Both directors have different opening scenes. I intend to compare each opening scene for the purpose of this essay.
At the start of the Zeferelli version the camera moves very slowly. We see a courtyard in the early morning mist. Then the sun shines with the credits appearing over it.
Slow Elizabethan music is played which introduces a sense of calm and history.
I think Zeferelli uses the image of the sun to create themes of anger and passion. Zeferelli has used the sun as a symbol to represent two main themes in the play, the power of the two families and the passion the love shared between Romeo and Juliet.
The prologue is presented to us in a very classical English accent. This tells the audience what they are about to see later on in the story.
Next up we see a very crowded and noisy market place. The camera focuses on two rowdy men who are dressed in red and yellow. The audience will associate the colours that they are wearing with that of jokers.
The two men are laughing and making jokes about women from a rival family, the Capulets therefore it is obvious that they are Montagues. Zeferelli creates an effect of a “real” market place when people walk right in front of the camera.
When the Capulets show up they are very different to the Montagues. The audience would notice this in comparison to the clothes that the other people of the market place are wearing. They are dressed in Black and gold, symbolising danger and wealth. Soon Tybalt Capulet moves into the picture, the camera move very slowly from his feet up to his face then we see a close up shot of his face. Close ups are there to help the audience identify with the characters facial expression.
When the eventual fight scene occurs the camera moves very quickly and we lose sight of who is fighting. All we can hear is people shouting and screaming, with a mix of close ups and medium shots of various parts of the body. The camera creates an effect of complete havoc. As the Prince arrives and the crowd disperses he delivers his ultimatum to the families. This has an effect on the people as silence is observed so you can hear the prince’s words. This is because the prince’s speech is a crucial part of the story and his final threat underlines all of what happens in the play. The camera makes him out to be strong and powerful.
At the start of the Luhrman version we see a television screen. The prologue is read out by a black female newsreader. For a moment there is calm until the next shot, which is noisy, and in your face.
We see various different modern images; helicopters, police chases, distressed and angry faces, newspaper articles reporting on fights, skyscrapers with the names of “Capulet” and “Montague”. The prologue is spoken by spoken loudly by an American man as words flash up on the screen in big, white letters as he says them.
The next scene shows a group of boy in a car, shouting. They have piercing and tattoos and are listening to heavy metal music. In a similar style to Zeferelli Luhrman uses certain types of clothes, music and colour to represent certain qualities of the characters. For example we may think of the Montagues as jokers because of their bright clothes (yellow, green pink coloured).
The fight takes place at a petrol or gas station instead of the market place like in Zeferelli’s. The Capulets arrive dressed in black and gold and are lead by Tybalt. He comes across as fearless and powerful. When the camera shows his boots we associate them as cowboy boots from a western movie. Then this idea is confirmed by western music played in the background. The camera moves into a close up shot of his face. The Capulets seem the most dangerous of the families; they have slicked back hair, wear leather and carry guns.
There are both similarities and differences between the two director’s versions. Zeferelli stays much closer to Shakespeare’s classical style using the dusty streets of Verona for the set. Luhrman’s is a modern version, which uses images and music from modern and pop culture. Both films are similar in the way that they convey the characters’ personalities in the same way as the play.
Emmet Murphy
GCSE 2002
