing the consequences the two would face if caught, they still get married and eventually die for each other. There are many similarities and differences between two productions of Romeo and Juliet, one by Franco Zeffirelli and one by Baz Luhrmann, but the way the intentions of Shakespeare are