"Romeo and Juliet"

Paper Summary:

A comparison of three movie versions of "Romeo and Juliet". The writer examines why this play has been so popular a choice of film directors and looks at the different qualities each version stresses or omits. The version examined are Franco Zeffirelli's "Romeo and Juliet," Baz Luhrmann's version of "Romeo and Juliet," and the movie version of "West Side Story".

From the Paper:

"What occurs when a filmmaker attempts to translate this extremely word-focused medium into the image-focused medium of film? Anyone who has ever seen a filmed play of any kind will understand the dilemma facing a filmmaker in such a situation. He or she is often frustrated by the static nature of the camera, and of the lack of action in the bodies of the participants. What seems exciting on the stage can seem quite dull and overly verbose on film. Three filmmakers in recent memory have attempted to remedy themselves against this danger of dullness when translating the word-heavy medium of Shakespearean verse of "Romeo and Juliet" upon the screen in three different ways. Like the time in which it was written, these versions of "Romeo and Juliet" themselves are tied to a particular place and time and the techniques they use to make the play cinematic are quite particular to a particular vision of the play in cinematic history."

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