Romeo And Juliet Comparison

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Comparison between the two film versions Romeo & Juliet by Luhrmann & Zefferelli.

When analyzing the two distinct 'Romeo and Juliet' films and comparing them, I noticed that both Zefferelli and Luhrmann had a different interpretation of Shakespeare’s version of ‘Romeo and Juliet’.

For example, Franco Zefferelli produced his film in 1968, and Baz Luhrmann produced his in 1997. Both films provided very different perspectives on Shakespeare's text because of the eras they were set in. The symbolism and imagery in both films were very different because of this factor. Zefferelli’s film remains faithful to Shakespeare’s original play, whereas Luhrmann made …show more content…

Clever film techniques were used in Luhrmann’s film, for example at a very emotional moment, when Tybalt dies, the camera tilts down to see the gun in Romeo’s hand, and stays there for an extended time, which is very symbolic as it makes you think about what the gun can do and you see the virgin Mary on the side of it, the whole film pauses for a second so that everyone can contemplate on what just happened. Both of the films are a tragedy type film because of the deaths of close family and friends; there is fighting and despair, and two of the main characters die during scene three and two more die in the final scene, concluding the play. Both of the films are romances, and the main theme of the film. However the romance is brought into scene three, because of the fight between Romeo, Mercutio and Tybalt in Luhrmann’s version made it feel more important and noticeable. These alterations of the script by Luhrmann made the film more like a modern drama and considerably different to the Zefferelli …show more content…

These were mainly minor changes in outdoor scenes that couldn't be exactly simulated on a stage. Some of the scenes weren't even in the written text, such as Romeo and Balthasar galloping from Mantua, and others, such as the large peasant-filled Verona Square, could have been depicted more authentically. Another significant difference in the directors' interpretations of Romeo and Juliet is what they omitted or edited. The murder of Paris was totally withdrawn from both movies. This single reduction did in fact totally alter the conclusion of the story. In Shakespeare's version, Romeo still could have been accepted into society before killing Paris (as Father Laurence pointed out), since he was exiled for killing Tybalt, Mercutio's murderer. In Both movies Romeo chased Tybalt and challenged him to a duel, but in the original, it was Tybalt who attacked Romeo. Romeo was defending himself when he killed Tybalt, so he was in a good position in the eyes of the 16th century law system. In the movies, Romeo's suicide was even more of an act of blind passion than it was in the original

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