The Opening of Baz Luhrmann's William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
The opening of a film can make or break it - it is a vital factor
determining whether or not the audience will want to watch the rest of
the film. It must capture the audience's attention and imagination, be
striking and introduce main characters and plotlines in an interesting
way. The opening of Baz Luhrmann's 'William Shakespeare's Romeo +
Juliet' certainly captures the attention of the audience, and is in my
opinion incredibly effective. As there is so much material in the
prologue, I have chosen only to concentrate of this part of the
opening.
First, it is interesting that Luhrmann should choose to include
Shakespeare in the title of his film, as very little of the original
Shakespearian elements remain in Luhrmann's interpretation; Luhrmann
has made it entirely his own. However, this certainly hasn't had any
unfavourable effects on the play. In fact, in my opinion, his
interpretation is, if anything, more enjoyable than the play in it's
original form.
The movie opens immediately, with no opening credits of any kind. On
screen is an old-fashioned TV with a blank and fuzzy screen. We hear
clicks like someone pressing the buttons on a TV remote, and then a
newsreader appears onscreen reading the prologue as though it were a
news bulletin about the recent feuds between the Montagues and
Capulets. This gives us a sense of immediacy - that the events she
speaks about are happening now, and we are in Verona Beach witnessing
them. The newsreader is a black woman, showing the modern concept of
equal rights, but is also important to note a lot of the 'passive'
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... small clips from later in the movie:
shootings and brawls, shots of the inside of a church, people
screaming and crying, Romeo and Juliet kissing. Firstly this
juxtaposes the two themes of religion and violence, and secondly it
sums up in one scene all the major themes of the film in one scene,
while simultaneously increasing tension and suspense by using rapidly
flashing images and loud, dramatic music. This scene reaches a climax,
and then fades through into the next scene and the start of the actual
plot.
In conclusion, the opening of the film is very effective because it
sums up the plot well without being boring or overlong. In fact,
because of the many cinematic techniques Luhrmann uses, it is
eye-catching and enjoyable to watch. It also sums up all the themes of
the film in an efficient and concise means.
Comparison Between Act 3 Scene 1 in Franco Zeferelli's Romeo and Juliet and in Baz Luhrman's Romeo and Juliet
there and not just for the party to be shown off. Money is shown a lot
Have you ever fallen in love with the wrong person? How about falling in love with your family’s worst enemy? This tragedy happened to Romeo and Juliet, two adolescents that were doomed to unhappiness since the moment they were born. Two powerful and respectable families that have had hatred for each other for so long that the reason for how their hatred began is forgotten. Romeo and Juliet were the ones who had to pay the consequences for their families’ feud. Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet adaptation is both faithful and unfaithful to mise-en-scène in the beginning, middle, and end of the scene.
Comparing The Opening Scenes of the Two Romeo and Juliet Films In this essay I will be comparing two Romeo and Juliet films done by different directors at different times. The first film I will be comparing was directed by Franco Zeffirelli in 1968, which is considered the older version and the other film I will be comparing. was directed by Baz Luhrmann in 1996 and this is considered the most recent version of Romeo and Juliet. For each film I will be comparing the opening prologue and opening scene, which lasts about 10 minutes.
time and still can used as a modern story line in an modern film in
Comparison of the Opening Sequences of Two Different Versions of Romeo and Juilet The objective of this essay is to compare two different film adaptations of William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juilet. Franco Zefferelli directed the first rendition of this play in 1968. This was the more conventional, traditional version of the play. It was slow, peaceful, and in my opinion, how Shakespeare would've wanted it.
out of the two. 'Bend it like Beckham' was a good opening but to an
said by the chorus. This means it is an idea of a group of people
film goes is very fast and it changes from one location to the next in
in the way he speaks in a sly voice. He is the perfect actor to play
He uses close ups of Romeo and Lord Capulet. The close up of Romeo is
of the Capulet’s orchard. This is a brave thing to do, for, if he had
out of the movie. He did this to shorten the movie and also to make it
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 First Meeting of Romeo and Juliet The meeting of Romeo and Juliet is possibly the most decisive point of the play. Shakespeare undoubtedly used stagecraft and language devices. to create the desired atmosphere, the idea of love at first sight. The meeting of Romeo and Juliet is cleverly written to represent a sonnet.