Romeo And Juliet Essay, Research Paper
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have watched two versions of ?Romeo and Juliet?. One was made in 1968 by a man
called Franco Zeffirelli and was set in Verona, in the Middle Ages. A man named
Baz Luhrmann made the other movie in 1996. This version was set in America and
is very modern. The stars in the Zeffirelli version were Olivia Hussey and
Leonard Whiting. The Luhrmann version starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire
Danes.??
One of the main differences between the two versions of ?Romeo and
Juliet?, was the opening. The Zeffirelli movie had quite a slow opening, in
contrast to fast and furious opening of Luhrmann?s version. Both films used
Shakespeare?s play properly, but their outcomes were very, very different. Zeffirelli?s
version of the opening was set in a market square, whereas Luhrmann?s opening
was in a petrol station. When the Montagues and Capulets have a confrontation
in Zeffirelli?s film, the argument is quite courteous, in a mocking way. But in
Luhrmann?s version, everyone is frantic, especially the ?Montague Boys, but
they still manage to put a shouted ?Sir!? at the end of each sentence. Also,
before the ?Montague Boys? were shown at a petrol station, a newsreader is
saying the prologue of ?Romeo and Juliet?. The newsreader then fades out and
the viewer is shown empires, belonging to the Capulets and Montagues. This is
meant to show you that the reason for the Montagues and Capulets rivalry is
down to the business empires, belonging to the two families. In Zeffirelli?s
film, there was no reason for the bitter, prehistoric feud.??
Both films used suitable techniques and props for the film. By that, I
mean the Zeffirelli version couldn?t have a newsreader and in Luhrmann?s film
the people had to wear normal clothes, for this time and age. In Zeffirelli?s
film, the actors and actresses wore wonderful, extravagant costumes. These were
perfect for the Middle Ages, and looked very impressive. Just by looking at the
clothes, the viewer would understand the importance of the two families. In
Luhrmann?s film everybody was wearing normal, everyday clothes, so there was no
way that, you could tell the people were from important families. Also, in the
two versions, the weapons used were different. Luhrmann?s film used guns and
Zeffirelli?s film used swords. Another technique that Luhrmann used, was the
old language. The whole film was very, very modern, but Luhrmann decided to
keep Shakespeare?s old English in his motion picture. I found this really good,
but it was also really confusing. I had just finished studying the book, so
this helped me to understand the film.??
The two films are set in different locations, and this small factor
changes the outcome of the two movies completely. If you watched the two
movies, one after the other, you would be thinking, ?This was based on the same
play??, and amazingly the answer would be ?YES!? Actually, you can tell the
films are based on the same play, as they both have the same plot, but look
ENTIRELY different. It?s amazing!?? In both films, I liked
particular actors and actresses. In Zeffirelli?s film, I liked the Prince and
the Nurse. In Luhrmann?s film, I liked Mercutio, Benvolio and Romeo. All these
actors and actresses, named above, were exceptionally good. Well, at least I
thought that they portrayed their characters well! Leonardo (Romeo) didn?t
impress me much, but I thought he did quite well. He wasn?t as good as the
others, but he was one of the better actors. I thought both Benvolios were
good, but I preferred the Benvolio in Luhrmann?s film. He was just very
different to how I imagined Benvolio. Now, I didn?t like the Nurse in
Luhrmann?s version, at all! She just seemed very boring, cold and not like a
lifelong friend to Juliet. Also, Olivia (Juliet in Zeffirelli?s version),
wasn?t that good. She was only fourteen when she did the film and that is
impressive, because she wasn?t bad at doing Juliet?s part. The only thing was,
I thought that she couldn?t cry and sounded very fake. Which was a shame
because she did the rest of Juliet really well.?? In both films, scenes were missed out. In Zeffirelli?s movie,
the scenes missed out were when Lord Capulet and Lord Montague, make up and
become friends again; the Apothecary, which was when Romeo was buying the poison
and the other scene missed out was when Paris was killed by Romeo in the
monument. Scenes missed out in Luhrmann?s film were also the Lord Montague and
Lord Capulet scene and Paris?s murder was also missed.?? To conclude this essay, I am going to tell you what I liked in
both motion pictures. Firstly, in Zeffirelli?s film, I LOVED the costumes. It
would be worth watching the movie just for the costumes! I also liked the way
certain characters were portrayed. In Luhrmann?s movie liked the way Leonardo
was acting in the scene where Romeo and Juliet have just spent their wedding
night together. He was rushing about, grabbing his clothes and looked so
frantic, it added humour to the heavy scene! Another thing that I really liked
in this film was the ending. I loved the way Juliet woke up just as Romeo took
the poison, because it filled everyone with dread and it was very sorrowful.
Then when Juliet shot herself in the head, it was really dramatic, as you heard
the sound of the shot.?? To summarise the two films, all I can say is that I loved them
both, because they are so different, but if I had to choose, I?d choose the
Luhrmann version, starring Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio, just because I
loved the ending.????????????????? This Essay was done by ??????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????Nazia Pervez, 9s. ? ?? ???
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