Original Play In The Movie Water example essay topic
The language and some actors are two of the factors that may be included in this list. But after all the movie itself is a creative piece of art, how Luhrmann plays with all camera effects its unbelievable. So finally I can say that this "Romeo and Juliet" movie can be used to teach the same play, but after studying it deeply and totally. This "Shakespearean" movie is summarised very easily as obviously has the same plot as the play. Two households, the Capulets and the Montagues, both alike in dignity in fair Verona. From years they " ve hated each other, heat that will take a pair of star-crossed lovers take their lives; death that made bury their parents rage against each other.
There are three main differences between the movie and the play. First of all and the most commercial one is the change of real Italians into immigrant ones into the USA. This is a commercial hint, because with the change of scenery younger audience will like to see the movie. Then there is the fact of the balcony scene which is crucial for the development of the movie. The movie shows this balcony scene from a pool, this different type of scenery is because of all the symbols that Luhrmann plays with, in this one, water. The final and more emotional is the death of Romeo and Juliet.
In the play Romeo kills himself before realising Juliet is still alive, while in the movie he doesn't. Romeo drinks the poison when Juliet touches his cheek, because of the instant reaction. These three elements show how Luhrmann can move around the play without changing the course of it and making it better. The actors in this marvellous piece of art are very low in the fame ambit. First of all there is Leonardo Di Caprio (Romeo). He is maybe the most popular actor in these days, but the acting represented by him is not convincing.
First of all Di Caprio does not complete the expectations that someone could have about Romeo, romantic and immature, maybe because of a lack in the study of the character. The thing he develops very well is the love that Romeo has to Juliet. Claire Danes (Juliet) is an actress that gives a better impression of his work in his character. First, and equally as Di Caprio, gives a really nice idea of the love towards Romeo, even though he does not fulfils the audience expectations of the immaturity that Juliet has in the play.
But Danes does a very good job, she is an excellent actress that won't let herself down by this important role, taking in account her low popularity and experience before this movie. Last but not least, an important role in the play and in the movie is Friar Lawrence (Pete Postlethwaite). This character is very different in the play than in the movie, a totally different personality. In the new movie this character is newly developed to form a different Friar Lawrence, with a tormented mind and a radical life. All these new aspects are taken into account to make an agreeable critic of Pastlewaite's job. He finishes a fantastic renewed character with a huge amount of artistic doses.
So in general the acting is good and really makes the difference between the contrast of the movie and the play. The only thing that didn't work in all this field is the use of the ancient language that Shakespeare wrote the play in. This language doesn't fit in teh modern times and scenes developed in the movie. The camera techniques and sound are incredibly utilised by Luhrmann to create tension, stress, happiness or maybe even love. These technical characteristics make you get more involved in the movie, without letting you even breath for missing a shot.
This movie can be divided and analysed into three main scenes, the first fight, the encounter of Romeo and Juliet and finally the death of both. In this first scene the camera action is crucial to make an idea for the audience to understand what's happening. The camera actions become fast and slow, provoking a lot of stress by seeing it, and a lot of fun also if you have the time to reach a point where you can start seeing the movie for fun, not for visual delight. In this scene you also have lots mid-shots and close ups to the Montagues and the Capulets to have a sense of what they really are.
The sound in this scene is crucial for the differential matter of the movie, first of all come the Montagues with a score that is king of "little boy" stuff, they just want to have fun. Then a totally opposite score is used for the Capulets, they are taken as the "tough boy" kind of thing, a more mature personality. Then in a second scene the camera techniques go down a bit. These techniques are more constant among the scene, the only thing that can be noticed is that they represent Juliet in medium shots and Romeo in close ups and that they also hurry and slow the camera action. This second statement is showed when they first talk with each other, they are in the middle of the room where nobody notices them, and all around them is totally fast. The sound effects in this scene are much more delicate than in the first one here we have a mute part, important for the realisation of the speech of Romeo to Juliet.
We also have three different scores for the whole scene, the first one is the meeting where charming and happy music is played, then the time when Romeo discovers Juliet is a Capulet, the music is sad, with a great disappointment tune. Finally the balcony scene where a coherent type of hope music, knowing how the movie develops, is played. The last scene has an increase in the camera techniques that are greatly used to have a spectacular ending. Two subjective shots are used in this final scene, one from the eyes of Romeo, when seeing Juliet's tomb, and one from the same tomb, when Romeo enters the graveyard. Another amazing effect is the high angle camera used when Romeo hugs Juliet after seeing her, showing the point of view of God, knowing that this is going to end in a bad way, but it's going to solve problems. The score in this scene gives the idea of this horrifying death, a score that represents the impotency to stop the tragedy that will happen.
The movie addresses incredibly well the part of the themes of the play, prohibited, rushed love and writing your own faith, because it doesn't escape a lot from the central part of the play. First of all Romeo and Juliet, as well as in the play, rush an amorous ambient that was totally prohibited because of their names. Like when they first meet, they kissed each other immediately. Then also in the play, Romeo starts his own fatal faith by killing Ty balt. The figures used in the movie are not even mentioned in the original play, in the movie water, Jesus, fire, all have a different meaning in the whole movie. First the symbolism of water, this symbol represents the land of the dead.
When they first meet, they do it looking each other against a water tank. In this scene each one of them sees the other like a reflection, making an allusion of what's going to happen later, they " ll never be together for real. Another symbol used in the movie that's not in the play is Jesus Christ. The Capulets and the Montagues hate each other, and Jesus is always present in their lives, you can extract at the end that Jesus and God are the only ones that by the death of Romeo and Juliet, can unite this two families.
Romeo and Juliet, directed by Baz Luhrmann, one of the most beautiful and entertaining pieces of art I've ever seen. The cameras make you finish with a beautiful headache because of all they have, this may be the only souvenir you can get from this wonderful movie, apart from the tears and the thought of how huge love can be. But I insist, if you " re studying the play, don't limit your Shakespearean boundaries by reading only the play, watch the movie to realise how Shakespeare can move from time to time without losing it's popularity. But first as I said, study the play completely and deeply..