Produce a 'talking heads' video for a website aimed at young people interested in film, showing how one specific theory and one method can be applied to a film of your choice. You must apply theory and analyse the film critically, support your points with arguments and elucidated examples, consistently using subject terminology correctly.
In this article, I will be addressing the similarities and differences between Franco Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet (1968), and Baz Luhrmann’s William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet (1996). Both films are regarded by critics as two of the most successful adaptations of William Shakespeare’s classic romantic tragedy Romeo and Juliet. Both films achieve great success in their time, with Zeffirelli’s film pulling in a domestic box office of 38.9 million USD; whereas Luhrmann’s made a much larger profit, with a domestic box office of 46.3 million USD and international box office of 101.2 million USD. The biggest notable difference between the two films is not just their box office budgets, but their settings; while Luhrmann’s sets the story of Romeo and Juliet on Verona beach in California, America in modern day, Zeffirelli choses to show a medieval, traditional depiction of the original text. Although it must be noted that Luhrmann’s film is more loyal to the original dialogue than Zeffirelli’s and I will be comparing these two films in more depth throughout this article, focusing on production context, characters and plot devices.
The star-crossed lovers are not much different from each other in both films, Juliet is portrayed as a young girl, wise beyond her years with a romantic, vivacious and resolute personality. And while both actress that play the roles: Olivia Hussey and Claire Danes are able to inhabit these traits, Danes is portrayed as a more modern version of Juliet that a contemporary American audience would be able to relate to. Both actresses even had similar prominent facial features and were virtually unknown in the film industry, much like the actors playing the part of Romeo: Leonard Whiting and Leonardo DiCaprio. Similar to Juliet, Romeo, remains essentially the same in both versions of the film. However, DiCaprio’s Romeo is more emotionally explosive and gives the impression that he might actually die is Juliet did not love him back, while Whiting is a representation of the yearning of young men, coupled with the all-consuming love for Juliet that knows no bounds. All four actors playing Romeo and Juliet respectively gained a much larger fan base and great popularity over fans of the film. The fan base that grew for each one of the film turned the two couples into one of the most talked-about people in the industry and massively increased their star power and appeal to a young target audience. Moreover, all four actors were not well-known in the industry, but they starred with much more famous and well-established actors in both films, which helped them appeal to an older target audience who were fans of the older actors and actresses in the film.
Another set of characters that seem to different more than any others in the film are Tybalt and Mercutio: the villainous brother in-law and the best friend. Both characters play very important roles in the film, however, even more important are the actors that play them. In Zeffirelli’s version, Tybalt and Mercutio are both played by Caucasian actors (Michael York - Tybalt; John McEnery - Mercutio), whereas Luhrmann chose to have more diversity within his cast with Colombian American actor John Leguizamo playing Tybalt, and black American actor Harold Perrineau. This created controversy as people of colour were rarely featured in medieval films. This brought up the issues of race in the film and enlightened people to a more modern and open state of mind. Both Michael York and John Leguizamo portray Tybalt as mischievous and villainous; although, Leguizamo worked with a choreographer to create a flamenco-inspired fighting style suitable to Tybalt’s showy swordsmanship. Mercutio on the other hand is portrayed by McEnery and Perrineau as a jester and an entertainer, and in the latter’s case, a magician. Both actors successfully fulfill their roles as the comic relief in the film, both doing so in different ways. Perrineau takes a more stronger, serious and mature approach with Mercutio, also portraying him as loud and crazy. The latter traits were considered a part of comedy at the time, which the actor took to an extreme level, in slight contrast to McEnery.
In comparison both films appeal to different demographics due to the content featured in each film, with Romeo and Juliet (1968) being classified by the BBFC as PG. However, Romeo + Juliet (1996) had a higher rating of 12A due to the drinking, drugs, guns, violence and mild nudity featured in the film. Hence, this film would appeal to a young adult audience who want to seek entertainment and information (Blumler and Katz Theory) and escape into another world, away from their everyday lives. However, the difference in the ratings relates to the historical and social context of the film production itself. Romeo + Juliet in contrast to its counterpart, this film features subjects such as a considerable amount of blood, teen sex and gang-related deaths along with bloody fist-fights was deemed inappropriate viewing for anyone under the age of 12. The several intense fight scenes involving gang members may appeal to a younger male secondary target audience, who may be attracted the fighting action explosions, while also being able to identify (Blumler and Katz) with the male characters in those scenes; whereas a female target audience is more likely to view the story as a tragic love story. This film may also appeal to an older audience since it would evoke a sense of nostalgia within them.
In comparison both films appeal to different demographics due to the content featured in each film, with Romeo and Juliet (1968) being classified by the BBFC as PG. However, Romeo + Juliet (1996) had a higher rating of 12A due to the drinking, drugs, guns, violence and mild nudity featured in the film. Hence, this film would appeal to a young adult audience who want to seek entertainment and information (Blumler and Katz Theory) and escape into another world, away from their everyday lives. However, the difference in the ratings relates to the historical and social context of the film production itself. Romeo + Juliet in contrast to its counterpart, this film features subjects such as a considerable amount of blood, teen sex and gang-related deaths along with bloody fist-fights was deemed inappropriate viewing for anyone under the age of 12. The several intense fight scenes involving gang members may appeal to a younger male secondary target audience, who may be attracted the fighting action explosions, while also being able to identify (Blumler and Katz) with the male characters in those scenes; whereas a female target audience is more likely to view the story as a tragic love story. This film may also appeal to an older audience since it would evoke a sense of nostalgia within them.
Perhaps the biggest change between the two film is their setting: time and location. While Zeffirelli chooses to stay true to Shakespeare’s choice of setting, filming in Rome, Italy for most scenes, for example the Basilica of St Peter in Tuscania (where Romeo and Juliet get married and die). Luhrmann sets the scene on Venice Beach, California, USA. This allowed the director to reach a larger, young American audience who would be able to relate to the mise en scene in the film, and better understand the film. Verona beach is meant to represent Venice. This is a modern setting and allows for more advance technology, weapons and services in the film. The two families are now known mafias that hold two empires with legitimate business front, which are in competition of each other. And while the setting has changed to modern American locations, the film's dialogue stays mostly loyal to Shakespeare's, creating a captivating, eccentric visual for the film.
Due to the modernised take Luhrmann chose to utilize in Romeo + Juliet, there are a plethora of new technologies, such as helicopters, cars, televisions, etc, that help give the film its contemporary fictional creative type. Moreover, the quality of the visual and audio content of the film itself is of course much greater quality than the 1968 version. The camera and audio equipment used in the making of Romeo + Juliet was much more advanced and capable than those used in Romeo and Juliet, allowing the director to use a larger and more varied array of camera shots, angles special effects. This is evident in the cinematography of Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet which predominantly utilizes long tracking and panning shots, accompanied by still shots. In comparison to its new counterpart, Luhrmann uses in his film, more hand-held shots with dramatic angles that often symbolises the power struggle between characters and helps engage the younger modern target audience, keeping them engaged in the fast-pace of the film. The editing in both films is vastly different as both directors had very different visions for their films. While the budget also played a huge role in the production of both films, Luhrmann utilizes a more complex editing technique known as the MTC-style, with several fast jump cuts throughout the film that helps keep the young target audience engaged and prevents them from becoming bored, as modern audiences have shorter attention spans and demand more content faster, in today’s age of consumerism. Hence, the fast pace of the film appeals to a young, modern audience, whose awareness is disrupted by Luhrmann cutting between timelines, that may be separated by a few hours or a couple of days, jump cuts to different locations and surrealistic imagery. This kind of filmmaking draws the audience's attention to the filmic construction rather than the presented logical narrative of the film. On the other hand, Zeffirelli uses a more traditional and classic continuity editing, which helps present the film narrative and character development in a logical and engaging way, all the while maintaining a sense of realism. This was a popular editing trend at the time, wherein filmmakers edited separate shots together according to a set of rules that ensured a continuous flow shot to shot, hence hiding the "filmic construction involved" and bringing attention to the presented logical narrative of the film. Zeffirelli uses mid key lighting for most of the film to give it a more realistic aesthetic, while in Luhrmann employs bright, vivid colours and imagery to create an anti-realist world with quick cuts and broad comedy.
In conclusion, both Zeffirelli and Luhrmann have managed to produced two of the most renowned and classic films based upon one of Shakespeare’s most brilliant and celebrated plays; brought to life by the talented, young main cast and crew.
In conclusion, both Zeffirelli and Luhrmann have managed to produced two of the most renowned and classic films based upon one of Shakespeare’s most brilliant and celebrated plays; brought to life by the talented, young main cast and crew.