Compare the ways in which the two film openings present their characters and themes, and set up the basis for the story of the whole film.

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Sarah Cooper    10Lat.

Compare the ways in which the two film openings present their characters and themes, and set up the basis for the story of the whole film.

In the two versions of Romeo and Juliet that we have studied, the directors have had very different styles of production. The main difference is the setting. Luhrmann’s version is set in the 21st century, and the characters are identified as modern gang style characters. Zeffirelli’s version is much more traditional, set in the original setting and none of the extravagant special effects that we see in Luhrmann’s version. The different characters have been portrayed in different styles.

Benvolio in Luhrmann’s version is wearing a very colourful and bright Hawaiian style shirt, which fits in with the image of the rest of the Montague boys. He drives into the petrol station in a bright yellow car, which creates the impression of confidence. He wears a dog tag which adds to his gang identity. The gold chain and large crystal hanging from it shows that he is reasonably rich. However, this gang image drops a little when you see his hair. It is cut in a kind of uniformed military style. This contrasts with the rest of the Montague boys who all have much more outrageous styles. This tells us that Benvolio’s character is more sensible and reformed, and this aspect of his personality is displayed when he tries to prevent the break out of a fight.  

Benvolio’s passive nature is much more apparent in Zeffirelli’s version of Romeo and Juliet. He creeps unnoticed into the scene. He is wearing very dark clothing, and does not appear to be as confident as Luhrmann’s Benvolio. Bright colours are generally associated with confidence, so the fact that all of Benvolio’s clothing is either black or grey is a significant indication of his character, and we can guess that he is quite shy and doesn’t want to stand out from the crowd. When he tries to break up the fight, his sword is drawn but it is lowered and not ready to use, which shows that he does not want to become part of the fight but will if he has to.

Both Luhrmann and Zeffirelli have shown that Benvolio is of a peaceful nature and will try and avoid a fight, but Luhrmann has done it much more subtly than Zeffirelli, possibly because of the targeted teenage audience for the film, as a shy, reserved character that was blatantly so would not fit in with the rest of the film.

The way Tybalt has been portrayed is also very different. In Zeffirelli’s version of Romeo and Juliet, he is styled as a very relaxed, handsome young man, exuding confidence and strong character. He is made to seem important by the way he enters the scene, with a large crowd of “admires” behind him. His casually unbuttoned shirt gives him a quite sexy image, as does the sultry, pouty expression on his face. He is wearing a bright yellow, quite detailed tunic and matching hat, which stands out against the black backdrop of the clothes that he is wearing underneath. The brightness of his clothes gives the impression that he is confident, and the fact that they are quite ornate shows that he is quite rich. He could also be considered as a bit of a bully, as he quite obviously gets enjoyment out of humiliating Benvolio in front of a crowd of onlookers.

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Luhrmann’s Tybalt has western style clothing. He wears a long dark trench coat, an underneath it he is wearing a bright red waistcoat with a large image of Jesus depicted on it, which suggests religious connections. Around his waist there is a black belt with a large silver buckle on it, which is an image of wealth. He is standing up tall, which shows that he is confident, and he is centred in the shot, which shows that Luhrmann wanted him to be the prominent part of it.  The cigarette in his hand at a petrol station shows us ...

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