Franco Zeffirelli And Baz Luhrmanns Romeo And Juliet :: William Shakespeare

Franco Zeffirelli and Baz Luhrmanns Romeo and Juliet     Sex, drugs, and violence are usually a potent combination, and onlyWilliam Shakespeare could develop them into a masterful, poetic, and elegantstory. In the play, "The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," all these aspects ofteenage life absorb the reader or watcher. It is understood that Hollywoodwould try to imitate this masterpiece on screen, and it has done so in twofilms Franco Zeffirellis 1968 "Romeo and Juliet" and Baz Luhrmanns 1996"William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet." The updated Luhrmann picture bestcaptures the essence of Shakespeare for the present-day viewer. Through theingenious use of advancedization and location, while preserving Shakespeareanlanguage, the spirit of Shakespeare emerges to captivate a large reference.     Shakespeares plays were designed to adapt to any audience with this inmind, Baz Luhrmann created a film that applies to the modern audience throughthis updating. Luhrmann modernizes "Romeo and Juliet," through constantalterations of the props, which entice the audience into genuinely feeling thespirit of Shakespeare. First, the plastic film starts with an prologue masked as anews broadcast on television. This sets the scene of the play by illustratingthe violence occurring among the two wealthy families, the Montagues and theCapulets. In Zeffirellis film of "Romeo and Juliet," the prologue takes theform of a dry narrator relating the story of the Montagues and Capulets over abackdrop of an Italian city. For most modern viewers (especially teenagers),the Luhrmann picture is fast-paced, keeping the spectator intrigued, while theZeffirelli picture is dreary and dull, an endless maze of long and boringconversations, foreshadowed by the prologue. In Luhrmanns film, the actors,instead of carrying swords with them, cloud guns in their shirts and wield themexpertly. The death of Romeo and Juliet is ( as always) blamed on the postoffice, for not delivering the letter properly. And, to be politically correct,Mercutio appears at the Capulets ball dressed as a large woman. The actors inZeffirellis version of Shakespeare wear colored tights and bulging blousesthus they appear more comical because they are outdated. By modernizing theseaspects of the play, and reconstructing the prologue, Luhrmann creates a moviethat is more interesting to the modern viewer, and captures the essence ofShakespeares writings. Evidencing this viewer-friendliness, the 1996 "WilliamShakespeares Romeo and Juliet" made almost twelve million dollars in the monthof November alone due to its clever alterations.     As well as updating Shakespeares play to the present decade throughprops, Baz Luhrmanns film is more enjoyable because of the vibrant settings.The Zeffirellis "Romeo and Juliet" occurs in an ancient Italian city, with