Jack Stalker 10T Homework
Contrasts between Zeffirelli and Luhrmann’s
‘Romeo and Juliet’
There are many differences, large and small, between Zeffirelli and Luhrmann’s version of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. After seeing the first scene of both of these films, some notable contrasts became clear.
The props used in both films differ greatly, in the 1967 version, very dated costumes were used, it looked like the director wanted a medieval style to be shown in the film judging by the costumes and props used. Real swords were drawn by the Capulet's and the Montague’s as the play suggests but the fighting seemed quite unbelievable to a modern day viewer as did some of the stalls used in the small market surroundings. However, in the newer 1997 version of the film, an entirely different approach was used, instead of swords, guns were used and a petrol station was where the first scene began as apposed to a small medieval market. Modern clothes were worn by the two families which made it more believable to watch and a lot more interesting. I think that the way Luhrmann combined modern props with the older play was very skill-full and did a better job than Zeffirelli with use of props.
