Comparing a Modern and Older Version of Romeo and Juliet Film

Comparing a Modern and Older Version of Romeo and Juliet Film

The modern was directed by Baz Luhrman staring Leonardo-De-Capreo as

Romeo this was a contempary version set in the modern fictional city

of Verona, which was based on Miami. The Franco Zefferelli is set in

renaissance Italy and sticks very closely to the actual Shakespeare

script. I will compare them by the usage of props, costume and the

setting, at the end I will assess them on how they would fair in front

of a teenage audience.

I have only looked at the first few obvious aspects of the play but

even now I think my conclusion will be that the Baz Luhrman would be

liked more because it is contemporary and a teenage audience can

relate to a contemporary version, an older version will always be

second best unless it could persuade those watching that I was better

and I don’t think it is.

The Baz Luhrman version was interesting because it used the contrast

of mostly modern props such as guns and cars which an teenage audience

can relate to and the original speech, this made the film watch able,

as if you did not concentrate you would get lost but because it was a

good script the watcher would become increasingly interested as the

story unveiled. In the film different costume was also used to bring

the story as far away from renaissance Italy as possible, instead of

what could be expected such as normal casual clothes along the theme

of Miami, Hawaiian shirts were used on the main characters, I think to

create more relaxed persona of the inhabitants of Verona even though

the is a feud that is claiming lives in some cases. Also all of the

gang members were gun holsters very openly and in there free time they

play with them as if they were not guns but toys.

One of the most influential characters is the priest who saves Romeo

from being caught by the police who have banned him from entering

Verona, the priest wares also a Hawaiian shirt when he is not in his