Zeffirelli Differences Between Romeo And Juliet

Romeo and Juliet, a story of passion and hatred sets the scene in the city of Fair Verona. An everlasting feud between the Capulet and Montague families disrupts the peace in the city and causes a tragic fate for the two forbidden star-crossed lovers; Romeo and Juliet. Devotion, revenge and authority force the young lovers to act impulsively and their irresponsible actions lead them to a tragic fate of death and despair. William Shakespeare’s one-of-a-kind tale has been taken - many times - and made into classic and modern day adaptions which are viewed and loved to this day. These various adaptions have been taken and twisted to fit the time of the present and old world, with each director adding their own personality and creativity to each
When viewing, there are different filming techniques and features used that we are able to compare to its 1996 competitor. The first comparison that can be made is the similarity of the costumes. As they are at a costumed ball, the costumes/makeup in the Zeffirelli version are similar to the design of the Luhrmann one. Romeo is dressed in silver shining armour, with Juliet dressed in an elegant royal kind of way. They are dressed unique from the other characters as their costumes stand out more. This costuming depicts accurately the representation of not only their individual characters, but their importance and meaning to the story. The music used in this scene is a song and melody in relation to new love blossoming; a rose will bloom, which is crucial for conveying the overall theme. This slow and peaceful music does not only convey they theme of love through the lyrics, but the slow melody and tone makes the audience develop a strong feeling and connection to Romeo and Juliet and their newfound
Whilst both versions of the film portrayed themes of love and hate through various filming techniques, the modern aspect of the Luhrmann one had more of an impact and effect over the audience then the Zeffirelli version. The language and dialogue in both of these films is the same and very true to Shakespeare’s original script, however due to the modernised version of the Luhrmann film we are able to connect with the characters and understand how they are feeling better due to the level of modernity. The simplicity and use of modern day features, such as guns instead of swords, enables the audience to connect more as it is set in the same time area we are more familiar and accustomed to, making us understand it better. It can be argued that the dialogue and words used is confusing to interpret, therefore with the aid of easy to understand modern features, we can gain a better understanding of the storyline, compared to the older version which is set in an unfamiliar time period to us. The costumes, lighting, music, sets and camera work of the Baz Luhrman version appeal more to the audience and gives us a deeper connection with the story and characters, therefore making it the most preferred Romeo and Juliet