In Zeffirelli’s version there is slow background music whereas Lurhmann’s remake has no music at all at this point in the scene. However there are sounds of insects and an owl hooting. At the beginning of the traditional scene there are sounds of church bells ringing when Juliet appears looking dreamy wearing her night attire, which is low-cut. In Lurhmann’s film the security lights are switched on, probably by a sensor, as Romeo makes his way to the Capulet’s house. The swimming pool is overly ornate with an abundance of statues. Whereas in the traditional version the balcony has chipped masonry which adds to the realism of the setting.
The camera moves with Romeo as he is moving along the garden of the Capulet’s mansion in the traditional version, and slow music, in a sense, moves with Romeo. However in the modern version there is no music at all as Romeo enters the garden and the music will not begin until the kissing element of the scene.
In both the traditional and modern versions of Shakespeare, both have an element of climbing. In Zeffirelli’s version Romeo is climbing up to Juliet’s balcony and then talks with Juliet there. However in Lurhmann’s version Romeo again climbs up to the balcony of Juliet’s room but instead of speaking with Juliet herself, Lurhmann creates a humours incident where Romeo is instead talking to the nurse. Throughout the whole balcony scene in Zeffirelli’s film Juliet is the focal point in the scene. The camera has both long and short shots of Juliet, but mostly she is situated in the centre of the screen. The director has deliberately done this so that the viewer can see Juliet’s dreamy look in her eyes. In Lurhmann’s film Romeo is the focal point at the start of the scene but then this is no longer so, as it is both Romeo and Juliet who are captioned together. As Juliet is the main focus in the traditional version then it is effective that we can hear Romeo speak but we cannot see him, this is not so as there is a sharp angle when Romeo speaks at the beginning of the “swimming pool” scene in the contemporary version. The humorous effect when Romeo climbs the trellis is deliberately done to make the very romantic scene seem more upbeat, the clumsiness of Romeo is also deliberate humour.
It is ironic also that Romeo, in Lurhmann’s film, thinks he is talking to Juliet through the shutters of her window when it is really the nurse, he hastily retreats just as Juliet comes from the lift. Again he makes a lot of noise due to his clumsiness. Juliet then dreamly walks to the pools edge. In Zeffirelli’s version Juliet is on the balcony of her room and Romeo watches and listens to her with much concentration. Juliet’s eyes are wide and dreamy, and her speech is slow as she is saying that she would change her name for Romeo. Her innocence is a sign of her youth and virginity, her purity. Romeo then calls her his “Bright Angel”. In Lurhmann’s version these words are significant as Juliet is still in her fancy dress attire, which is of course, an angel. Also in this film Juliet is like an angel glowing with the fairy lights which light up the garden just like an angels ‘grotto’.
In the conventional rendering Juliet is sitting on the wall of her balcony, which acts like a barrier between her and Romeo. At no point in this scene does Romeo ever cross this ‘barrier’. She is sitting with her knees drawn to her chest like the foetal position, which again shows her innocence and youth. The camera shot is, at first, a long shot but then gets closer until it is a close-up of Juliet. Romeo’s face lights up as his whole face is filled with expressions of love and there is no distraction from the poetry and beauty of Shakespeare’s words. When Juliet says “or any other part of a man”, there is a sense of mischievousness when she recites these words in the modern version, as if even though she id only thirteen years of she is still very knowingly aware that it may have a sexual meaning. In both the modern and traditional version when Juliet recites the words, “ What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet”, both actresses, Claire Danes and Olivia Hussey, show deep sorrow because of the fact that her and Romeo cannot bee known to be a couple because of their families grievances.
In Zeffirelli’s production when Romeo says, “O, speak again bright angel” Romeo is still in hiding but in Lurhmann’s remake Romeo is now standing right behind Juliet. As a result he startles Juliet, which leads her to fall into the pool dragging Romeo with her, this is very humorous which again lightens up the tense scene. It is at this point that the slow, romantic, piano music begins. There is no barrier here unlike the traditional version where there is a constant barrier, which is the wall of the balcony, which causes Romeo to never have full bodily contact. The effectiveness of the two in the water is one of softness; the water makes everything look soft and romantic. The security guard appearing is also comic, as Romeo has to hide under the water, which causes him to gasp when he emerges again. He then envelops into a passionate kiss with Juliet, a kiss of which Juliet does not want to leave as she clings to Romeo as she is leaving the pool.