Preview

Romeo and Juliet Essay Example

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
754 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Romeo and Juliet Essay Example
There are various techniques used in both the Romeo and Juliet films. Both Baz Luhrmann and Franco Zeffirelli use there skills and knowledge to recreate Shakespeare's version of Romeo and Juliet. Both films use different styles, settings, character choice and colour. I will give you my opinion on how both film makers use different techniques and styles through out each film. ACT 3 SCENE 1, "THE FIGHT SCENE" in particular.

Baz Luhrmann recreated Shakespeare's version of Romeo and Juliet, in 1996. Luhrmann used his knowledge of Romeo and Juliet and aim the film at the young teens. He did this to show these young teens that Shakespeare is not bad and hard, it's just how it's shown.

As I watched the film I found that from hating Shakespeare I started to understand and like it, through Baz Luhrmann's film of Romeo and Juliet. Luhrmann used many styles and techniques, one he set the film out into a funny, action film that would appeal to his targeted audience of young teens.

Luhrmann used colour and backgrounds very well in his film, as he kept it to the theme of Romeo and Juliet but he modernised it. He was both loved and hated for this reason. Some hated him because they thought he wrecked the story and some loved him for it as they could under stand and relate to it better.
Luhrmann also choose perfect characters to play each roll in the film, so by doing this it effectively out laid the story.

Baz Luhrmann also emphasised some scenes like, "where Romeo kills Tybalt, under a holy statue".
Luhrmann also keeps some parts pretty much the same as Franco zeffirelli. A good example of this is where Mercutio is stabbed by Tybalt and Mercutio says "a scratch, scratch", when he is really about to die and says "a plague o' both your houses.

Franco Zeffirelli chooses to keep the story, setting and time as Shakespeare set it out in.
In the fight scene (ACT 3 SCENE 1). Zeffirelli shows some similarities and a few differences from what Luhrmann did in his

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In Zeffirelli’s and luhrmann’s individual movies on the Shakespearean play of Romeo and Juliet, they show a great deal of focus on the theme of conflict, which had occurred mainly between the two rivals of the play, the Montagues and the Capulets. Although the movies are based on the same play, they differ quite a lot. Zeffirelli’s version of Romeo and Juliet was set in the 1600s, which was accurate for the play. For luhrmann’s version, he set the movie in the modern era which inevitably causes a drastic difference between the two movies but they both focused their themes of conflict on the help of sound effects, costumes, and visual movements.…

    • 690 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Despite possessing varying fortes, both Zeffirelli and Luhrmann are renowned for creating remarkable movies based on Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet. The contrasting films are very different, including settings with a large time gap, instrumental and vocal music choices, but most visually notable, the costumes. Zeffirelli and Luhrmann’s interpretations of Romeo are portrayed through his costuming, illustrating how differing personalities are derived from the same role. Before the Capulets’ party, Romeo claims, “I do love a women,” referring to Rosaline (1.1.212). However, in the same day, after he sees Juliet, he declares “I ne’er saw true beauty till this night” (1.5.60). Zeffirelli analyzes those two lines and dresses Romeo in a predator-like mask…

    • 434 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Baz Luhrmann's film, Romeo and Juliet, is very successful as an appropriation of the original play by Shakespeare. Transforming the pre-16th century play into a contemporary popular culture film was done creatively by keeping the same values and language, but changing the context. This is illustrated by the use of anachronisms. For instance, daggers and swords are replaced by guns as well as cars stand in for horses. The disputes between members of the two families (the Capulets and the Montagues) evoke associations with multi-ethnic gang warfare. Their feud reflects the behaviour of mafia families. Using these modernising elements, he achieves an appeal to the contemporary teenage audience and the changes in the film create a more comprehensible meaning to the audience because people can relate to it better and this is why the film is so engaging.…

    • 1215 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Discuss the appropriation of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ by William Shakespeare and ‘Romeo+Juliet’ by Baz Luhrmann…

    • 2536 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Zeffirelli and Luhrmann versions of William Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, are similar in several ways. One way that they’re similar is at the beginning of Act I, scene i, Samson and Gregory are at the public place in Verona are talking. When they see the servants to the Montague’s walk by the Capulets servants, one of them bite their thumb at them. Another thing that is similar is when they draw their swords in the Zeffirelli version. In the Luhrmann version, they have guns that are known as “swords” but which are drawn in both versions of Shakespeare's play. In the Luhrmann version, the “swords” they use is a gun. On the clip of the gun, it says Montague or Capulet depending on who the servants belong to. In the Zeffirelli version of the play, the actors would use real swords in the fight scenes. To conclude, there are multiple similarities of William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet.…

    • 287 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Franco Zeffirelli and Baz Luhrmann have both directed a film version of Romeo and Juliet very well, but a movie can not capture everything from the book. So, which movie portrayed the book better? There are aspects of both movies that portray the book better. For example, there could one movie could show the character's personality better than the other one or one movie can show the city of Verona better than the other movie did. Small details of a scene could make a scene in one movie a lot better than on the other. Even the smallest of things like the way the characters are dressed could impact the entire scene. In some scenes, the Baz Luhrmann movie portrayed the book better because of the small details…

    • 882 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The original play by Shakespeare and Zeffirelli and Luhrmann’s interpretation of the play are all different versions of the classical tragic story of Romeo and Juliet. When reading the play or seeing Zeffirelli and Luhrmann’s film we can observe various differences between them. Juliet, being one of the dominating characters of this story can be seen to be recontextualised differently through her personality, looks and role in society.…

    • 896 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Baz Luhrmann transformed William Shakespeare's play of Romeo and Juliet, to a fast moving, modern adaptation, the film Romeo + Juliet. Luhrmann has transformed the context, setting, costume, music, language and the themes in Romeo and Juliet. Although Luhrmann has transformed some things, he has redefined the love story gone wrong and made a film about the corruption in society. Luhrmann has transformed the original Shakespeare play using various film techniques and language devices, such as in the prologue, and the ballroom scene. He appropriated the text to fit into the world of love and violence that Luhrmann has created.…

    • 980 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    First, I will discuss some of the plot changes that were implemented to adapt to a modern day movie's visual capabilities. If we were to read just the play, the only pictures we would see would have to be imagined. Since we now have the ability to see a movie, the director had to change some of the story to help us visualize some of the scenes. One such example is when, in the play, Tybalt recognizes Romeo's voice at the Capulet masked ball. When Tybalt hears him, he becomes enraged. In the film this is different, Romeo takes off his mask at the fountain, and forgets it there. As Romeo is following Juliet, Tybalt sees him; however, the results are the same. Tybalt becomes angered, and vows to get revenge on Romeo. Another example of a change in plot is when Romeo visits the apothecary. Romeo, in the movie, sees the apothecary in Verona, where as Romeo sees him in Mantua, in the play. Finally when Romeo and Juliet kill themselves, the Friar does not see them first, and the Prince does not say that Mercutio and Paris were his kinsmen.…

    • 428 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The film Romeo and Juliet, directed by Baz Luhrmann in 1996, is a romantic tragedy that tells the story of two young lovers who commit suicide. Their deaths that conclude Baz Luhrmann’s film were a result of the terrible feud running between their two families. Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin, has a major role in the events that lead to their deaths, and was made a disliked character through many different techniques. The techniques I will be describing are costume, camera shots and angles and using a motif.…

    • 672 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Tragedy of Romeo & Juliet is the classic play written by William Shakespeare that follows two star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet, who are mortal enemies that fall in love with each other. The protagonists try to keep their love hidden from their families, but not forgotten by themselves. This play of love and passion has been prototyped countless times on the silver screen, as it is the greatest love story ever told. The most well-known movie versions of Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Romeo And Juliet are Franco Zeffirelli’s (1968) Romeo and Juliet , and Baz Luhrmann's (1996) Romeo + Juliet. Both versions captured the main essence of the original play with Zefferelli's staying true to its source, while Luhrmann’s takes a more modern,…

    • 771 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As far as the cinematography came into being, attempts have been made to screen some of the Shakespeare’s plays. Within these screenings ‘Romeo and Juliet’ has always been a graceful and rewarding theme. Rewarding figuratively and literary, as the producers could in fact acquire a great income due to the popularity of the film. Such was the case with the ‘Romeo and Juliet’ directed by Baz Luhrmann and screened in 1996. It earned their creators 46 mln dollars in the first 12 weeks of screening and gained eight prestigious awards, among which were four BAFTA awards, and over a dozen other nominations. What was the secret of this phenomenal success and what would Shakespeare say if he had seen the production? It may be stated that he would be proud.…

    • 947 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Baz Luhrman's "Romeo and Juliet  is set in a modern city; a striking contrast to the Elizabethan England of William Shakespeare. Consequently, the attitudes embodied in the film differ from those conveyed in the play. As contemporary…

    • 505 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Modern day audiences expect a film such as Romeo + Juliet to contain themes such as action, impressive visual aids and music. Baz Luhrmann uses elements of cinematography to entice a modern audience into his adaption of William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet. Luhrmann uses a modern day audience to make the movie appealing to teenagers, whilst including modern day themes such as Love, violence and gunfights. The camera shot used to introduce the city of New Mexico are used to draw in a modern audience by showing the entire modern day setting.…

    • 478 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The second of the trilogy is the remake of William Shakespeare's classic play Romeo + Juliet. This tells the tale of two star crossed lovers. This film is at another level than SB. It is more advanced in red curtain cinema and it manages to use more avant grade shots and mixing of a lot of scenes. Luhrman has managed in this film to undoubtedly to adapt this story into the modern day world, with a modern Verona without the audience wanting to question the 'loop holes'. The newscaster telling the prologue at the beginning of the film sets the scene straight away. The audience is pulled into the Shakespearian language straight away without noticing too…

    • 844 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays