Comparing Zeffirelli's Film Adaptation Of Romeo And Juliet

Movies are a great medium for telling stories, as it engages multiple forms of sensory perception to create a richer experience for the viewer. However, not all movies are outstanding, but what separates great movies from lousy movies are how they portray stories. Excellent movies may use devices such as suspense, setting, or visual components, like clothing, to capture what the writer intended, while awful movies will not. Usage of these elements in Franco Zeffirelli’s film adaptation of Romeo and Juliet convey the climatic scene better than Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet. For example, in Zeffirelli’s version suspense and intensity is used to build up to the scene where Romeo kills Tybalt. He sets the intensity and suspense low in the Mercutio and Tybalt fight by making the
In Zeffirelli’s interpretation of Romeo and Juliet, he captures the appropriate setting as well as clothing similarly used in Renaissance-era Verona. The buildings have defined forms. The brick laid streets are wide and dusty. Men wore tights with cuffed white shirts, and capes, while women wore frilly dresses and long, trailing gowns.The clothing and setting lend a medieval feel to the feud, further conveying the climatic scene better as it is similar to Shakespeare’s play setting. On the other hand, Luhrman’s adaptation uses modern day Verona, a hip suburb and in place of tights and cuffed shirts, they have casual short sleeved shirts and shorts. Luhrmann’s adaptation with the scene and clothing make the fight seem as if it were a gang fight, not a feud of families. Also, guns in Luhrmann’s interpretation make Romeo’s fight scene short and stops any suspense or intensity from building up. Luhrmann’s adaptation of Romeo and Juliet fails to deliver suspense, make use of proper clothing and setting, and therefore Zeffirelli’s version is superior at conveying the climatic