The Effect of Biased Conceptions Being Forced Onto Individuals within Society

Love plays a crucial role in telling the story of Romeo and Juliet, clearly shown in the appropriated Luhrmann film. Using film as a new medium, cinematic techniques explore the love between Romeo and Juliet. The balcony scene is a clear example of how Luhrmann expresses this. To show his love for Juliet, Romeo decides to sneak into the Capulet mansion to confess his love for her. When Romeo sees Juliet through his window, light shines around her and he describes it as, “ the sun.” This suggests that Romeo is calling Juliet the brightness in his life. Luhrmann decided to portray Romeo

Baz Lurhmann’s Romeo and Juliet has adapted different film techniques in the first scene and final death scene using different methods whilst still holding on to the original Shakespearean mixture of love, hate, excitement, foreboding and passion (Marked by Teachers, 2012 ). Baz Lurhmann’s Romeo and Juliet has a very dramatic opening because we see a new modernistic beginning in comparison with William Shakespeare’s play. The types of filmic devices that were used in the film were all very different. This essay will aim to discuss how Baz Lurhmann captured the original story and combined it with a contemporary location and style, with the use of a great number of filmic devices in his 1996 production of Romeo and Juliet.

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.

Romeo and Juliet’s actions may seem rushed and immature, but Baz Luhrmann’s movie offers a compelling insight into their decisions. By setting this Elizabethan era play in the present day, the viewer can see past the differences in scenery and clothing compared to those of their lives, to analyze the unique characteristics of the lovers’ society and upbringing that may have led to their hasty love affair and violent end. Luhrmann creates a culture of violence and speed through careful decisions regarding cinematography, editing, and sound.

Bias is something every person has; It is the inclination to feel prejudice towards a certain person, subject, or thing. On a personal level, bias affects just about everything a person could encounter, or has yet to encounter in their lifetime. There are two main types of biases people can have; Cognitive bias involves topics such as social attribution or memory errors, that are quite common and have a wide range of effects on how humans perceive things. The other type of bias is called social biases, or sometimes referred to as attributional bias. Attributional biases affect our everyday social interactions, and has a strong impact on people when trying to assess their own and others behaviors.

William Shakespeare, is the most famous playwright of the English language as he successfully conveys many universal themes, in his 16th century tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, appealing to the audience during the time which it was produced. Hence it raises the question of how effective would Baz Luhrmann's 1996 film be as appealing to a 20th century audience? Luhrmann’s form of displaying the original play as a film, is a significant modern appropriation, as the audience can physically see the play unfolding, identifying the film's effectiveness. By drawing on the original themes of violence and love, and introducing numerous film techniques, Luhrmann's modern adaptation of the play will prove itself highly effective.

The portrayal of adolescence in a film is a relatively new concept, and one that many directors have attempted in their career to varying results. Some directors are able to capture the awkward, bumbling phase of adolescence perfectly. However, there are some representations of teenagers that cause much debate, and can generally leave viewers confused about the director’s intentions. On one hand, a director can undoubtedly celebrate teenage culture through a variety of techniques, however on the other hand they can criticise teenagers and their aimed demographic, in some cases simultaneously, and especially when adapting Shakespeare. William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet is an adaptation that has stirred much controversy since its release, and it’s easy to understand why. Critics deemed the film kitsch, tasteless, and even went as far as to dismiss it as “MTV Shakespeare” because of its fast-paced style and blatant advertisement in some of Shakespeare’s most paramount scenes. I thoroughly believe that Baz Luhrmann is attempting to get teenagers interested in Shakespeare by reducing the complex themes of forbidden romance and familial rivalry into a superficial film that contains many aspects of an MTV music video, which can be deemed problematic as it assumes that that is all that teenagers would ever be interested in.

The tragedy, “Romeo and Juliet” was originally a play created by William Shakespeare, one of many world famous plays by the same. This play has been converted into its intended style many times in the past, the earliest version in 1968 was directed by Franco Zeffirelli, the latest film in 1996 by Baz Luhrmann. The latter is quite modern and only occassionally uses the words of Shakespeare. On the contrary, the older version was very traditional, and almost completely stuck to the original script. In this essay, I will compare the modern day film to the traditional version of the tragic play, “Romeo and Juliet.

In this essay I will characterize Romeo and how he changed over the play and the film Baz Luhrman directed.

Although dated, the story of Romeo and Juliet still holds great appeal and relevance to today’s society, despite the differences in morals and values between William Shakespeare’s audience 500 years ago, and Baz Luhrmann’s audience today. The arising issues of order and authority, fate and love entertain/ed and appeals/ed to both viewers in different ways.

In Zeffirelli’s film, mostly traditional, basic camera shots are used that are often at eye level. A close-up is used on Romeo and Juliet’s face when he uncovers the veil on her face, and mid-shots are used as Romeo delivers his last speech to Juliet. In contrast, Luhrmann employs a wide variety of filming techniques and camera shots in his scene. As Romeo’s talks to Juliet, close-ups of his face are applied, allowing the audience to see the despair etched into his expression. Extreme close-ups of Juliet’s hand and eyes are also utilized, creating suspense and anxiety in the viewer as Juliet awakens. A birds-eye angle is paired with a close-up shot when Juliet holds the gun to her head, looking into the camera. This emphasises the tragedy of their deaths, and presents the idea that their deaths could never be avoided as it is their destinies. This is further reinforced through the high-angle shot of Romeo and Juliet as they both lie dead, surrounded by candles and crosses. Thus, Luhrmann’s employment of camera techniques is more successful than Zeffirelli’s, as it evokes a powerful response in the

The portrayal of adolescence in film is a relatively new concept, and one that many directors have attempted in their career to varying results. Some directors are able to capture the awkward, bumbling phase of adolescence perfectly. However, there are some representations of teenagers that cause much debate, and can generally leave viewers confused about the director’s intentions. On one hand, a director can undoubtedly celebrate teenage culture through a variety of techniques, however on the other hand they can criticise teenagers and their aimed demographic, in some cases simultaneously, and especially when adapting Shakespeare. William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet is an adaptation that has stirred much controversy since its release,

It uses a close up to help build tension and to show the hatred in the facial expressions of Romeo. Romeo is also going to be wearing old rugged clothes with a standard western styled hat to symbolise he is a Montague and to bring across the western style of this version. While this helps build tension to for the viewer it also gives off an aspect of sadness as viewers know his anger is over Mercutio’s murder. The camera movement of this shot will whip pan to the next frame.

Tragedy is a strict genre with strict rules in place. However, whether these laws are totally uncompromising regarding Romeo and Juliet is still debatable. At what point, does Luhrmann’s rebellion against the genre of tragedy change the genre entirely?

Bias and stereotyping can both be harmful for self-esteem and the developmental process in children. Bias is not only harmful for the target group since it lowers the self-esteem, but the group who feels superiority over the other is also harmed. The feeling of being superior disconnects a person from reality. Too much of self-esteem reduces the appreciation of others and may even slow down progress for the beholder. Stereotyping creates preconceived notions in the minds of children and adults due to which they fail to see others for what they actually are and rather judge them on the basis of information that is misguided and obsolete. Stereotyping results in developing strong perspectives of people who are different and causes prejudice.