Comparing Zeffirelli's Adaptation Of Romeo And Juliet

I have found from past schools in Orange County display a type of barrier between different social groups. Often it is frowned up for two people from different social groups to become close friends or go on a date. This theory is especially highlighted in our films today, two people stuck in the middle of the social standard. Just like Romeo and Juliet. Romeo and juliet show us what can happen when the barrier is destroyed. Through love bloodshed and violence the story of two people is told especially through two different variations of the story one directed by Franco Zeffirelli and the other by Baz Luhrmann each choose to portray the story differently. In Zeffirelli's adaptation of R+J he focuses on the verdurous, romantic, young forbidden love; where as Luhrmann's adaptation focuses on impulse, passionate, violent, spontaneous actions.
Zeffirelli's adaptation of R+J focuses on young naive love, Luhrmann's focuses violence and passion. Instead of holding a sword the first time we see Romeo in Zeffirelli's adaptation holding a flower. In Luhrmann's we see Romeo holding a cigarette. This little symbolic piece introduces the kind love that
our Romeo will give to Juliet. The flower represents a tender delicate kind of love whereas the cigarette represents an addicting, gritty, sinful yet soothing love that this Romeo has to offer. We can also get a reading off of juliet when we meet her for the first time as well. In zefferelli's we first meet her in a vibrant red dress running through the halls playing with the nurse. Then her mother calls for her, and she stops laughing and collects herself as if she is meeting with a queen. She walks into the room and only speaks if spoken to. However Luhrmann decides to make Juliet more mature. In turn lady capulet is the crazy disheveled one. Typically if you want to portray an immature character you put them in vibrant colors and patterns. This is exactly what Luhrmann did to this scene he put Juliet in a plain white dress and her mother in a vibrant assortment of patterns and tones.
In act two we can tell the difference between these two movies through the balcony scene Zefferelies scene consists of a forest scenery and peaceful lighting there communication is minimal because Juliet talks to herself most of the time. In Luhrmann's balcony scene there is a constant threat that one of the security officers or camera will see Romeo talking to Juliet. Also they make a lot of noise and fall into the water all around them are lights and vibrant colors.
In Act three both fight scenes between Romeo and Tybalt are violent but Luhrmann's in particular is especially violent.
The scene highlights the violence by constantly highlighting the guns and their wounds. The background also has dramatic opera action music which keeps the viewer at a constant rate of suspense. The final slaying of Tybalt ends in a slow motion moment where all you hear is the gun and the splash of the water that he falls into after he is shot. Zeffirelli takes this scene and focuses on angles. Angling of the camera is very important because it gets the viewer to view a certain character a certain way. He uses this technique so that we view Romeo as the underdog because he positions Tybalt upstage to Romeo. By thinking that Romeo is the underdog we fear for his life, making us fall in love with Romeo even
more. Boths films in the fifth act of the play do not kill Paris but for different reasons. In the original play Zeffirelli keeps the softness to Romeo by making his murder of Tybalt a known regret that Romeo has. In the last scene Romeo also doesn't use as harsh words with balthazar. The death scece is strictly reserved for the dramatic love that unfolds and the serise of the dramtic events.In Lurhmans adaptation Romeo doesnt kill paris becuase he wants put more of Romeos time and energey into the battle that is took to reach Juliet.
These two films accentuate the love, lust, violence, and tragedy that makeup Romeo and Juliet. Though they both chose to portray them in different ways I believe that both Zeffirelli and luhrmann have both equally delivered and epic love story about some of the most iconic characters in our lives today.