Compare and contrast two film adaptations for act 1 scene 5 of "Romeo and Juliet".

The mood of the scene was garish opulence and disturbing hedonism. We find an example of this when Lord Capulet is dancing on a table and is wearing a Greek mythological god's costume made in gold fabric and lifts it to reveal a pair of lurid green sparkly underpants.

The environment in which the two lovers meet is not normal situation

The others characters all wear loud and garish clothes which is meant to symbolise the hedonistic nature of the lives these characters lead. An example of the type of behaviour is when Lady Capulet passionately kisses Tybalt, her nephew. This is not acceptable behaviour in normal attitudes but seems to be accepted here because no one seems to care about what they are doing.

Another could be during Romeo's drug induced state we can often hear animal noises emanating from some of the characters mouths. This is possibly there to show the primal element of this scene this also enhances the hedonism found in the scene. This also adds the impurity of Romeo and Juliet's meeting.

The two first meet when Romeo has dipped his face in water to calm his drug induced behaviour. This is when the music changes from a fast paced and wild beat with a heavy bass to a calm, soothing ballad. They spot each other through the fish tank that separates the bathrooms. This is possibly meant to symbolise the separation of the two characters because they are from rival families.

They are also seen running from Juliet's mother another indication of what they are about to let themselves in for, by eloping without their parents' consent. They are also seen frequently running after each other and being playful. This shows that they are enjoying themselves and is completely different to the behaviour of the parents.

Romeo's speech about Juliet before they meet has been cut short but still contains the overall message. This is to compliment the scenes in the film have been set and to keep the pace of the scene fast, and flowing while still getting the point across. This is also reflected in the way that the music has been used to accentuate the feelings in the scene. The music during the main bulk of the scene is fast paced dance music that has a strong pulsating beat and reflects the feeling of hedonism. This then melts into a synthesised version of the song that slides along to show what Romeo is feeling or seeing during his drugged state of mind. It is also punctuated with animal noises from the other guests to make the scene seem slightly threatening and frightening, it also shows the wild and sometimes violent way in which, the characters in the play can react.

When Romeo has doused himself in water, there is a muffled sound and through that we can hear the music change. The pace of the music changed dramatically and is a slow type of romantic sound that reflects the way that the two lovers should meet. The woman singing the ballad is wearing white. This could symbolise the purity of their meeting.

Zeffirelli's version is completely different to that of Baz Lurman's interpretation. Zeffirelli's is shot in a medieval time and uses opulent sets of the castle in which to hold the party. The colours of the scene are rich with guest are wearing warm and luxurious garments. The setting of the party is in the Capulets house again, because that is in accordance with the play. The Capulets live in an extravagant castle, the party is being held in the main dining hall.

The mood conjured in the scene is one of celebration with time appropriate music being played in the background. It is jolly and vibrant and is something that is most likely to be thought of when reading the play itself.

The Way in which Romeo and Juliet meet in this version of the play is different to Lurman's version of events. In this, we find Rosaline in this section which we do not in Lurman's version. She at first transfixes Romeo, and then during one of many dance scenes in this piece it follows Rosaline in to the eye of the camera. It cuts away to show Juliet in the brightest and deepest of red dresses to grab your attention or to give the illusion of her overwhelming beauty that catches the eye of Romeo and makes him take notice.

Romeo than recites his speech about Juliet in its entirety. In this scene we notice that Juliet has not seen Romeo first. It is his him who catches sight of her first. This is possibly to show that a patriarchal society was still evident when the film was made and it was not appropriate for Juliet to accost Romeo first

The music of the scene also compliments the way in which the scene has been structured. The scene that the two lovers meet is also punctuated with a balled sung by a falsetto boy, which was popular for the time the piece was set at. The emotion or passion between the lovers seems to be somewhat muted. However this version relies heavily on the text from the play and uses the emotion given in the text to its best advantage.

The structure of the scene was played in exactly the same order as the play. But lines that were originally for Lord Capulet had been given to lady Capulet instead. This I believe was meant to give her a stronger involvement in the scene as in Act 1 Scene 5 she hardly speaks if not at all.

Both of the plays' host different aspects of the scene that is true to the play; for instance they are both spoken in iambic pentameter they follow the script, the structure of the play is mainly identical. But the differences in the two plays are great. The time periods of the two film adaptations are immense and many would consider that the older play by Zeffirelli followed the script in a better fashion than Lurman's.

However, I find that Lurman's version is aesthetically pleasing to watch because of its fast paced mentality and the passion, which I feel, is correctly amplified in this version.

I feel that Lurman's Version of Romeo and Juliet is a better adaptation of the play because it uses symbols of the modern era to explain section of the scene that could not be interpreted in such a way for a different time period or film. For instance Mercutio's speech is explained in Lurman's version as being a drug-induced occurrence. This probably would not have been done in an older time frame or by another director because it would have been as being inappropriate. Another could possibly be the aesthetic nature of the scene it is brightly coloured and is a treat to look at with many different things going on at once most of which is extremely important because this keeps you on the edge of your seat.

It is elements like that in an adaptation that keep the story true but adds elements of something different to make it memorable.

Lucinda Batchelor D10

English coursework

Mrs Bache