Essay Comparing Luhrmann's Romeo And Juliet

Words: 576
Pages: 3
Open Document
Another place that concrete idea was displays is in the unclear Friar Lawrence gives often in scenes we see him talk about the future yet do not know where or why he is telling Romeo or Juliet about this. Yet in Luhrmann’s piece, he shows Lawrence as a psychic, when he is talking about what will happen there are flashes of the future scenes that surround him in the shot, this gives interesting reason for why he is talking about the future. Luhrmann’s strong directorial choices gave a much clearer meaning to many of the moments that were unclear when reading, which shows that it is successful revisioning that still stayed true to the text.
The last element to discuss that Luhrmann’s version succeeds at is the modernization of characters. All the major characters fit into the mold of the original …show more content…
Another important aspect of Romeo is that he is young and in love, which Dicaprio is very exceptional at portraying. Though he has been criticized for going over the top in this role, his stakes were just as high as the world Luhrmann created for him. Though Juliet in Luhrmann’s was not thirteen, making her older works with the modernization because now thirteen year olds do not have to be as mature as they had to in the 1300s, because there is not the pressure to get married and have kids now at age 13 now. Claire Danes shows the youth as well as the maturity of Juliet wonderfully, even if she is in late adolescents, instead of early one. The biggest modernization in character was with Mercutio, who in Shakespeare's version is Romeo’s best friend who is interesting but often confusing. In Luhrmann’s version with Mercutio being a gay, drug using, black man makes more sense as a character than ever before. With the historical context of the piece, with the 1990s having such a harsh climate for gay man because of the AIDS virus, and the fact
Show More

Related Documents: Essay Comparing Luhrmann's Romeo And Juliet

Romeo and Juliet and Prologue Essay

the presentation of the prologue in the two film versions of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ Romeo and Juliet was written by William Shakespeare and was one of his most popular plays. It follows a tragic love story about two unlucky lovers from rival families whose death reconciles their feud. In this essay I will be comparing and contrasting the presentation of the prologue in both Franco Zeffirelli’s traditional 1968 version and Baz Luhrmann’s modern 1996 version of the play. The purpose of the prologue is…

Words 797 - Pages 4

Romeo and Juliet Essay

Romeo and Juliet Comparison Essay Matthew Luu Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" is a very popular story. When you have a great story there are many different views on it. Two film directors named Franco Zeffirelli and Baz Luhrmann filmed the story of “Romeo and Juliet” through their eyes, with two completely different movies. Franco Zeffirelli's movie (1968) was very close to what Shakespeare thought of upon writing this story. It was "authentic" and more to the script. On the other hand, Baz…

Words 849 - Pages 4