When Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet he had included very few stage directions in his work. This meant that the director of the play or movie had had to interpret what was intended. Both of these directors had different ideas on how to illustrate this story to people in film form as they have approached it in different modes and techniques.
Both the films had one main aim and this was to get people interested in Shakespeare. The modern film however had secondary aims, it was marketed for regular visitors to the cinema and for a younger audience and on the contrary to the old film which was targeted for people who were already interested in Shakesphere. The new film was also made in a different up-to date modern style to get young people interested so that the film could make a lot of profit too.
Where casting is concerned Franco Zeffireli has selected a very young and attractive cast but the Romeo and Juliet chosen for the role were not classified as “Hollywood stars” at the time. Similarly Baz Luhrman has chosen a young and appealing cast however the actors that were chosen were “Hollywood stars” at the time. This again reflects on how the modern film was premeditated for a different type of audience. An audience which had not necessarily had any idea of Shakespeare.
As I have mentioned before both films have used different modes and techniques in the features of sound, setting, costume and make up, colour and position of characters to illustrate to the audience how they had interpreted Shakespeare’s work.
In the Franco Zeffireli version the opening shot of a ball scene immediately gives you a feeling of the renaissance period by the setting of an old castle. In addition to the setting you can also notice the Renaissance period by the costumes the characters are wearing. The characters in the ballroom are widely spread out until Romeo and Juliet meet. When the other characters move closer together, it gives Romeo and Juliet a chance to be unaccompanied by anybody. The sound is mainly diajetic as you can clearly see it is a party and there is a singer singing which you can see physically. Furthermore, the sound varies just as the position of characters do. When Romeo and Juliet see each other for first time the music slows down which changes the atmosphere to a very romantic one. The use of lighting and colour are used significantly in this film as Juliet’s face is lit very brightly when she is shown to show a sign of importance as she is one of the main characters. In addition she is wearing a bright red dress and this again is to isolate her from the rest of the characters. Camera work also adjusts as Romeo and Juliet meet each other and the shots get lengthier and is more focused on Romeo and Juliet.
Baz Luhrmans opening shot is very different and you can get a crazy atmosphere almost sexual as it is set in a very modern mansion with the position of characters being widely spread. This crazy atmosphere is created by the music itself and the crazy dances and activities to it. Eventually Romeo and Juliet eye each other for the first time. Baz Luhrman has illustrated this in a new approach by using a fish tank to hinder Romeo and Juliet from speaking to each other. Where costumes are concerned as it is a costume party you see everybody in fancy and eccentric costumes. Juliet wears a white dress and is dressed up as an angel I think this signifies a sense of innocence towards her.
These two scenes have similarities as the position of characters and the camera work are similar. Both films are brightly lit and use the exactly same type of Shakespearean language . Alternatively, Zefferelli’s version was set in the enaissance while Luhrmans version is set in Verona Beach in a modern date.
Above all I feel the Baz Luhrman film is more enjoyable because he has shown us something very different and it is something anyone can relate to and will be able to comprehend without a proper interest in Shakespeare. The Luhrman film was much more successful and made a lot more profit due to the amount of people all over the world that have gone to view his modern up to date illustration of Shakespeare.
