Home » Romeo And Juliet Scene Comparison

Romeo And Juliet Scene Comparison

The renowned William Shakespeare’s play, “Romeo and Juliet” was directed into two movie versions; the traditional version of 1968 that was directed by Franco Zeffirelli and the modern version of 1996 that followed as directed by Baz Luhrman. Though both directors did their best in putting text into film, there were differences and similarities that cannot be ignored in this context. Most of them are as a result of technological innovations resulting from the difference in time of production and cultural setting of the times.

Save Time On Research and Writing
Hire a Pro to Write You a 100% Plagiarism-Free Paper.
Get My Paper

In the comparison of the party scene on Franco Zeffirelli and Baz Luhrman films, directors effects is a major factor in both films. Luhrman used exterior and interior effects to portray symbolism whereas, Zeffirelli used costumes. In terms of effects, Luhrman used explosions of fireworks, riotous color splashes, lighting and camera tricks such as the rolling storm among other outstanding visual styles. On the contrary, Zeffirelli used traditional music from the Elizabethan period, disjointed visuals and dialogue as well as music which interfere with other film effects. In a nut shell, though both directors employed the opera medium, Luhrman balanced text, music and visuals to make an operatic film; while Zeffirelli used music without integrating the text and the visuals.

Zeffirelli uses counter culture to portray the intended message by Shakespeare whereas Luhrman uses the camera and the music ambience to achieve harmony. Symbolism is another director’s strategy that is used to differentiate the two films. Luhrman used a fish tank as the meeting point for the protagonists in the film. This was because water emerges as a central thematic element in the film. On the other hand, Zeffirelli used drugs, violence and sex to portray the pop and the Hollywood culture in the film at its modest. Lastly under this section, soundtrack serves as another thread to differentiate the two films. In Luhrman’s film, music follows the tempo of the scenes while Zeffirelli employs inter-textuality which lacks the desired lusture from the viewers. In the party scene also as shown by Luhrman, sadness is portrayed as opposed to Zeffirelli’s playful and happy mood in the same scene. In addition, the meeting of Romeo and Juliet in Zeffirelli’s version portrays light whereas; Luhrman’s scene shows the protagonists to have met in a dark bathroom.

In the balcony scene, Luhrman’s version shows the scene to occur on a light filled balcony though it’s at night. It also adds bizarre to its visuals that advocates for doubts on its accuracy and adherence to the original text written by Shakespeare. Further, the use of swords and chariots is replaced by guns and cars. Luhrman portrays the main character under the influence of drug and this is the mind that the viewer wears in order to fully participate in the film. In addition, the balcony scene is posed as the calmest scene in the film. To some extent, the characters are not well developed to portray the intended messages effectively like in the case of Romeo where he doesn’t show tenderness to Juliet in some parts of this scene. Following this, the aspect of patriarchal power and how it is abused is also brought into this review. Further, outrageous costumes and riotous colors are used to show modernity, love and the youth.

On the contrary, Zeffirelli’s film version shows the balcony scene in darkness but not in the balcony. This version is neutral and it’s faithful to the original texts of William Shakespeare’s work. The director restores its figurative language in film as well the original paraphernalia. By choosing average diction, the film can be understood by the majority. Though it has been accused of being dull and boring, it emits the original humor and observes soliloquy in character development just like Shakespeare did in his text. In most cases it portrays irony and ridicule though it’s not satirical. Through the selected characters of Romeo and Juliet, Zeffirelli perfectly portrays the innocence and naivety of love at teenage. Further, the manner in which Zeffirelli develops character relationships in the film is in a traditional setting. For instance, the protagonists play hide and seek game which is an old fashioned dating method. A look at Franco Zeffirelli’s film ascertains that, the balcony scene preserve William Shakespeare’s language, stylistic devices, costume and paraphernalia as they appear in the texts. Conclusively, both films are aligned towards the removal of the scene to portray the strong love and passion between Romeo and Juliet that could not be separated. They also ignore the fight between Romeo and Paris.

Save Time On Research and Writing
Hire a Pro to Write You a 100% Plagiarism-Free Paper.
Get My Paper

Place your order
(550 words)

Approximate price: $22

Calculate the price of your order

550 words
We'll send you the first draft for approval by September 11, 2018 at 10:52 AM
Total price:
$26
The price is based on these factors:
Academic level
Number of pages
Urgency
Basic features
  • Free title page and bibliography
  • Unlimited revisions
  • Plagiarism-free guarantee
  • Money-back guarantee
  • 24/7 support
On-demand options
  • Writer’s samples
  • Part-by-part delivery
  • Overnight delivery
  • Copies of used sources
  • Expert Proofreading
Paper format
  • 275 words per page
  • 12 pt Arial/Times New Roman
  • Double line spacing
  • Any citation style (APA, MLA, Chicago/Turabian, Harvard)

Our guarantees

Delivering a high-quality product at a reasonable price is not enough anymore.
That’s why we have developed 5 beneficial guarantees that will make your experience with our service enjoyable, easy, and safe.

Money-back guarantee

You have to be 100% sure of the quality of your product to give a money-back guarantee. This describes us perfectly. Make sure that this guarantee is totally transparent.

Read more

Zero-plagiarism guarantee

Each paper is composed from scratch, according to your instructions. It is then checked by our plagiarism-detection software. There is no gap where plagiarism could squeeze in.

Read more

Free-revision policy

Thanks to our free revisions, there is no way for you to be unsatisfied. We will work on your paper until you are completely happy with the result.

Read more

Privacy policy

Your email is safe, as we store it according to international data protection rules. Your bank details are secure, as we use only reliable payment systems.

Read more

Fair-cooperation guarantee

By sending us your money, you buy the service we provide. Check out our terms and conditions if you prefer business talks to be laid out in official language.

Read more
Live Chat+1 763 309 4299EmailWhatsApp

We Can Handle your Online Class from as low as$100 per week