Comparing the Opening Sequences of Two Filmed Version of Romeo and Juliet

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Comparing the Opening Sequences of Two Filmed Version of Romeo and Juliet

The two films are taken from two plays written by the same man,

Shakespeare. However they are both directed by two different men, what

ways has each director tried to convey the original script?

Romeo and Juliet has a very fast moving opening sequence. Already the

director manages to create tension between the Montague’s and the

Capulet, the two rival families. He does this by containing a fight in

the opening sequences between two gangs of each family and using very

tense, loud music. Unlike Romeo and Juliet the twelfth nights opening

sequence is a relatively slow one, starting off fast with scenes of

conflict and fighting but gradually slowing down as the singing

stopped. The director uses different paces with the two main

characters, with the girl its slow and calm, but when the cameras on

Orsino its quite fast moving. This makes the mood relatively calm but

leaving the viewer interested in the plot.

Romeo and Juliet also has a very modern visual style. It’s based in a

modern city with skyscraper, helicopters, cars and other modern

appliances. The dressing of the characters is also very modern. The

Capulets are dressed in punk clothes, have stuck up and messy, died

hair. The Montague’s clothes contrast to this of the Capulets. They

dress like Italian Americans, with neat black hair, boots, jackets and

they smoke cigars.

The director also chooses to have a lot of close ups and even extreme

close ups of the characters involved. The twelfth night doesn’t

contrast to Romeo and Juliet too much. It’s a mix of contempory and

old styles. The dressing of the characters is an example of this mix

of contempory and old. Orsino dresses in old-fashioned clothes. These

appear to be from Elizabethan periods and are wealthy looking clothes,

establishing what class Orsino is in. Whereas Viola dresses in modern

clothes of a different culture. Both are also seen wearing suits.

Of the two films neither reveals too much of their plots at the

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