Although the Luhrmann film has a modern setting and opens with a news anchorwoman reading the prologue from the play, it is read in one go and there is nothing offered to the viewer to make it clearer. It seems that Luhrmann wants to set up a traditional presentation of the words so that when his vision appears it is even more explosive. Although Luhrmann works hard at communicating the text, the American-speaking actors prove a difficulty. Dialogue is certainly not of prime importance in this film. In Luhrmann’s film the words remain Shakespearean whereas the images are very much in the late 20th century. Using a television and a reporter gives me the feeling the director is trying to achieve a modern version of the film one teenagers can relate to. The news flash creates a serious mood because there is no music. I feel this will instantly capture the viewer’s attention showing them something important is about to happen. Zeffirelli’s Version of the tragedy is introduced by a very calm presentation of the prologue that is combined with slow music and a slide show of eighteenth century photographs. This gives the viewer the impression that they are about to witness an emotional tragedy. Personally, I feel opening the film with a newsreader catches your attention more than a very calm presentation of the play.
Zeffirelli’s film then opens over the city at night on dark streets and walls to give the film its medieval period look, then moves to a market place where the Montagues are. In Zeffirelli’s version the characters do not seem to be bothered about their great enemies and possible conflict with them. Zeffirelli shows his characters displaying very little emotion making the situation very unrealistic because they do not seem to be afraid of their lives. Zeffirelli uses a long shot of a cart and crowded market place, to suggest people are going about their day normally without expecting anything important to happen.
However, In Luhrmann’s film, the second shot travels down a trench. Luhrmann has used the trench as a sign of hardship during the play. It seems as if Romeo and Juliet’s relationship has been compared to war. It also seems as if there is a gap between these two families that can’t be filled. The camera shot zooms in to tell us that this object is more is important and gives me an idea of what is to come.
I think that Luhrmann’s treatment is more effective here because it builds up suspense about how the tragedy will unfold.
The Luhrmann film continues to focus on the buildings. For example the sixth shot moves from a set of buildings to a statue of Jesus. The buildings around the statue of Jesus are taller and more important to most people. It is as if the statue is trying to keep the peace within ‘Verona Beach’. This will focus the minds of the audience and bring about a question in there minds: Who or what can put a stop to this violence? because of the recent events of violence between the families. This may have the symbolic meaning that Christian values do not play a very big part in the lives of people in this city. Significantly shot 8 shows the face of Jesus from the statue. This is a ‘rack zoom’ out to show that the statue is flanked by two buildings twice its size. The building on the left is crowned with a red sign ‘Capulet’, the building on the right with a blue sign ‘Montague’. The size of the buildings is a sign of the importance of the two families. Shot 8 shows that Jesus is the only person who can separate these rivals. The close up on Jesus shows the importance of his values, such as forgiveness and reconciliation.
The fourth shot is a medium cut shot of the Montague’s servant’s legs. I feel it is hard to interpret what the characters are like because their costumes are very dull and ordinary until we see them feature in the play. Following on from that is a medium shot of the servants talking. It is important to note the volume of the market place has been turned down so it’s possible to hear what is being said.
Shot six is a medium shot of the market place. The shot tells the audience it’s a normal day with no surprises about to happen. By shot 7 both the Montague and Capulet servants have arrived. The audience can clearly see their attitudes to another by judging their facial and bodily expressions. They don’t seem bothered about possible conflict.
However, I feel Luhrmann’s representation of the Capulets and Montagues as two buildings overshadowing the statue of Jesus more effective in conveying the ruthless rivalry between the families.
In shots 8 and 9 Zeffirelli chooses medium shots of the Capulet servants whilst shot 10 is a tracking shot of them. Again Zeffirelli is concentrating on the characters by building up the appearance of the gang warfare, with rival groups challenging one another for supremacy. Meanwhile in Luhrmann’s film the 9th shot is a horizontal pan shot across the wheels of a moving limo scene. To add to the shots effectiveness, keywords from the prologue appear in black, bold and capital letters to grab the audience’s attention and keep them interested. This shot indicates to the audience that the place in which the area is set is wealthy and that the habitants of Verona Beach put a lot of emphasis on 20th century status symbols. It also tells me it is a normal day for people and nothing special or important in their life is expected to happen. The next shot shows a police car that reads Verona Beach and a police helicopter flying over the church to suggest to me trouble may be brewing. Furthermore, the car and its siren, the helicopter and its blades show what it is like living in an urban area and represent the arrival of the Prince who is directly above. The Prince arrives in a helicopter rather than a car to give the audience an idea of how important he is in Verona. Zeffirelli has presented this in the same way.
I think that the Luhrmann film is more effective here because the police car gives the idea of battle between good and bad.
Zeffirelli’s film repeats the focus on the facial and bodily expressions of the servants when they meet in shot 11, but shot 12 is a medium shot of the crowd, which has been included to show the reaction of the crowd to the meeting of the servants. The rivalry between the families is well known by the people, so they watch to see what happens. Zeffirelli continues to focus on the servants using a medium shot (15th) followed by a tracking shot and then a medium close up shot of the servants as they rack up the level of insults. This tells us how livid they are with each other.
Franco Zeffirelli’s sequence of 18 shots may be interpreted as a comparison with their normal routine and how it’s overtaken by the speed of events that has destroyed them. Their life was hectic and chaotic, so I feel the first 18 shots don’t reflect the true speed their life had taken.
Luhrmann chooses to introduce some servants at this stage in the film and continues to use religious symbols such as churches and statues. Luhrmann’s version shows the characters showing more emotion than Zeffirelli. In Luhrmann’s version of the play we can see that Tybalt is a nasty and evil person. The western music, which is introduced as Tybalt leaves the store, suggests he is a good fighter and that he has a violent streak. The Montague’s do not seem to fear the presence of Tybalt as his fighting skill seem to be the same as the rest of the characters. Although Zeffirelli chose to introduce Tybalt in the same way, his opening is a lot more restrained and does not stand out from the other characters that are not as strong and authoritative as him.
The Montague’s are dressed like punks with expensive, lighter clothing. The dress code makes this shot very effective to me as a teenager because I have been brought up in a modern lifestyle. What's more the eleventh shot is a vantage point zoom in on the statue of Jesus ending in a close up of the face. The high vantage point zoom shows how weak Jesus is against these two families. A close up on Jesus’ face is important because the closer the shot to a face the more the audience is supposed to share the emotion.
Shot 12th is a different version of shot 11 ending up on Jesus’ mid section. This compares Jesus’ body during the crucifixion to the bodies suffering by the trivial row between the Montagues and the Capulets. The thirteenth shot is a shaky pan shot from the Montague to the Capulet signs. The use of this camera shot is to disorientate and stimulate the viewer.
In my opinion the Luhrmann film makes the themes of the story clearer at the beginning by concentrating on the image of Jesus. He shows that the film has a message because he sets out to show the lack of morals and concern for life and how feuding can end in disaster for innocent victims such as Romeo and Juliet. On the whole I think the Baz Luhrmann film is more effective because it is set in the modern world that we recognise and understand and also he makes the themes clear from the outset which are love, hate, death and time.
Zeffirelli’s version seems more like a filmed play and the attention to historical detail makes it harder for the younger audience to become interested right from the start of the film because it seems to slow for them.
