Camera is a major part in any film and Zeffirelli uses a small variety of shots. Beginning with aerial shots and panoramas of languid Verona to set a romantic atmosphere as an introduction for the themes of the film. There is a close-up of the sun for lines 4-5 of the prologue; this introduces metaphors in the play of the sun and nature relating to the young lovers. The camera then switches to a mid shot of the bustling market. Throughout the brawl the shots vary between mid shots showing destruction, shots focused on feet conveying numbers and aerial views expressing confusion, scale and the fight’s spread. The camera singles out Tybalt as a figure of importance, focusing on his feet rising to his face, building suspense. Close-ups of Tybalt’s face accentuate this. The camera shows an aerial view for the Prince’s entrance and during his speech is from his viewpoint looking down on the people. When Romeo is introduced he is framed in the distance, slightly silhouetted, showing him apart from the conflicting world.
Music is not used extensively but is in keeping with the naturalistic approach. The music is romantic, used during the prologue and for Romeo, with more dramatic music for the fighting. However it is more noticeable by its absence in the piazza.
Luhrmann’s setting is vaguer and less romantic than Zeffirelli’s; a metropolis combining various monuments. It shows modern industry and globalisation effectively –using a petrol station, industry’s fuel, for the brawl, showing the unused energy of young men. The sheer size of the city inflates the severity of the conflict as it absorbs an immense set. This is worldlier than Verona with emphasis on violence and money showing a seedier side of life with a shot of a prostitute attracting some business and the ongoing violence as a Montague boy has a black eye; a less romantic use of extras than Zeffirelli. Luhrmann also includes wit in referring to guns as swords in their inscriptions.
In accordance with his setting Luhrmann has included a multi-racial cast in keeping with the modern theme – the prince and Mercutio are black. Luhrmann has, like Zeffirelli, distinguished between the houses and given the film a tribal theme with costume –surfer versus leather and metal. Tybalt is again shown as aggressive and machismo, stripping off his jacket and kissing his gun, although watching for the first time it can seem a parody; he is so overdone. The Zeffirelli Benvolio is better presented and acted as Luhrmann’s Benvolio gives the impression of being willing for violence and is not marked as higher class by his costume; appearing less educated than Romeo. The Prince is depicted well; as one who is weary of conflict although still angry, rather than the energetic approach of Zeffirelli’s prince. Montague and Capulet are well represented, reminiscent of mafia bosses in films like “The Godfather”, showing their power and the weight of their rivalry. Romeo’s father is conveyed as more uncaring about his son, almost annoyed that Romeo wonders off alone. Lady Montague is shown more caring for her son than in the Zeffirelli as her paralanguage is fretful and the lines about Romeo “shutting out the sun and making himself an artificial night” are included. Romeo’s innocence is communicated differently than the dreamy flower-in-hand Romeo of Zeffirelli; Romeo seems worldlier with his fag in hand but fed up with the world. This means it is easier to believe that he could fall in love whereas Zeffirelli Romeo seems that, as the priest says, he merely loves the idea of being in love.
Luhrmann has made visual words and images the basis of his film and so the language is overlooked, but Luhrmann uses words visually by placing them in newspapers, billboards, building covers, adverts, TV screens and even number plates. Lines are shouted. Panic and aggression are the only modes of paralanguage and the lines are chopped and changed a lot. This can lead to confusion if the viewer has read the play as Luhrmann gives Capulet lines to the Montagues. This supports the implication that the film expects you to have grounding in media in the form of previous films –the references to an old Western in music during the fight and the mafia representation of Montague and Capulet. The use of repetition emphasises the prologue; it is fully recited once in the medium of a newsreader and then in a male voiceover sounding grave and foreboding – more dramatic than the Zeffirelli – which repeats the part of the prologue Zeffirelli uses (up to “A pair of star-cross’d lover take their life”) while introducing various characters and instigating a dramatic mood.
Luhrmann has showed creativity in his use of the camera which is inventive and varied although more techniques were available to him. Luhrmann is fond of using shots of screens within screens and media and does so in his first shot making use of a zoom until the TV fills half the screen. After the first prologue there is a fast zoom into the screen and through the city showing layers of images. This action hits you with its sheer energy (as does the flash of clips of the film just before the scene), we then have panoramas of the city to show its size, zooming in on the Capulet and Montague buildings and religious iconography which appears regularly throughout the scene – statues, on guns, tattoos, Tybalt’s waistcoat, necklaces, in the limo and even shaved into the back of a character’s head. Luhrmann also uses numerous close-ups during this first scene, of the match and Tybalt’s heel emphasizing the aggression of that action, of feet to build suspense, faces, Tybalt and Benvolio - going closer for a view of the eyes, on the butts of the guns, Tybalt’s cigarette dropping, flames, and later Romeo’s face and diary. After the repetition of the prologue there are freeze-frames of the characters accompanied by an introduction and during the scene the screen freezes on characters and repeats this, this helps the viewer to get the characters sorted out. Luhrmann also provides shots focusing on the helicopter carrying the Prince and aerial views from the helicopter’s perspective which is an original way of presenting the violence breaking out over the city. For the introduction of Romeo the camera is used differently; he is silhouetted against a natural setting in natural light, shown at a distance, alone. He is then shown again slightly silhouetted with the camera rising from his feet to his face, a technique to build suspense also employed by Zeffirelli. It then switches to a view from afar of him on a stage – Luhrmann makes witty references to Shakespeare also in the use of the Globe theatre for the pool hall. Romeo is frequently in close-ups and in a natural setting which is another reference to the metaphors of nature relating to him and Juliet.
Music is used extensively in this version, and is almost always present either in the form of the operatic, loud chorus during the introduction, the signature music for the Montague boys, Western music for the brawl or romantic and lyrical for Romeo. This is a very modern use of chorus to great effect but it is very loud and dominates which can lead to an element of parody.
Luhrmann also presents us with opportunities for humour in the slight parody of this first scene and with a Montague being hit over the head with a handbag. Zeffirelli does not give these opportunities for humour but relies on the witty banter of the original Shakespearian words.
I believe the Luhrmann is the better film as his aim was much more challenging and he made people care about this classic, plus he adds in his own little quirks of wit making the film his own. Zeffirelli merely had to keep the play as it was and ask the actors to act whereas Luhrmann’s task as a director was more ambitious and people are foregoing Zeffirelli’s version in favour of the Luhrmann. Mostly I prefer Luhrmann’s as he doesn’t soften the events, as if he takes pity on characters who cannot escape their plot and so is determined to do their story justice.
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