Comparative Analysis Between Both Film Versions of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is the most famous love story of all times, and each generation needs a version of their own, which they can feel identified with. The same play can be interpreted in a totally different way, according to the moral values, the relevant events and the point of view of the time in which it is performed. Thus, two films have been made, based on this masterpiece of English Literature. The first version was filmed in 1968, directed by Zeffirelli, while the second one, whose director is Baz Luhrmann, was made in the late nineties. Needless to say, there are many differences between the two of them, concerning mainly the ways in which certain topics are dealt with.

First of all, the most striking features of both movies as soon as they start is the enormous differences in setting. On one hand, the old version is set in Verona as it must have been in the time in which Shakespeare imagined it, and the costumes and hairdos coincide with this. On the other hand, in the new version Verona is a modern town, one that can be found in the nineties, and this is also reflected in the costumes, which are normal clothes of the previous decade.

Amazing as it may seem, both films follow Shakespeare's script perfectly, and the impression that is left in the viewer is utterly different, though. This might be due to the different performances and direction, together with a different selection of passages to be included. For instance, Romeo' s former love is not mentioned in the old version up until his conversation with the friar, while in the modern one, the topic is thoroughly dealt with from the beginning.

From the first fight in the streets of Verona, a great distinction can be made, since the same s...

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There is much more explicit violence in the modern version, which is logical considering that nowadays there is violence in everyday life and violent scenes can be seen consistently on television. The sex scenes are also dealt with in dissimilar ways, since in Zeffirelli's clearly more conservative version the fact that they have made love for the first time is conveyed by a scene of the couple laying together naked in bed, and in Luhrmann's version some of what happens in between is shown.

To conclude, both versions reflect the moral values of the society in which they are immersed, being the first one much more conservative than the second, the former following Shakespeare by the book and not dealing with controversial topics, and the later being more open and flexible. Nevertheless, both of them have left a mark in the generation to which they belong.