Comparative review on the two Romeo Juliet movies Zefferelli s and Lurhmann s
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Both movies are placed in a place called Verona, but in Lurhmann's it's placed in the city of Los Angeles in Verona Beach. While Zefferelli's version is placed in the 1400's, Lurhmann's version is situated in our close 1990's, where instead of horses and swords we experience a very respectful representation of almost the same words written by Shakespeare's novel but with the use of guns and sport cars. There are many differences but there are some equalities as well. In both movie representations the Montague and the Capulet are two rich and powerful families that control Verona, being it the town or the beach.
In both films the two families hate one another and are cause of destruction to Verona, coming to the point of getting the city involved in the third of the terrible brawls started by the two families, where after it had all been calmed down by the "mayor" and it's defence force, in the older version by horse in the newer version by helicopter, both families had been called to attention not to get the calm Verona into another brawl or they'll have to pay with death. The "mayor" supports another difference in the two films: in Zefferelli's he's white and there are no other than white actors, in Lurhmann's he's black and he's not the only black in the movie.
Romeo and Juliet's love blooms in the party offered by Juliet's family. In Lurhmann's Romeo's friend, Mercutio, is black and they all go to the party taking ecstasy, dressing up like idiots and dancing rave. In Zefferelli's Mercutio is white, in his advanced middle age, they don't take any ecstasy and they dance the 1400's slow songs played live. In both movies Romeo and Juliet are young and of fair beauty...