The two directors of the Romeo and Juliet movies display two
very distinct images. Franco Zeffirelli directed the Romeo
and Juliet from 1968, starring Leonard Whiting as Romeo and
Olivia Hussey as Juliet. Baz Luhrmann directed the Romeo and
Juliet from 1996, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Romeo and
Claire Danes as Juliet. I will explain the idea of
isolationism within their relationship represented in
Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet, how it was shown, and how it
compares to both Shakespeare's text for Romeo and Juliet and
Zeffirelli's display of non-isolationism within their
relationship. The death scene will be the focus of
comparison.
In Shakespeare's play, it is very clear that when it comes
to relationships, the family is extremely involved. From the
beginning, Lord and Lady Capulet are trying to wed Juliet
and Paris; this is an obvious display of the
non-isolationism of relationships in the setting which
Shakespeare had designed. It was not believed that it is the
right of the individual, but more a right of the family, to
decide the fate of a person in the ways of marriage. It
became most clear in the exchange between Juliet and her
father, Lord Capulet: "Is she not proud? doth she not count
her blest / Unworthy as she is, that we have wrought / So
worthy a gentleman to be her bridegroom?" Lord Capulet
strongly believes that his work to set Paris and Juliet up
as husband and wife ought to be known as the best to her.
In Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet, which is a close
representation of the exact play as written by
Shakespeare-particularly in time and setting- the final
end-sequence concerning the deaths of our two "star-crossed
lovers", it is rather impersonal. The death sequence occurs
in the family tomb, not in a private location. Juliet had
been buried by her family in the place where they believed
she belonged, in a very non-individual way. A very
interesting part of this sequence that is in the play as
well is how the Friar is indeed with Juliet after Romeo dies
from poison, and talks with her: "I hear some noise. Lady,
come from that nest / Of death, contagion, and unnatural
sleep: / A greater power than we can contradict / Hath
thwarted our intents. Come, come away." He says that it was
not even the existence of their intentions that thwarted
their plan, but something besides them; destined futility of
an isolated relationship, perhaps? Only here, it is futile
because of the lack of consenting parents. His presence
makes this scene yet further impersonal, as it is not simply
between Romeo and Juliet.
Luhrmann's version, however, is extremely and exclusively
personal. After Romeo escapes from the police, he enters the
church as his sanctuary- this is the church in which Juliet
is laid as dead. She is alone, as the service would have
been the next day and it was supposed to be locked. Romeo
and Juliet, alone, share a last moment together. They are
even both conscious for a short time together, before Romeo
dies from the poison which he drank. It isn't word-for-word
in the order Shakespeare had written, because some of the
dialog overlapped and in the play they were never conscious
at the same time, but this occurrence in the film makes it
much deeper of an emotional crisis because they had actually
been alive together at the same time when each found the
other dead. The fact that they are alone together is a
surefire representation that the relationship was supposed
to have been kept private. Not even in the original version,
where it was supposed to be a secret, was it not nearly as
private and contained as in Baz Luhrmann's version.
Luhrmann, bringing Romeo and Juliet into the 21st century,
clearly was trying to translate the isolationist feel of
relationships into the play, and I believe he did so
effectively.
Zeffirelli portrays the couple's love as youthful and
futile, and sometimes needlessly playful-but then again,
this is much the spirit felt in Shakespeare's original play.
However, in Zeffirelli's version, he seems to bring openness
to the love, showing this dependency on family throughout
the film. Luhrmann, however, chooses to express the love
completely isolated from the rest of the world, even more
futile and unsupported. I believe Luhrmann's representation
of love is much more accurate to today's societal feeling
towards love, and brings forth the feeling of futility found
so frequently in youth's love. It's similar to Zeffirelli,
but very different in the way it is presented and finished.
Love for both directors is futile, but while Zeffirelli's
could have found hope if it had been an open relationship,
no such hope existed in Luhrmann's vision.
