Comparing+Movies+(SARAHB)

Both the Zefferelli one and the other one have the same basic story line, where it’s the ‘balcony scene’ when Romeo and Juliet talk all night, after falling in love at the Capulets’ party. Both scenes are set in the Capulet’s house, where the dangers of Romeo being a Montague are present. I thought that the character of Romeo pretty much was similar in both movies; he was a brave character, who showed a considerable amount of love for Juliet, after meeting her for one night. My version wold also share all of these similarities.

Although in both movies, the actors are saying the same lines, the tone is very different. In the Zefferelli version, there is more emotion put into the lines, and the tone is old-fashioned and the actors are very dramatic. In the other version, the actors talk just like we do, and although the actors are also very emotional, they are not as dramatic as the Zefferelli movie. It was kind of weird hearing the old-fashioned words said in such a modern way; I think it was awkward. In my version, I think that I would’ve followed the first movie, and made the tone very dramatic and emotional, rather than make it contemporary.

Also, Zefferelli’s movie was very traditional, and had kept all the key components the same. It was in the correct time period of when the event took place, and there was a garden with trees and a balcony where Juliet stood. A small modification might have been Romeo climbing the tree, but that was made in order for the two to meet. The other one is much more modern, set our century. Instead of a garden and a balcony, the scene takes place by the Capulets’ pool, where Juliet comes down in an elevator. The setting in my version would be more like the first one again, where it’s more traditional, and set in the original time setting. I thought that the modernized setting was a nice idea, but it doesn’t give the romantic and dramatic effect that Romeo and Juliet should have.

The character Juliet in the Zefferelli movie is very excited, scared and romantic all at the same time, and we kind of get the feeling that she is a young girl who has a lot going through her mind at that moment. In the modern movie, Juliet is more composed, calm and as mature as Romeo. The facial expression had a lot to do with this, as well as the tone of the lines, and how fast the lines were said. Zefferelli’s Juliet got excited and rushed her words a little, but the other one was very calm, and if she did rush her words, it still had a calm air to it. I thought that the excited tone for Juliet would’ve been more suitable, because she falls in love with Romeo too quickly, and she claims herself that she should probably play it cool, but she can’t.

Both movies included some sense of danger because Romeo was a Montague on Capulet grounds, but the Zefferelli one only showed that through the nurse calling Juliet near the end, but the modern one had a much greater sense of danger, when the security guard walks in when they had just fallen into the pool, and Romeo is forced to hold his breath underwater. It creates more suspense and makes the movie a little more interesting. Even though I would like to keep my version traditional, I want to show a more suspense and danger in the atmosphere by maybe have the nurse come out onto the balcony, or here a shuffling of feet in the nearby garden. I think it could emphasize the dangers involved in this risky meeting.