Romeo and Juliet
Zeffirelli vs Luhrmann
When you think of a love story, Romeo and Juliet is always one of the first to come to mind. This great tragedy is a timeless story that will be told for many generations to come. It tells the story about two star crossed lovers that were held apart by their clashing families. Two men came along that wanted to share this classic story with the rest of the world. Franco Zeffirelli created his movie version in 1968. 28 years later, Baz Luhrmann came along and also created his own version. Both directors succeeded in retelling the same tale that will be heard countless times for the next hundreds of years.
Though the 1968 and the 1996 versions are blatantly different, you can find quite a few similarities throughout the movies. Both remakes stay true to the original plot. There are a few diminutive changes, such as Friar Lawrence not making an appearance at the tomb in Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet, but the major plot points are still present. Also, both directors make their actors stay true to the Shakespearian language and the use his original lines. Both movies begin with “Two households, both alike in dignity…”, and they both end with “For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo." A costume similarity would be that both the Montague and Capulet wore things to distinguish what family they belong to. In the 1968 version, the family’s name was stitched onto their garments, while in the 1996 version, the families could be told apart by their style of clothing. The Capulet boys wore outfits that looked like they belonged to the mafia, while the Montague boys were found wearing Hawaiian t-shirts through the movie. A smaller, sneakier similarity deals with Tybalt’s wardrobe. Through both movies, you can see hints of his character’s persona by what he is wearing. In Zeffirelli’s movie, as Tybalt and Mercutio fight, you can see Tybalt is wearing a small red hat. If you look closer at the hat, you can see there are little
When you think of a love story, Romeo and Juliet is always one of the first to come to mind. This great tragedy is a timeless story that will be told for many generations to come. It tells the story about two star crossed lovers that were held apart by their clashing families. Two men came along that wanted to share this classic story with the rest of the world. Franco Zeffirelli created his movie version in 1968. 28 years later, Baz Luhrmann came along and also created his own version. Both directors succeeded in retelling the same tale that will be heard countless times for the next hundreds of years.
Though the 1968 and the 1996 versions are blatantly different, you can find quite a few similarities throughout the movies. Both remakes stay true to the original plot. There are a few diminutive changes, such as Friar Lawrence not making an appearance at the tomb in Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet, but the major plot points are still present. Also, both directors make their actors stay true to the Shakespearian language and the use his original lines. Both movies begin with “Two households, both alike in dignity…”, and they both end with “For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo." A costume similarity would be that both the Montague and Capulet wore things to distinguish what family they belong to. In the 1968 version, the family’s name was stitched onto their garments, while in the 1996 version, the families could be told apart by their style of clothing. The Capulet boys wore outfits that looked like they belonged to the mafia, while the Montague boys were found wearing Hawaiian t-shirts through the movie. A smaller, sneakier similarity deals with Tybalt’s wardrobe. Through both movies, you can see hints of his character’s persona by what he is wearing. In Zeffirelli’s movie, as Tybalt and Mercutio fight, you can see Tybalt is wearing a small red hat. If you look closer at the hat, you can see there are little