Compare the opening scenes of Luhrmann and Zeffirelli film adaptation of Romeo and Juliet.

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Compare the opening scenes of Luhrmann and

Zeffirelli film adaptation of Romeo and Juliet

      Franco Zeffirelli was born in 1923. He was Educated at the Accademia di Belle Arti, Florence, and Florence University (architecture).  It was during his time at the university where he found about his love for the world of opera and theater. Zeffirelli's name is still most closely associated with his next film, ‘Romeo and Juliet’ (1968). In a bit of inspired casting, Zeffirelli chose two teenage actors, Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting, to play the leads. This version of Shakespeare's tragedy was consonant with the 1960s and included a nude love scene. A box-office smash, ‘Romeo and Juliet’ also earned Academy Awards for cinematography and costume design. Romeo and Juliet are not his only Shakespearian films; he has directed versions of Hamlet and Othello. Nearly all of Zeffirelli’s films are adaptations, in which he uses exotic locations and grand costumes. Zeffirelli’s adaptation of Romeo and Juliet was made for the audience of the 60s who expected a true adaptation of what ‘Romeo and Juliet’ would have been in the 16th Century

      Baz Luhrmann was originally born Bazmark Anthony Luhrmann in 1962 in New South Wales. He has taken on many roles in the film industry. During his career he has been an actor, writer, producer, songwriter, and director of theater, television, opera and films. Luhrmann’s adaptation of William Shakespeare's ‘Romeo and Juliet’ gave audiences a new look at the Bard's classic tale of pubescent passion with bright colors, fast-paced editing, stylized sets and costumes, and emotionally intense performances by Clare Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio as the original star-crossed lovers. All of this was necessary to move on with the times. The film was made with the young generation of the 90s in mind.

      The opening scene in Zeffirelli’s version ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is very slow, very calm and the actors perform in the manner true to the Shakespearian times. The opening scene of Luhrmann’s version of the film is very fast, exciting and the actors perform with a lot of aggression and passion. A prologue or introduction is read out; this is followed by a fight between the Montagues and the Capulets. The fight in Zeffirell’s version is provoked whereas Luhrmann seemed to make the fight happen more by chance. The two films tell the same story but in two completely different styles.

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      In 1968, if you were going to go and watch Shakespeare film, you would expect authentic English actors, an authentic setting, appropriate costume and no profanities or violence. The film would itself be true to its roots and an accurate telling of the story of ‘Romeo and Juliet’. The actors themselves should be jolly, cheerful and expressive. All of these factors contribute to the overall audience expectations in the late 1960s.

      In 1996, the audience expectations are completely the opposite. The actors have to be well-known or be known to a certain degree. The ...

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