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Analysing Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet
A comparison of two versions of william shakespeare's romeo and juliet
Analysing Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet
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Magazine Review of Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet Imagine that you are writing a review of Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and
Juliet for a magazine aimed at English teachers. Concentrating only on
the first ten minutes of the film, explain its possible appeal to 14
year olds and how the director has adapted Shakespeare's play. Finally
explain whether you would recommend it to be used in the classroom.
Baz Luhrmann has produced a vibrant, innovative and modern version of
Romeo and Juliet. He brings attractive actors, beautiful settings and
action together to portray one of Shakespeare's most famous plays. The
play as we know it has the genre of a romance or even a tragedy and
Luhmann's interpretation is excellent. The film shows the romantic
tale with plenty of action entwined within the film.It proved to be
very popular and took $11 million in the box office in its first week.
I could write about the whole film but think that a description of the
first ten minutes will leave your mouth watering and craving for more.
The film opens with a black background, with a television set taking
up a small proportion of the screen. The camera slowly zooms in on a
news reader reciting the prologue which leads onto a repetition of the
prologue, but this time in a male, deep, mysterious voice. This is
backed by several, fast, intense and vivid images of the scenery which
is a modern Verona Beach, part decaying Miami and part Mexico City .
Some of these restless camera shots are of different buildings owned
by the Montagues and the Capulets to portray the rivalry between t...
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...ren also took a more positive approach to Shakespeare after
watching his plays rather than just reading it.
Personally, I think that Luhrmann represents Shakespeare's Romeo and
Juliet extremely well but some critics have said that Luhrmann drowned
Shakespeare's dialogue in technique of modern films and the romance
was irretrievably lost.
I would recommend this version of Romeo and Juliet to be used in the
classroom because it has terrific mise en scene, the camera shots are
varied and it is enjoyable to watch. The pupils would enjoy their task
whether it is on media studies, comparing different interpretations of
the play in their English lesson or just watching it as an end of term
treat.
I think that this version is different, modern and well worth seeing,
so make up your own mind and watch it for yourself.
Romeo and Juliet is a play about two lovers who have to risk their lives in order to demonstrate their love and will to stay together, regardless the feud between their families. By the end, the death of Romeo and Juliet finally bring the reconciliation to these two families. It is fate that the two most shall-not meet people fall in love and it love that eventually won against hatred. Since then, there have been many different versions of Romeo and Juliet, whether it was for film, stage, musicals. These different recontextualised adaptions change the original play by many ways, some modernise the language, environment, props as well as changing the original characteristics of some characters. Out of all the different adaptions of Romeo and Juliet, two stood out the most. One was the Romeo and Juliet (1996) and directed by Baz Luhrmann and the other one was Romeo and Juliet Broadway (2013) play version,
Romeo and Juliet presents an ongoing feud between the Montague and Capulet families whose children meet and fall in love. Markedly, the meeting scene depicting love at first sight continues to be praised by today’s critics. Romeo and Juliet then receive the label of star-crossed lovers whose tragic demise is written in the stars. In fact, Shakespeare 's work is well received and its numerous adaptations have made it one of his most enduring and notorious stories. The cinematic world brings to the screens a disastrous approach by Baz Luhrmann to do the play justice. A glance at Baz Luhrmann’s productions allows audiences to assume he delivers movies which are unlike those of any other filmmaker today, or perhaps ever. Therefore, blending a delicate
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.
“The most filmed of all plays, ‘Romeo and Juliet’, with its universal themes… remains uniquely adaptable for any time period,” (Botnick, 2002). Directors Franco Zeffirelli (1968) and Baz Luhrman (1996) provide examples of the plays adaption to suit the teenage generation of their time. Identifying the key elements of each version: the directors intentions, time/place, pace, symbols, language and human context is one way to clearly show how each director clearly reaches their target audience. Overall however Luhrman’s adaptation would be more effective for capturing the teenage audience.
music changes to show that she is sad. We then get a close up of
William Shakespeare's "The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," set in 16th century Verona, Italy shares differences with Baz Luhrmann's "Romeo + Juliet," set in modern day Verona Beach. These stories contain the same characters and conflict, however major and minor discrepancies are galore in the story lines of both formats of William Shakespeare's creation. Some major inconsistencies occur, such as Mercutio dying at a beach, portrayed as a hero, instead of being at a bar, looking like a fool, Friar Lawrence's letter is successfully sent to Romeo by mail carriers, however he does not have the opportunity to read it, unlike in the play version, where Romeo does not get the letter from Friar John, and is told the news by Balthazar, and nobody being at Juliet's tomb to stop Romeo from reaching Juliet, unlike in the play, Paris was there to pay his respects to Juliet. In addition to the major inconsistencies, minor ones are included throughout, such as Romeo and Juliet first seeing each other through a fish tank, then kissing in the elevator, not the dance, the famous balcony scene occurring in a pool, not on an actual balcony, and Juliet pointing a gun at Friar after she points it to herself, threatening to commit suicide. These inconsistencies probably occurred in the play to add a modern and entertaining twist to the Shakespearean classic, leading to the same denouement in both versions of "The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet."
Romeo and Juliet, written by William Shakespeare, is a tragic love story about two young lovers who are forced to be estranged as a result of their feuding families. The play is about their struggle to contravene fate and create a future together. As such, it was only a matter of time before Hollywood would try and emulate Shakespeare’s masterpiece. This had been done before in many films. Prominent among them were, Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 “Romeo and Juliet” and Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 “William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet.” Both films stay true to the themes of Shakespeare’s original play. However, the modernised Luhrmann film not only maintains the essence of Shakespeare’s writings, Luhrmann makes it relevant to a teenage audience. This is done through the renewal of props and costumes, the reconstruction of the prologue and the upgrading of the setting, whilst preserving the original Shakespearean language. Out of the two, it is Luhrmann who targets Romeo & Juliet to a younger audience to a much larger extent than Zeffirelli.
the play may be pass to modern society, that one may not learn, or even
in the way he speaks in a sly voice. He is the perfect actor to play
The play is an eternal challenge, a lock with many keys, none of which ever fits perfectly. Every interpretation presents just a portion of the possibilities. Every new version opens up new vistas, without limiting further experimentation. Every generation comes, looks, and studies the play, but never comes up with all the answers.
He uses close ups of Romeo and Lord Capulet. The close up of Romeo is
Rozen, Leah. "William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet." People Weekly. 11 Nov. 1996. <http://callisto.gsu.edu:4000/CGI:html> (5 May 1997).
Romeo and Juliet, a story of a tragic romance between two young lovers. And within the story you find that it is different from the book to the movie. While reading the book you notice some differences between it and the movie. While watching the movie you see one difference and it is that instead of swords like the book they have guns and they called them swords. They did this as a result of the movie is in a more modern time than the book. Another difference is when Mercutio is making Romeo go to the party. In the book he talks him into going to the party. In the movie Mercutio made him take a tablet or pill of some kind to make him go. Still the same as the other difference, still in a more modern era.
So begins Baz Luhrmann’s production of Shakespeare's beloved play, "Romeo and Juliet," from the famous opening line of "Two Households both alike in dignity.." to the tragic end, the viewer is whisked away into the ‘depths’ of heightened realism in the world of Verona Beach.
Throughout Shakespeare 's playwriting career he was regarded an architect of the combination of genre 's; tragedy and comic components into the plays. An example of this intertwined genre is The Winter 's Tale, one of Shakespeare 's later plays performed between years 1610-11. This play defies any specific genre such as tragedy or comedy, however is distinctly an amalgamation of both; 'tragi-comedy. ' Susan Snyder explains the attributes of Shakespeare 's genres as;