A Comparison of Two Movies: William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet

This essay provides a comparative analysis of Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 and Baz Luhrmann's 1996 film adaptations of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. It examines directorial choices, casting, costume design, and the overall interpretation of the story. Zeffirelli's version is noted for its historical accuracy and adherence to the original play, while Luhrmann's modern adaptation sets the story in Verona Beach, California, using contemporary costumes and music. The essay discusses the casting of the lead roles, highlighting the actors' ages and chemistry, and compares the supporting casts. It also analyzes the use of color, music, and symbolism in both films, particularly during the Capulet party scene. The essay concludes by stating a preference for the 1996 version due to its modern setting, directorial vision, and relatable themes, while acknowledging the strengths and weaknesses of both adaptations.

Romeo and Juliet
A COMPARISON OF TWO MOVIES
ABOUT WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S
TIMELESS, CLASSIC PLAY
WRITTEN IN 1597

Romeo and Juliet
• Filmed and released in 1968.
• Directed and Screenplay by Franco Zeffirelli.
• Produced by John Brabourne and Anthony Havelock-Allan.
• Filmed in Italy and takes place in Verona, Italy in
Elizabethan era.
• Stars Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey.
• Won an Oscar at the 41st Academy Awards for Best
Cinematography and Best Costume Design; also nominated
for Best Director and Best Picture.

William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet
• Filmed and released in 1996.
• Produced, Directed, and Screenplay by Baz Luhrman.
• Easy to do all three jobs when you have a vision for the outcome.
• Filmed in Miami, Mexico City and Veracruz, Mexico.
• Takes place in present day in Verona Beach, California.
• Stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes.
• Catherine Martin and Brigitte Broch were nominated for Best
Art Direction/Set Decoration at the 69th Academy Awards.
• Claire Danes won Best Actress at 1997 MTV Movie Awards.

Directorial comparison
Zeffirelli
• Purposely cast actors that were real
close to the age they were portraying.
• Filmed in Italy where the original play
was set.
• Costumes were extremely accurate.
• Stayed loyal to the original as possible.
• Changed the dialogue only for the
present day audience to understand it
fully.
• Off screen space was very imaginable.
Luhrman
• Cast was aimed at entirely new and different
audience.
• Set in present day to make film more
modern. Used Verona Beach instead of
Verona, Italy. Filmed in Mexico City mostly.
Very believable use of cinematic space.
• Costumes were more modern and symbolic to
differentiate between families but to seem
modern.
• Characters speak American English but use
the dialogue close to the original film.
• The”+” used in the title is a reference to the
crosses seen throughout the movie as
Catholic Imagery

Story Line and Text
1968
• As close to the original plot as
can be with only a few changed
minor details.
• Dialogue was interpreted to
make the modern audience
understand better. Some was cut
to fit the time frame of movie.
• Romeo does not kill Paris.
• Gregory and Sampson are
Capulets.
1996
• Story was changed dramatically.
• Besides being set in modern
times an example is Juliet
awakening before Romeo dies.
Romeo realizes he didn’t have to
drink the poison making the
scene more dramatic.
• Romeo kills Paris.
• Gregory and Sampson are
Montagues.

Casting of Romeo and Juliet
1968
• Olivia Hussey as Juliet. 15yrs at time of
filming.
• Leonard Whiting as Romeo. 17yrs at time
of filming.
• Both were casted as new, talented and still
unknown generation of actors.
• Both shared great chemistry on camera but
lacked a good personal performance for
respective characters.
• Having actors close to their characters age
gave the story much realism to the screen.
• Romeo and Juliet have a young love.
1996
• Claire Danes as Juliet. 16 at time of
filming(cast because she was only
actress to look Leonardo in the eye).
• Leonardo DiCaprio as Romeo. 22 at time
of filming (Luhrman would not film
movie if he was not involved).
• Both had a good chemistry on set but in
real life did not get along(rumored).
• Both were up and coming stars and
added to making the story very modern.
• Romeo and Juliet are older therefore
less of a story of youthful love.

Supporting cast
1968
Many of the actors were over
dramatic making the scenes
not very believable. Makes
the story seem not as tragic.
1996
The actors were still
dramatic but much more
natural making it believable,
easier to relate to.

Costume Comparisons
1968
Costumes were extremely accurate to the original
play and were true to the time the story is set in.
1996
Costumes were of present time. A scene when the cast
were at the Capulet’s party, costumes were worn to match their
personalities.
Romeo is dressed as a knight, Juliet an angel,
Fulgencio Capulet as an emperor, and Tybalt as a devil.
The Montagues wore very bright colors while the
Capulets wore mostly black and red.
Shakespeare wrote the play in the Elizabeth Era
and the costumes are very close to that time.

Luhrman used colors and songs to denote meanings
The colors and the atmosphere of Romeo + Juliet are less bright than the 1968 version, with a bit more
dramatic stress and suspense. The music used throughout the film was church music, folk music, and
popular music of the times.
• Used a red hue.
• Denotes raging passions and desires for the
occasion.
Capulet party scene
• “Young Hearts Run Free”
• About the dangers of succumbing too fast to
passion and desire.
Mercutio’s song
• The costume choices were picked to match
their personalities symbolic to the original
play.
• Mercutio for example, is a Drag Queen
because he has qualities of innocence, fantasy,
and sensuality. He is neither partial or loyal to
either side of the fight.
Costumes for the party
Example of the use
of colors and songs

Zeffirelli’s 1968 version use of colors
Used reds, oranges,
rich browns and
greens contrasting
well with the chaste
blacks and whites
and pastel shades
used in some of the
more intimate and
dramatic scenes.
The lighting was
dull as if it could
have happened in
Shakespearean
times.

Nino Rota composed and conducted the soundtrack for the 1968 film. The most
notable song was "What Is a Youth“. It was composed by Nino Rota, written by
Eugene Walter and performed by Glen Weston. The song had a lot of symbolic
lyrics that could sum up the movie in a few minutes. For example:
Lyric
“A rose will bloom,
It then will fade
So does a youth.
So does the fairest maid.”
Meaning
This paragraph foreshadows
Romeo and Juliet's death, the
rose symbolizes their
newborn love, the youth
(Romeo) and the fairest maid
(Juliet). But they all fade,
because in the end, they two
takes their lives.

Scenery and Props
Examples
Zeffirelli
• Used a tomb as Juliet’s final
resting place.
• Juliet used a dagger for her
suicide.
• Characters used swords when
fighting.
Luhrman
• Used a church with many lit
candles as Juliet’s funeral.
• Juliet used a gun with a brand
name of Dagger, for her suicide.
• Characters used guns with a
brand name of Sword, for
fighting.

he 1968 film, the actors were more dramatic to the play with “overacting” as a stage actor would do. The
emed to be in touch more with their primary audience. Stage actors have to be in character through he w
rformance.
e 1996 film there was a lot of filming done over many weeks. The actors were able to not be so dramatic a
ch calmer.
each film, however there was a few different scenes that were change drastically or completely removed.
In a play version of Romeo and Juliet, I would think that
The director and producer would stay really close to the
way Shakespeare had intended for it to be portrayed.

Conclusion-This was a fun assignment in getting to watch these two movies. I enjoyed
each one of them differently.
Both films had good and not so good parts. Each film did a great take on a timeless classic
In the end, I preferred the 1996
version. I base this off of that
• It was set in modern times.
• The director was also the
screenwriter and the producer,
which gave him full creative
freedom.
• I was 16 when this movie was
released. I could relate to the story.
I remember seeing it in theaters
and thinking of how it adapted to
modern times.
• The soundtrack is a must have for
me.