Response To Romeo And Juliet ( Franco Zeffirelli Movie Version) Essay, Research Paper

Response Page to Romeo and Juliet

(Franco Zeffirelli Version)

The version of Romeo and Juliet, directed by Franco Zeffirelli, stays true to most of the original Shakespeare on which the film is based. In some places, though, the director took certain liberties in his deviation of the script from the original play that I personally find too wild. Other things that I disagreed with in Zeffirelli s version were his costuming and music usage.

The first problem I had with the work was his cutting of some of Romeo s most powerful lines in the play in Act 1 scene I, when he is discussing his troubles with Benvolio. I think that at the end of this scene Romeo s contradictory terms paint a very good picture of his character and what his mindset is at the beginning of the play. The power that illuminates from such paradoxes as heavy lightness , cold fire , still waking sleep , and my favorite which in itself may be a microcosm of the whole work misshapen chaos of well seeming forms . That last line seems to sum the entire theme of Shakespeare s masterpiece, and I found Zeffirelli s cut of those lines appalling.

The next problem I had with Zeffirelli s version of the play was his inane costuming and use of music. The costumes were bright and colorful, signifying a very happy place. Verona is not a happy place it was in complete disarray due to the strife of the two wealthiest families in Verona. The Prince was very unhappy with his city, yet the costumes gave a very happy feeling. That was an annoying anomaly. The music he used was also unnecessary. I really think that the music during much of the movie just reaffirmed moods that the plot did a fine job of establishing itself. During the scene following the balcony scene where Romeo runs home was especially irritating.

In conclusion, I found Zeffirelli s version of Shakespeare s famous play to be grating and overdone. If Zeffirelli had interpreted some scenes closer to the way I did, and had let the play speak for itself more I would have been more impressed with the work.