Zeffirelli's Film example essay topic

304 words
Essay: Romeo and Juliet Act II, Scene 2 Although the film "Romeo and Juliet", directed by Franco Zeffirelli and the film directed by Baz Luhrmann follow the same story line and both took place at Juliet's house, they also differ in many ways. Zeffirelli's film portrayed more accurately the time period of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" in the 14th century because people wore more formal clothing instead of the modern day style which director Baz Luhrmann used. These two films were similar in a way because they both used the same dialogue and followed the same story line. They both used Romeo, Juliet, and the nurse. The scene took place at Juliet's house where Romeo was hiding and listening to Juliet's private thoughts. However, in both films, there were also many differences.

In Zeffirelli's film, the men dressed in tight pants and the women wore dresses. Also, the characters appeared younger. In Luhrmann's film, the characters dressed in more modern day clothing, there was an extra character that appeared in the scene, and the technology was more advanced. For the setting, the two films took place at Juliet's house, but the first was on a balcony while the second took place in a pool-patio type of environment. As you can see, these two films follow the same dialogue and story line, but have a different setting and many of the characters dress and appear differently. I liked the film directed by Zeffirelli better because in Luhrmann's film, everything was too modern.

The characters were using security cameras and dressed in modern day clothing. Zeffirelli's film really shows what it was like back in the 14th century. Therefore, I think that it was a more authentic portrayal of Shakespeare's famous play.