Compare the opening sequences of two filmed versions of Shakespearian plays

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Compare the opening sequences of two filmed versions of Shakespearian plays. Analyse the ways in which each director has tried to make an impact on the viewer.

        The two films are taken from two plays written by the same man, Shakespeare. However they are both directed by two different men, what ways has each director tried to convey the original script?

Romeo and Juliet has a very fast moving opening sequence. Already the director manages to create tension between the Montague’s and the Capulet, the two rival families. He does this by containing a fight in the opening sequences between two gangs of each family and using very tense, loud music. Unlike Romeo and Juliet the twelfth nights opening sequence is a relatively slow one, starting off fast with scenes of conflict and fighting but gradually slowing down as the singing stopped. The director uses different paces with the two main characters, with the girl its slow and calm, but when the cameras on Orsino its quite fast moving. This makes the mood relatively calm but leaving the viewer interested in the plot.

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        Romeo and Juliet also has a very modern visual style. It’s based in a modern city with skyscraper, helicopters, cars and other modern appliances. The dressing of the characters is also very modern. The Capulets are dressed in punk clothes, have stuck up and messy, died hair. The Montague’s clothes contrast to this of the Capulets. They dress like Italian Americans, with neat black hair, boots, jackets and they smoke cigars.

The director also chooses to have a lot of close ups and even extreme close ups of the characters involved. The twelfth night doesn’t contrast to ...

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