Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet Essay

Being a virgin viewer of Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet, I found myself dissatisfied as I began to see the famous balcony scene reveal itself on the courtyard floor. â€Å"Where is the barrier, the ‘stony limits’ that separates the lovers from each other?† I inquired. How could the most renowned scene of William Shakespeare’s most popular play be missing? I continued to watch in astonishment as the daring scene developed into a masterpiece. Baz Luhrmann and Franco Zeffirelli both achieved unique interpretations of William Shakespeare’s script which accomplish the chief goal of displaying the extremely passionate love between Romeo and Juliet. The movies were made twenty-nine years apart and had many specific and not so obvious differences between them including the setting, script, and camera work that are significant to accomplishing the two director’s diverse objectives for the films. The most noticeable difference found between the balcony scenes of the two movies is the different settings. There actually is a balcony in Luhrmann’s version, but it is much smaller and is only used for a brief instant in the scene. Romeo climbs to the top of the balcony in both versions, but in Luhrmann’s film, to his surprise, he finds an ugly nurse instead of the attractive Juliet. This comedic moment is essential for distracting the audience from their predictions. The Capulet mansions are both astounding and enormous but bestow different emotions. The mansion in Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet is very castle-like with towering stone walls surrounded by trees, and a large balcony. This plain and simple appearance is important because the focus of the scene is on the two young lovers and the stony limits that separate them. Luhrmann’s film has a very luxurious and romantic looking set that captures the viewers’ attention from the start. The scene is more colorful with white sparkling lights, statues, ivy, and most importantly, a brightly lit up blue swimming pool. The water provides a perfect medium for Romeo and Juliet as they confess their love for each other. The water does not on ly serve symbolic importance but provides a modern obstacle between Romeo and Juliet that can be compared to the balcony. Although the viscous water acts as a barrier, the pool scene involves much more contact between the lovers than Zefferelli’s balcony scene. Light piano music fills the air instead of the louder rock music that is found throughout the film. In both versions, Juliet is clothed in all white, portraying her innocence. Zefferelli’s set resembles the setting William Shakespeare describes in his script, while Luhrmann modernizes the setting and translates script to appeal to today’s generations. Shakespeare wrote his plays in a Victorian language that is not especially familiar to most people today. Zefferelli was quite aware of this, but made very few adjustments to the script. His play targets people who already know the story of Romeo and Juliet. Zefferelli takes advantage of the opportunities film offers by using technology to create realism, background music, props, and backgrounds to aid in the comprehension of the balcony scene of this romantic tragedy. On the other hand, Baz Luhrmann cuts the original script from 190 lines to 100 lines. He also adds occasional words to enable a smooth flowing dialogue. He maintains Shakespeare’s Victorian language because of the ingenious poetry and rhythm it has that flows like music to one’s ears. Luhrmann eliminates a lot of the difficult and time-consuming language as well as lines that do not pertain to his modernized setting. For example, lines 70-182 of Act III, Scene II are eliminated, in which Juliet calls Romeo back then forgets why she did so. Luhrmann’s adjustments to the script allow for a more easy translation of Shakespeare’s language. In addition to the changes in the script, the scene can be comprehended strictly by viewing the moving picture due to the careful selection of costumes, the use of body language, the romantic setting, and the camera technique. The camera work during the balcony scene of both films is very strategically planed to give the viewers a much more personal experience than that of the stage. Zeffirelli’s scene makes use of the long balcony as the camera pans along it continuously, not allowing the eyes to rest. This keeps the viewers involved in the film while close ups are used to show the passionate emotions of the lovers. In Baz Luhrmann’s version of the scene, the camera is not as active as one might imagine. The scene begins with long shots and as it develops, the camera moves in to extreme close-ups to show every detail of the lovers’ expressions. The camera gives the viewers an intimate relationship as it moves slowly and more closely to the actors in contrast to the chaotic camera movement in other scenes. The quantity of editing used in Baz Luhrmann’s scene is significantly reduced when compared to the editing in other parts of his film. The editing pace goes from every couple seconds per shot to about twenty seconds per shot. The length of shots in Zeffirelli’s scene is even longer. Also, Zeffirelli’s scene uses slight high-angle shots on Juliet that gives the effect that Juliet is in a more superior position than Romeo. In Luhrmann’s film the lovers remain level with each other throughout most of the scene, giving a sense of equality. Both filming techniques used in the two versions were very effective in creating the close relationship between Romeo and Juliet as they reunite for the second time. The power and passion of love found within the balcony and pool scenes of the different films is one that leaves an everlasting impression in the hearts and minds of the viewers. Although interpreted very differently by two brilliant directors, the scenes both relay Shakespeare’s message. Baz Luhrmann did so in a way that transformed the play from Shakespearian times to the youth of the twentieth century. He used state of the art technology, familiar actors, a modernized setting, and adjustments to the actual script to translate Shakespeare’s play into modern times. On the other hand, Franco Zeffirelli attempted to make his film as much like Shakespeare’s play as possible. He used film to his advantage to provide a closer experience than that of the stage, but few changes to the actual script and setting were made. He wanted to reflect the play to the best of his ability to the screen. Baz Luhrmann’s objective was to bring Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet to the homes of people around the world. Both films were successful in achieving their goals, but were very unique because of the differences in the setting, script, and camera work. Works Cited â€Å"Imagery in Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet.† American Film Institute. 1 Feb. 2005 < http://www.fathom.com/course/28701907/session4.html>. Marks, Margaret. â€Å"Brand New Old Stuff.† 1 Feb. 2005 . Romeo and Juliet. Dir. Franco Zeffirelli. Perf. Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting. Paramount Pictures, 1968. William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Dir. Baz Luhrmann. Perf. Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. Twentieth Century Fox, 1997.