Compare the different film versions of Romeo and Juliet Essays

Compare the different film versions of Romeo and Juliet Essays Compare the different film versions of Romeo and Juliet Paper Compare the different film versions of Romeo and Juliet Paper Essay Topic: Romeo and Juliet Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet have been adapted in many different ways by different people. Romeo and Juliet is a film that gripped the world, no matter what age or what language you spoke. Many directors from around the world made there own version of the film in many different languages. In this essay I will compare the different version of the love story. The versions that I will compare are Baz Luhrmanns, Zeffirellis and West Side Story directed by Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise. Baz Luhrmanns (1996), Franco Zeffirellis (1968) and West Side Story have quite a lot in common but also a few differences at the same time. The similarities and differences varied through language dialects, clothing, weaponry, and the impressions different people had from different parts of Shakespeares original story. The Zeferelli version and the original play by William Shakespeare show some variations between storylines. There are also far smaller differences between extremely similar stories with the single huge difference of modernisation, as seen between the Luhrman version of Romeo and Juliet, as well as the play. The original Romeo and Juliet was set around the time when the play was written, and was not written to become one of the greatest plays of all time. Instead, the goal was more toward making a popular play that could make some money, be funny, and evoke a huge amount of feeling. This story focused around the love of Romeo and Juliet that they had during the time of the renaissance. The love shown in this play is known to be immortal, but many aspects of the play are from the time that they were made. An example of this is the language of this play, which is old English (Shakespearean). Also, another aspect that comes from the time the play was made was the clothing, which is exactly as the styles were in the Middle Ages. And a third example is the use of swords in the battle. The Zeferelli version of Romeo and Juliet was very similar to the play, because the dress, language, and weaponry were all the same. The only major difference between these two versions was the interpretation of a few events, such as the battle between Tybalt and Mercutio. In this battle, Tybalt was seen as merely fooling around, instead of in an angry rage as the play displayed. Even though the Luhrman version of Romeo and Juliet had essentially the same lines and storyline as the play, although a few lines were edited out, and there were many other substantial differences. First, this movie was set during the modern day, with everything except the language modernised and has the MTV generation feel to it. Next, the movie was about two major gangs battling against on another, while the play focused around two relatively normal aristocratic families from their time. Also, another difference between the two versions is the weaponry. In Luhrmans version of Romeo and Juliet, 9mm swords, which is a gun instead of the actual swords that were used in the play. Although these two plays were quite different, there was another movie, A West Side Story, which was more similar to the original play. A West Side Story is quite similar to the story of Romeo and Juliet. In A West Side Story, two gangs are feuding during modern times. Both gangs are fighting over a piece of territory. Also, two people from separate gangs fall in love, and one of them dies. Each of these events occurs in Romeo and Juliet in at least one of the versions, demonstrating the incredible similarity between these stories. Each version of Romeo and Juliet, as well as A West Side Story, had many similarities and differences as I have shown. Although they were all quite similar, each was unique in at least one way. The Zeferelli version showed the battle between Tybalt and Mercutio as friendly, unlike the other versions. Two examples of uniqueness in A West Side Story were that one of the two lovers survived, and the feud was between white Americans and Puerto Ricans. The original play was unique due to the fact that this was the first version upon which all other versions were based. The Luhrman version was unique due to the fact that this movie was the most modern and fast paced of all the stories, and is the one that related to us the most closely due to how modern the storyline was. The original themes in each of these both similar but terrific stories are comparable, although varied enough to make each one valuable.