Preview

Romeo and Juliet Movie Comparison Essay Example

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
468 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Romeo and Juliet Movie Comparison Essay Example
Everyone loves a classic love story like Romeo and Juliet. The story of Romeo and Juliet is a timeless classic about two star-crossed lovers of enemy houses. There are two movies that each take different approaches to this classic story of two forbidden lovers. The Zeffirelli version is more classic and was made in 1968. The Luhrmann version with Leonardo DiCaprio is a much more modern take of Romeo and Juliet and was made in 1996. Each movie can be easily compared because they are alike and different in various scenes.

One difference between the two movies is the balcony scene. In Luhrmann’s movie the “balcony” was a pool. In Zeffirelli’s movie the balcony was an actual balcony. In the older movie by Zeffirelli, Juliet is on the balcony and Romeo is on the ground hidden amongst the trees. Whereas in the newer, more modern movie by Luhrmann Juliet wanders around the outside of a pool. Zeffirelli’s movie depicts this scene better because it is much more based on the actual story of Romeo and Juliet. This scene is one of the most important scenes of this story and Luhrmann’s version simply doesn’t deliver the same effect as Zepherelli’s version. This scene is just one of many that can be compared in both movies.

Another scene that was different in each movie was the scene at the end where Juliet wakes up and Romeo dies. Juliet sees Romeo die in the modern version. She wakes up seconds after Romeo drinks the poison. In the older version, Juliet doesn’t wake up until much later after Romeo had already drank the poison and died. He dies without knowing that Juliet was never really dead, but only sleeping. This scene shows the full intensity of Romeo and Juliet’s true love for each other. The deaths of Romeo and Juliet showed what lengths they would go for their love. These two movies were comparably different in this scene.

These two movies are very similar and yet also very different in many scenes. They each are obviously

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Franco Zeffirelli and Baz Luhrmann reenactments of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet are wonderful and was and still is very famous for its use of words and the plot of the play itself. All though there are many differences between these two films there are many similarities to the reenactments. The characters from the films had many things in common the character were very funny with their acting and put emotions into their part. The plot line between the two films was very different but had many similarities, the plot was the same by the Montague and Capulet running into each other and then starting an argument leading to a conflict many moments later. The family feud is a strong and very hostile emotion between these two…

    • 246 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The 1968 film of “Romeo and Juliet” is not completely different from the 1998 film but they do have many differences. Although both films kept to the original story of the play, the 1968 film was more of a traditional interpretation than the 1998 film.…

    • 557 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory 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

    There are many things that make the balcony scenes in both the Franco Zeffirelli and the Baz Luhrmann productions so prolific. First, in the Zeffirelli production (1968), the setting was at evening with Romeo behind an overgrown garden and Juliet upstairs in what appeared to be an old hillside stone villa. This setting worked for me because the scene showed the reality that the other movie lacked. In this particular scene I thought Romeo and Juliet's performances were just perfect. Romeo seemed laid back but at the same time excited and sensual. I thought Juliet overacted and threw careless energy into the scene. She seemed very tense and fidgety. The choreography of this movie provided liveliness and bounce like I have never seen before. Juliet prances back and forth giggling playfully as Romeo climbs a tree--twice-- and embraces her fervently. When the lovers part and Romeo descends, the camera shows their two hands in a close-up, then pans back into a long shot, the distance between them growing, Romeo still reaching up to Juliet, and she still reaching down to him.…

    • 478 Words
    • 2 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

    Nowadays, it is almost impossible to revive old traditions from the past and appreciate them in our modern and exponential times. However, there still are possibilities to cherish some of the archaic literature today that were written so long ago. Celebrated as one of the greatest dramas of all time, Romeo and Juliet depicts a tragedy of two lovers who come from feuding families. The play was first written in the 1500s by William Shakespeare. Almost four-hundred years later, the tragic play was made into a movie in 1968 by Franco Zeffirelli. There are similarities in props and scenes, and distinctions between the original play and the 1968 movie considering the moods and plot details. Either way, the play and the 1968 movie both have glorious presentations.…

    • 701 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the movie when Romeo heads to the monument he already had the poison. In the play he goes to the Apothecary and buys the poison. Another thing that is different is the letter. In the movie Friar John ha the letter and has his back turned when they ride past him. In the play John is in the house where a sickness is when Romeo and Balthasar ride past him. A third thing that is different is in the play Paris goes to the monument a little before Romeo. In the movie, it is only Romeo that went to the monument. The fourth thing is related to the third difference. In the play, after Paris sees Romeo they fight. When they are fighting Romeo kill Paris. Romeo then says his goodbyes to Juliet. In conclusion, Act V in the play is way different then the Act V in the…

    • 471 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Benvolio is more civilized than Tybalt. To begin, Benvolio is respectful towards his kin. In a conversation with Montague, Benvolio wishes that “[his] noble uncle…so please [himself], step aside” (Shakespeare 1.1.140-153). Benvolio addresses his uncle with the utmost respect and politeness, depicting his civilized nature. Next, Benvolio tries to avoid violence. Upon seeing a fight, Benvolio intervenes to try and “put up [their] swords” (1.1.63). Benvolio’s trying to avoid a conflict demonstrates his civil actions. Unlike Benvolio, Tybalt is uncivilized. First, Tybalt does not respect the wishes of his uncle. Instead of doing as Capulet bids, Tybalt expresses to his “uncle, ’tis a shame” (1.5.82). Rather than politely doing as he is told, Tybalt snaps back rudely to his elder, illustrating his uncivil side. Whereas Benvolio asks his respected uncle to step aside politely, Tybalt disregards Capulet’s wishes and even retorts with a saucy comment, hence displaying his lack of civility in comparison to Benvolio. Moreover, Tybalt welcomes a fight. When given the chance to avoid using violence, Tybalt does not “excuse the injuries/that [Romeo] has done [him]; therefore [turns] and [draws]” (3.1.65-66). Instead of calmly forgiving and forgetting past offences, Tybalt intends to fight with Romeo. Tybalt is being uncivil towards Romeo, as he is trying to start a conflict with him when unnecessary. In contrast to Benvolio, who does his best to avoid fights, Tybalt strives for a conflict, hence proving him the less civil of the two. In conclusion, Benvolio is more respectful and peaceful than Tybalt, proving him to be the more civilized…

    • 269 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    There were also a lot of differences. One major difference was the time period each story was set in. In the movie West Side Story, the setting was more modern. Romeo and Juliet had a setting in the older days, as you can tell by the scenery and the language they spoke. The movie dealt with racism more than Romeo and Juliet did. In West Side Story, it was different races causing the problem for the two lovers. In Romeo and Juliet, the two lovers were the same race, but they had a feud between the families. This difference becomes a similarity though because in both stories, there was split between the lovers caused by hatred between the two families/groups.…

    • 533 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • 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

    From watching the older and more modern version of the killing of Mercutio and Tybalt there are obvious differences, as well as hidden ones. The comparison is between the Zeffirelli version and the more modern version. Watching these movies, paying close attention is important because it is not just the scenery and which characters are played by whom, but what the director was trying to portray in this scene. Both these versions were very different and it is obvious that in both cases the fight probably meant different things or played a separate significant role in each movie.…

    • 1478 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The story, Romeo and Juliet was filled with violence and love. Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet loved each other, even their parents hatred for each other didn’t prevent the star-crossed lovers from being together. Many lives were taken away due to the rivalry between the Montagues and Capulets, including Romeo and Juliet’s. The characters in the three versions of Romeo and Juliet had many similarities and differences. Juliet and Lady Montague stood out to me the most while watching “Romeo + Juliet” by Baz Luhrmann, reading “Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare and reading “Romeo and/or Juliet” by Ryan North. In my opinion, the most interesting version was the movie by Baz Luhrmann.…

    • 1377 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is a cherished piece of literature that has been remade into movies many times throughout history. The 1968 version and the controversial 1996 version give different perspectives of Shakespeare's famous play. While the 1968 classical version of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet should be appreciated, the modern version portrays the complexity of love in a fast-paced society by using narrative and stylistic elements combined with energetic editing in an advanced, creative way.…

    • 1907 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    There are various ways to tell a story. Most of the time, there are numerous similarities between stories, but there are also a few differences. The 1996 version and older version of Romeo and Juliet have many similarities and differences. The stories are similar in the fact that Romeo and Juliet find love at first sight and are then shocked to find out they're enemies, but they differ by the clothing worn by the characters.…

    • 404 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Of all the treasures in the world, true love is of the most valued. They say that when you are truly in love, the universe around you simply stops, and no one else matters except you and your love. Love has the mesmerizing beauty of a stunning red rose, but it also has spiteful thorns surrounding it. But between friends and family, love can quickly go from black and white to shades of grey and can become fatal and suspenseful.…

    • 960 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays