Romeo And Juliet: Similarities Between The Movie And The Play

Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet has been modified numerous times and has been a source of inspiration for many playwrights and directors. Franco Zeffirelli and Baz Luhrmann are examples of directors that use Shakespeare’s legendary tragedy as a basis for their films.

     There are many similarities and differences between the sixties version of Romeo and Juliet and the modern version of Romeo and Juliet. It is very easy to spot these differences considering the time period each movie was set in. There are some things in the play that totally got cut from both movies. There are also some things that they added to the movies that weren’t in the play. Let us get on to the similarities and differences.

In this essay I will be comparing two different movie versions of Romeo and Juliet. The two films I will be comparing are Romeo and Juliet directed by Carlo Carlei and Romeo + Juliet directed by Baz Luhrmann. The points that I will be comparing are the props, setting, and costumes. Within each movie there are good things and there are bad things and I will be comparing those good and bad things.

Ever wondered who produced a “Romeo and Juliet,” movie or play, other than Shakespeare himself? If you didn’t well it’s time you do. Franco Zeffirelli is both an Italian producer and director. Zeffirelli was born February 12, 1923 in Florence, Italy. Baz Luhrmann, another producer and director, also produced a movie of “Romeo and Juliet”. Luhrmann’s version took place in modern time, when the Zeffirelli version was closer to the plot of the book. This is why the Zeffirelli does an exceptional job in retelling the tragedy.

In order to compare and contrast the play to the movie,first I will discuss the play .In the play there is a character named Romeo.Lovely Romeo wanted to marry Juliet and stay with her in Verona,Italy.But

Of all the treasures in the world, true love is of the most valued. They say that when you are truly in love, the universe around you simply stops, and no one else matters except you and your love. Love has the mesmerizing beauty of a stunning red rose, but it also has spiteful thorns surrounding it. But between friends and family, love can quickly go from black and white to shades of grey and can become fatal and suspenseful.

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

In the play Romeo was a little different than in the movie. In the play, Romeo cried over Rosaline and in the movie he did not physically cry. He just played pool and smoked instead of crying. Also in the movie, Romeo and his friends were always hanging out on the beach while in the play they didn’t. Also in the play, Romeo seemed more mature and adultlike than in the movie. Also in the play you kind of get the picture that the Capulets and the Montagues have the same toughness and intelligence but in the movie the Capulets and their friends are more reserved and mature than the Montagues.

In Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 version of Romeo and Juliet, is a traditional adaptation of Shakespeare’s original Romeo and Juliet, with some variations. Baz Luhrmann directed the 1996 version, also known as the MTV Romeo † Juliet. This version is very modernized, but keeps the language intact with few changes.

Romeo and Juliet is a very well known book that is loved by many. There numerous movies done on Romeo and Juliet like Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 version and Gnomeo and Juliet. There are many apparent differences like using guns instead of swords and using gnomes instead of people. Although there are many similarities, the differences between Luhrmann’s movie and Gnomeo and Juliet compared to the play Romeo and Juliet are evident. The similarities between the movie and the play only go down to the plot and language.

was the first film of Romeo and Juliet. It was produced in 1968 and it

The scene that was most different between the play and the movie of Romeo and Juliet was how the two crossed lovers first met each other. In the play Romeo and the Montague boys find out about the Capulet party through a poor peasant who could not read the invitations. While in the movie the Capulet party is announced through a newscast over T.V. I think the director changed this so the invite can go more along with the time period of the movie. This could change how the viewers see it by making the invite less secret. Over a newscast anyone who was paying attention to the T.V. could of heard the invite. Another main difference in this scene would be Romeo and Juliet first seeing each other in the bathroom across a fish tank rather than across the ballroom in the play. This could take away from the romantic side of the two first seeing each other. In the play it seems Romeo and Juliet have more privacy when they first speak to each other. In the movie the two are getting on and off an elevator just not to be seen. This could add more suspense to the scene and make the viewers see the movie from a lofty viewpoint.

in which the play is set in by just the glimpse of the furniture’s and

I think Luhrmann did a better job at capturing the story in a decade where we could better understand what was happening. He did an outstanding job at emphasizing the dialogue. There were many differences between Luhrmann’s version and Zeffirelli’s version. I believe that Zeffirelli did a more refined job at creating a performance which closely relates to the story. Overall, I would have to say that Luhrmann did an excellent job at his version, which barely outshines Zeffirelli.

Introduction Over the many years, English literature has changed tremendously, but we still consider Shakespearean English as one of the best. Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare in 1597, and it is amongst the best plays in his lifetime. Inspired from the play, two different film versions of Romeo and juliet have been published. The traditional and conventional version of Romeo and Juliet was made in 1968, directed by Franco Zeffirelli while the modernized and updated version was made in 1996 which was directed by Baz Luhrmann. Even though both of these films were based on the same play, the two directors, Franco Zeffirelli and Baz Luhrmann portray act 3 scene 1 differently, based on their opinions of Shakespeare’s intentions.