Romeo and Juliet Play vs Film

                 Romeo and Juliet Play v.s. Film

In English class, we have been reviewing and analysing the story of Romeo and Juliet. We recently started viewing a film of a more modernised version of Romeo and Juliet which was published in 1996 by Baz Luhramn. We have begun comparing this new film with the original story Romeo and Juliet which was written by author and playwright William Shakesphere.  We are comparing the two in an effort to better understand the differences between the two versions.

Just by comparing the prologue we can see how Baz Luhramn has attempted to convert this historic play into a film which is more relevant with the time we live in today. The most noticeable difference between these two versions of Romeo and Juliet is the time period that they have incorporated. We are able to differentiate between the different time periods by observing the scenery that has been used in the two versions. Some examples of these differences in time include the way Baz Luherman has adapted the stetting of the story, the props, and the characters names to fit the modern  time period we live in. The setting is probably one of the biggest differences between the 1996 film and the original play of Romeo and Juliet since the film starts off in a gas station in a big city in 1996 and the original play starts off in Verona Italy in 1597.  Another big difference between these two productions are the props used to represent the different time periods. For example, in the original play the weapon of choice that was featured was the sword and in the modernised version, it is a gun. The names of the main characters are different between the play and the film. For example, the main characters from the original play had names like: Montaque, Capulet, and Escalus the Prince of Verona.  The modern version uses names like: Ted Montaque, Fulgencio Capulet, and Captain Prince.

Despite these differences in time, Baz Luhraman has still managed to use a relatively similar plot by including a story line about the ancient grudge between the Montaques and the Capulets, as well as use the same type of poetic language Shakesphere used in his original play. With this said, I think that Baz luhramn has done a good job of incorporating  the plot from the original Romeo and Juliet and has succeeded in producing a new modernised version of Shakespher's Romeo and Juliet.