Zeffirelli Essays

  • Franco Zeffirelli and Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet

    1004 Words  | 3 Pages

    Franco Zeffirelli and Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet Sex, drugs, and violence are usually a potent combination, and only William Shakespeare could develop them into a masterful, poetic, and  elegant story.  In the play, "The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," all these aspects of teenage life absorb the reader or watcher.  It is understood that Hollywood would try to imitate this masterpiece on screen, and it has done so in two films: Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 "Romeo and Juliet" and Baz Luhrmann's

  • Hamlet: Zeffirelli vs. Branagh

    935 Words  | 2 Pages

    stage or on screen has been the aspiration of many actors. William Shakespeare’s Hamlet has been the focus on various accounts throughout the 20th Century, each actor attempting to bring something unique and unmarked to the focal character. Franco Zeffirelli and Kenneth Branagh, both film directors, introduce varying levels of success on the screen through downright differences in ways of translation and original ideas. Zeffirelli’s much shorter interpretation of the film is able to convey the importance

  • Zeffirelli and Luhrmann on Movies About Romeo and Juliet

    794 Words  | 2 Pages

    Two directors, (Franco Zeffirelli and Baz Luhrmann), alike in dignity, forge a motion picture of splendid taste. One ancient view of love to one modern, from Shakespearean play it is based. From forth these remarkable lines, they say, is the moment true love is on display. The two star-crossed lovers make their haste, to say the words that in public disgrace. But, both these directors have their own view, on what they want love to mean to just you. Comparing, contrasting, how they differ, these films

  • Comparing Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet And Franco Zeffirelli

    1020 Words  | 3 Pages

    Kenneth Branagh (1996) and Franco Zeffirelli (1990), bring forth two different analyses and versions of Shakespeare’s script. Though, they are similar in the storyline and the themes, conflicts, both editions represent intense and dramatic dissimilarities with creative ways of portraying many ideas. The most obvious differences were the setting including time period, how characters were portrayed in terms of both personality and social class and costumes. Franco Zeffirelli created a Shakespeare Hamlet

  • Comparing the Luhrmann and Zeffirelli Versions of Romeo and Juliet

    888 Words  | 2 Pages

    Comparing the Luhrmann and Zeffirelli Versions of Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet is a play by Shakespeare written in the sixteen century. It is a play of passion, lover and anger. Both the Luhrmann and the Zeffirelli versions of the Shakespearian play, “Romeo and Juliet”, have common scenes. The following essay will compare and contrast one particular scene that from both the movies. It will juxtapose many different

  • Comparing Zeffirelli and Luhrmann's Versions of Romeo and Juliet

    916 Words  | 2 Pages

    sight. Act II Scene II the balcony scene displays that romantic notion perfectly. “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

  • Interpretation of the Balcony Scene by Baz Luhrmann and Franco Zeffirelli of William Shakespreare's Romeo and Juliet

    1047 Words  | 3 Pages

    Interpretation of the Balcony Scene by Baz Luhrmann and Franco Zeffirelli of William Shakespreare's Romeo and Juliet “Romeo and Juliet” is a famous love story written by William Shakespeare. Two interpretations were made of this text into a film by the two directors, Baz Luhrmann (1996) and Franco Zeffirelli (1968). The films use different types of media to portray the characters and the overall context of Shakespeare’s play. I will be focusing on Act two Scene ii (the balcony scene) where

  • Franco Zeffirelli's Hamlet for Today

    1803 Words  | 4 Pages

    script begins immediately. Rather than opening with the traditional sequence involving the first sighting of the ghost of Hamlet's father, Zeffirelli instead opens with a funeral sequence of his own design. In this scene the director establishes Hamlet's distrust of Claudius as well Claudius' desire to act as a father figure to Hamlet. To fully display this, Zeffirelli plucks these lines from a later scene, "think of us as of a father; for let the world take note you are the most immediate to our throne

  • Intriguing Camera Work in Zeffirelli’s Film, Hamlet

    1217 Words  | 3 Pages

    Intriguing Camera Work in Zeffirelli’s Film, Hamlet The three-dimensional camera work of Zeffirelli in Hamlet emphasizes the surveillance methods and intrigues carried out by the forces of good and of evil. In the opening scene, Elsinore Castle looms over the soldiers and people standing outside. The camera angle forces one to look up at the dark castle; then the camera surveys the people, revealing that the evil from witnhin the castle is not self-contained but looms over and affects everyone

  • Zeffirelli Hamlet Comparison

    922 Words  | 2 Pages

    With much of the text diced, great setting, realistic costumes, and an all-star cast, the film offers what amounts to a decent introduction to Shakespeare's classic, without losing any of the play's psychological complexities. According to Zeffirelli, the goal of this film was to make an “especially

  • Romeo and Juliet: A Timeless Tragedy

    728 Words  | 2 Pages

    timeless and has proven to remain perhaps the most popular story of tragic love. In 1968, 373 years after the play was originally written, a new movie was released and hailed as a new and futuristic Romeo and Juliet. This film is directed by Franco Zeffirelli and stars Leonard Whiting as Romeo and Olivia Hussey as Juliet. Then, in 1996, a mere 401 years after Shakespeare’s original production, Baz Luhrmann directed a new Romeo and Juliet that features Leonardo Dicaprio as Romeo and Claire Danes

  • Shake

    2321 Words  | 5 Pages

    liberated women. On the contrary, Taming of the Shrew is an ideal film to update to our time. In 1967, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton starred in Franco Zeffirelli¡¦s version of Taming. For those familiar with the history of the 20th century, you may recall that the 1960¡¦s are somewhat notable for the women¡¦s liberation movement. Zeffirelli directed a film that, on the surface, advocates female obedience to males. Upon careful inspection, however, it can be seen that submission was not the message

  • Comparing Zeffirelli's Adaptation Of Romeo And Juliet

    976 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Romeo and Juliet” is an age old tale featuring love and heartbreak, and is perhaps one of literature’s most beloved and despised story. Director Franco Zeffirelli, transformed this tragedy into the 1968 film that we know about today; which is considered the most idolized adaptation of the play. It starred Olivia Hussey (Juliet) and Leonard Whiting (Romeo) as the protagonists of this film. One of the reasons Zeffirelli’s adaptation of the film is the most raved about is because of his choice in

  • A Comparison of the Opening Sequences of Two Films Version of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

    680 Words  | 2 Pages

    Version of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet “Romeo and Juliet” is a play by Shakespeare; the play has been made into films by many directors. The version of the film by Franco Zeffirelli was made in 1976 for general release. The one made by Baz Lurhman in 19997 was also for general release. The Zeffirelli version is a very old fashioned type film set in Verona, to make it look authentic the clothes worn by the characters are similar to the clothes in Shakespeare’s time and so is the setting

  • Compare Hamlet Movie And Movie

    1080 Words  | 3 Pages

    Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” and Franco Zeffirelli film version of the play share many characteristics such as the characters and the basic story. However, in the remaking of the ghost scenes, Zeffirelli uses narrative and film techniques to create a suspenseful atmosphere and creates feelings of pity for “Hamlet”. Zeffirelli makes obvious changes by rewriting the play’s plot, by the setting of each scene, and by the dialogue. Starting with the plot of the play, Zeffirelli changes the plot and rearranges

  • Sanity: Boundaries of the Mind

    1496 Words  | 3 Pages

    (Hamlet).” Gale 2003. Gale Research. Student Resouce Center. BlinnCollege Library, Bryan, TX 28 Nov. 2004 < http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SRC >. Stubbers, George/ Thomas Hanmer. “Critical Heritage.” Shakespearean Criticism vol. 1. 1975. vol. 71 Zeffirelli, Franco, Dir. Hamlet. Perf. Mel Gibson, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Bates, and Glenn Close, Warner Bros, 1991.

  • Romeo And Juliet Movie Versions

    840 Words  | 2 Pages

    ‘Romeo & Juliet’ display the values and attitudes of their contexts. Which is the better version? Justify your answer with references to the films and the plays. Answer: The two version of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ that we watched were the 1968 Franco Zeffirelli version, staring Leonard Whiting, and Olivia Hussy, and the 1996 Baz Luhrmann version, staring Clair Danes, and Leonardo De Caprio. Within both of these versions the plot line is still the same, with Romeo meeting Juliet at her father’s party, and

  • Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

    2063 Words  | 5 Pages

    Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare The first scene of the two film versions of Romeo and Juliet directed by Baz Luhrmann and Franco Zeffirelli is a very unusual and interesting interpretation of the 16th century play, written by the famous playwright William Shakespeare. Both Luhrmann and Zeffirelli capture the love and tragedy story in different ways. Baz Luhrmann very cleverly manages to weave the past into the present by setting the movie in Shakespearean language and yet giving

  • Analysis Of Franco Zeffirelli's Hamlet

    1232 Words  | 3 Pages

    Unlike many other adaptations of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Franco Zeffirelli’s version shows Hamlet portrayed in an upbeat light. Zeffirelli strays away from depicting the character as a lost soul—doomed, in a sense, from the very start, and instead chooses to give audiences a healthy and happy Hamlet, who, as film critic Robert Ebert writes, has “nothing fundamentally awry until everything in his life goes wrong in one swift motion”. Hamlet’s character Mel Gibson is known for his robust and

  • A Comparison Of Juliet And Zeffirelli's Romeo And Juliet

    1423 Words  | 3 Pages

    Juliet, my mind was blown because it was how I pictured it when reading the play. It was geared towards Shakespeare’s time with the props, clothes, and scenes that Zeffirelli had chosen to use. Even though these two films are about the same play, the ways the directors choose to film them make each one a unique film. Such as Zeffirelli uses a more realistic feel as to Luhrmann who uses a postmodern feel in his. But which film is better? How are they different? In this paper, I would like to focus