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Johnny Xu

Mrs. Hooker

English 2nd

April 4th, 2010

Romeo and Juliet Movie Review (Modern and 60’s)

The Baz Luhrman modern adaptation of Romeo + Juliet presents the theme of the original play

better because it uses modern day movie effects and settings to let the audience have the feeling of being

inside the scene. Compared with the Franco Zefferelli’s adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, the modern

movie has many changes to the original play in the settings but without changing its main storyline, it

seems more eye-ball catching, instead of following all the dull aspects of the play such as old-fashioned

clothing, now-abandoned weapons, the style of parties…etc, it used guns, gangster tattoos in the streets,

modern beaches…etc, to express the ideas of the play better.

The movie begins with different ways in both versions. The modern movie by Baz Luhrman

starts with a TV newscast as the camera moves forward slowly to the TV. In the movie by Franco

Zefferelli, the camera shows the landscape of Italy as the narrator reads the prologue. I felt the prologue

reading in the Zefferelli version was not very affective comparing with the TV newscast, because rather

than listening to the prologue, I paid more attention in the beautiful landscape. For a modern day

audience, a TV newscast would inform them more about what’s happening.

“Bang, Zoooooom, Clash!” These sounds bring us the gas station scene of the Baz Luhrman’s

adaptation which is the scene where the servants of the Montagues and Capulets meet and fight. They

held “Sword” brand pistols, dressed with modern clothes, Tybalt had metal-clicking shoes with a cigar in

his mouth, these bizarre clothing made them look more than modern day gangsters. In modern times,

gangs often open fire in streets with other gangs, they control their blocks and gather “homies” to show

their power. Modern day audiences will understand the feud between the Montagues and Capulets better
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when they see them as enemy gangs, instead of two families that hate each other in the Zefferelli version

and also the play.

During the party scene, Luhrman’s version sets a fish tank as the location where they first met.

This is more explainable than Juliet and Romeo saw each other in the eye while Juliet was dancing among

tons of people, and Romeo was still seeking for Rosaline. After they met, Director Luhrman let them kiss

in an elevator while it’s moving up and down and the doors closes and opens. This is actually amusing

watching them kiss during a scene like this, it’s absolutely more amusing than the behind the curtain kiss

in the Zefferelli’s version.

The balcony scene in the play is used to announce the beginning Romeo and Juliet’s love,

informing the wedding which will take place the next day. In the Baz Luhrman modern adaptation, the

scene is set in a pool, unlike the Franco Zefferelli adaptation, the audience will see how unique and

passionate their love is, so at last the audience will have a sophisticated understanding about the

heartbreaking emotions Romeo and Juliet had after Romeo’s banish later on in the movie.

The death of Mercutio and Tybalt leads to the zenith of the story. In the movie by director

Luhrman, this scene is set in Verona beach. Tybalt demands for Romeo to duel with him using pistols,

with a gun it’s really a live or die situation. Romeo prevented conflicts with Tybalt while Mercutio was

misunderstanding him. The scene shows Tybalt’s madness and the will of taking the life of a Montague

kinsman. After Mercutio died, Romeo was extremely mad and sad; the modern movie used special

effects to display a “crazy” Romeo, letting the hearts of the audience shatter and feel the sadness of losing

a best friend. The idea meant in this scene is the same as the original play. In the version by Franco

Zefferelli, Tybalt seemed to kill Mercutio in an accident, which is different from the original play’s

meaning. Tybalt was supposed to be cruel, malicious and mad. Again in this scene, the modern movie

did a better job in expressing the original play’s theme.

After Balthazar saw “Juliet’s death”, he rushed back to Mantua and told Romeo about the

grievous news. In the movie by Baz Luhrman, Romeo cried in a heartbreaking sound, with the wind
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blowing the sand around him, the audience felt the sadness of Romeo. After crying, he picked up his

desperate body and prepared to die with Juliet. In the Zefferelli’s adaptation, Romeo did not cry, actually

the audience couldn’t even see a sorrow look in his face, Romeo looked in the sky and said: “I defy you

stars,” and then he left on his horse. Although this is the same with the play, the changes that director

Luhrman made to this part helped to describe Romeo’s feelings, a person will definitely feel sad when

he/she hears the death of his/her true love.

At last, in the modern movie Juliet shot herself after seeing Romeo poisoned himself while she

opened her eyes from the “sleep”. In the 60’s movie Juliet stabbed herself in the chest after seeing

Romeo dead on the ground. Both movies had a “death toll” of 4 people, which is different from the play

which had four, but the modern movie ended shortly, in a way which left the audience pondering about

the death of Romeo and Juliet, thinking about the main theme Romeo and Juliet: the forcefulness of true

love. In the 60’s movie, the setting moved the audience’s attention to the reconciliation of the Capulets

and Montagues. Again, and also throughout the whole storyline and settings, the modern adaptation did a

better job of presenting the main theme of the play.