Romeo & Juliet

Two sides of a tragedy

Romeo and Juliet, a classic tragedy written by William Shakespeare; from beginning to end this play captures the heart and the emotion behind the fight for true love. This play has been made into a film twice and was able to evolve through its remakes. One of the films was made in 1968, staring unknown teenagers at the time, Leonard Whiting (Romeo) and Olivia Hussy (Juliet); directed by Franco Zeferelli. At this time Zeferelli would be the first to remake the play as well as, be the first to have the characters nude in the marriage bed scene. Also he decided to actually film the movie in Italy, with most of the scenes being shot in Verona.

            As for the second remake of Shakespeare’s play; it was directed by Baz Luhrmann and stared Leonardo DiCaprio as Romeo and Clara Danes as Juliet. This was a remake that was even more modernized than the 1968 filming. This version was filmed mainly on California’s Verona Beach, while the Capulet’s home was filmed in Mexico, and for weapons they used guns and knives instead of swords. These were not the only things used throughout the film; there were also drugs involved during the scene when the Montague’s crash the Capulet’s party, as well as modern clothing; button down shirts, vest and regular pants. There were many aspects of both films that were similar and at the same time very different from one another, as compared to the play it’s self and the most obvious difference between both remakes was the death scenes. In general both films have the same themes; love, hate and fate, and in the end the two lovers take their own lives, but the setting, the look, the way they went about the act of committing suicide, all of these aspects were  quite different in their own way.

             In the 1968 film, the scene was set in a tomb in Verona, Italy this was the “Capulet’s tomb.” Over all you could tell the quality of film was a little less during this period of time, the lighting was different, the body language of the characters were different, even the way in which the scene took place was a lot different as compared to Luhrmann’s version. The lighting in the tomb was very dim, almost dark even; you’re not able to see the other bodies that lie dead in the tomb very well but the actors themselves are well lit. There is a key light that illuminates both of the main characters faces during their speeches and when they die, this way it seems to bring the audience to focus on them and not whatever else is in the background. The dimed lighting throughout the tomb, gives one the sense of sorrow and sadness, the light is also dimed on Romeo’s face from time to time during his speech, which in someway give the audience the idea that he is preparing to kill himself. I feel because they were finally putting one of the most well known tragic love stories, I think that the lighting and the way that they had it for this scene, it able to give the audience the true emotion behind it.

            Not only was the lighting in this film significant to the emotion and meaning in the movie, but the clothing also played a deep role. In the death scene, Juliet is wearing a red/amethyst colored dress, in most films the director uses the color red to symbolize the arrival of death at some point through out the movie; he also included it during the scene where Romeo and Juliet first meet. The fact that she was wearing a red dress in more then one scene including the death scene, in a way signifies that she would ultimately be the reason for the two lover’s death; she is a Capulet, she persuaded him to swear his love by marrying her, and in the end Romeo kills himself because of the choice she made to agree to take a poison which she got from Father Laurence. Over all one could say that she was the reason for their deaths.    

            Throughout this movie, I felt that historically, the directors idea for the way he designed the film in general, kept with the visual image that you get from reading the play. For the lover’s death scene, Zeferelli filmed in Verona, which for me, enhanced the classic look of the film. He also used daggers, for the suicide of Juliet. Zeferelli was able to keep with all the themes of the play its self; love, hate and fate. During this scene I noticed that, while Romeo was looking over Juliet in the tomb; though she does not move he looks as if he can’t understand why it is the color is returning to her cheeks and lips; he says, “Even death hath no power yet upon thy beauty. Death’s pale flag hath not advanced there.”

            Looking at the cultural aspect of the movie/play arranged marriages were very common during this period of time. An in many cases the two individuals do not love one another, but I think that Shakespeare put a twist to it, when he decided to have the two lovers commit suicide. The way that the suicides were carried out, I feel was very traditional at the time, the using of poisons and daggers, this way Shakespeare was able to keep it in most way, similar to what was going on culturally at the time. I feel that Zeferelli had the responsibility, because it was the first time Romeo and Juliet would be on the big screen, to make it as similar to the play that all people know and love.

Romeo and Juliet (1968) was only the beginning for this famous play, it was not until 1996 that this play evolved once again through the eyes of a director named Baz Luhrmann. He created an even more modernized version of this tragedy; using some well known actors as well as some not so well known. He changed the setting, the clothing, the style of the characters in general, (buzz cuts, pink hair, tattoos, etc.) the use of drugs when referring to “queen mab,” the weapons used, the opening scene and the way the prologue was presented; and in this film, the play was introduced by a newscaster. All of this and more was modernized to fit or relate to the world we lived in at the time.

            One of the most interesting thinks I noticed about this film was that when Romeo met his Juliet, he met her while under the influence of acid, so I wondered how he could be so in love with someone, when he met her when he was not mentally all there. Another interesting part of this movie was that they did not have the famous balcony speech, instead the speech was held in the Capulet’s pool, where their interaction with one another was at times a little steamier then the interaction between Olivia Hussy and Leonard Whiting.

            In this film the color of red was represented a lot of the time; in the scene where the Capulet’s are preparing for their party that the Montague’s crashed, they hung the family crest on different flags out side of the windows, and each flag was red. Juliet’s cousin Tybalt was also in red at the party because his costume was a devil character, and of course as we know he dies towards the end of the play. The difference between the red portrayed in this film as compared to the 1968 film, is that Juliet to some extent came off as playing a more innocent role, despite the fact that both characters, (Hussy and Dane) play the same role, Dane’s was, in small but significant aspects portrayed differently. For example her dress in the first encounter with Romeo, was white not red, which in most cases is a symbol for innocence. While Romeo’s character came off as being pushy and more inclined to persuade her into being with him, for example when they were both in the pool and he yelled that he did not care if he was found or caught, this was his way of showing her how “serious” he was about his feelings for her.

            Over all this version of Romeo and Juliet is different is so many ways, but it works for what the director was trying to do, but at the same time keeping it all the same. One of the most unique things about this film though was the way in which they set up the death scene of the two lovers. In this version, Juliet’s body lied in a church and not the Capulet’s tomb. In this scene the church was well lit, there were a ton of candles lit which helped to illuminate the room a lot more along with the directed lighting. In this version Juliet wakes up as her Romeo is drinking the poison, this gives a good sense of irony throughout the rest of the scene. The one nice ting about it was that Lurhmann he kept the traditional portion of Romeo using the poison to kill himself, but Juliet used Romeo’s gun. Historically during this time period, suicide is in some ways frowned upon, so when Dane’s looks up before she pulls the trigger, the way the light hits her face, it looks almost as if she knows what she is doing is wrong. She still carries that innocence about her; she is wearing a white dress and I thought it was interesting that when she shot herself none of her blood ended up on her dress, but some did manage to splatter on to Romeo’s face, I felt that maybe that could be a sign of blame.

            The characters body positions were a lot different when they died compared to the way they were positioned in the 1968 film. In this version they laid there side-by-side and her hand draped over/on his chest and I thought that it symbolized their “togetherness” even in death, while in the older film Hussy and Whiting did not lay side-by-side together.

Over all the two films have strong similarities as well as differences that make them unique and enjoyable. I believe that with Lurhmann’s version it is in some ways more relatable simply because it is more modern they Zeferelli version. Both movies give a different type of emotion to the same idea being presented, gives one a reason to think, of why one directed choose to go about things differently to some extent then the other director. Either way, film represent what Shakespeare wanted us to see and understand, that true love knows no bounds, knows no fear, and that it will last forever.