Review - Report of Romeo and Juliet 1968 and 1996 Films

Romeo and Juliet 1968 and the 1996 films were based on one of the world's best known plays. The movies were terrible down to the ending credits.

The love at first sight scene was too long and had too many dance scenes. The newer movie was short but did a bit better than the original. A bad part about the 1996 film was that Mercutio was dancing and singing while dressed as a woman. I found that to be strange yet the book did mention that he likes to be the heart of the party and is the clown too. The 1968 version setting was not as great as the newer film. The lighting was set bad and the music score was random. There was a random man singing in the middle of the crowd as Romeo and Juliet walked toward each other. The lighting was set as if they weren't in a windowless room. It was bright when it was supposed to be dark. The speech and lines were well preformed by the actor and actress. The actors had great accent and the lines were very accurate compared to the play. Overall the scene was about a B+. The relation to the scene in the play was precise and the actors acted well, yet the lack of good setting and long dance scenes earned it a B+.

The love scene for the newer film was much shorter and as opinion I would say was better than the first. The way they found each other was much more interesting than the first. The found each other while looking through the aquarium and catching each other's eye. The scene where they kissed in the elevator while running away from the parents and the nurse set the mood well. In the original film the nurse asked for her to see her mother. Another part that was better was when Tybalt was hit by Capulet. This was more accurate than the first film where Lady Capulet stood in and scolded Tybalt. Overall this scene would also receive a B+. The films scene had its ups and downs, yet it seemed to be almost as good as the original film. The setting was well, such as the mansion, and the mood was set well, such as the elevator kissing scene, and the actor delivery was well. The lines were well spoken, yet the accent was spoken badly. They didn't speak with the rhythm of the poetry and those are some major points that earned this scene a B+.

The second scene I will review is the balcony scene or the pool scene (1996 Version). This scene one of the most well known parts of literature. The 1968 version was well done, yet the setting is far worse than any other movie I've ever. By the time Romeo leaves the balcony it is day out while at the beginning it was night time. It was as if they had filmed part of it in the night and the other half in the day. The mood was set well for the scene, and the lines were well said. A strange part was when they kissed, they were talking and kissing which made the scene a bit strange. Overall this scene would be given an A. Everything was in place, the lines were accurate. Everything was fine other that the set and the lighting. That brought this scene down from an A+ to an A.

The newer movie put a spin on this scene. Instead of the balcony, they professed their love for one another in the Capulet's pool. The mood is not set well because there was too much light and the set took your eye off what you were supposed to be watching them talking. She is not on a balcony so this is nothing like the play. The lines are some-what accurate and are spoken well. The try to make a humorous moment by make Leonardo DiCaprio stumbling into many objects. Another part was when Romeo was speaking to Juliet he was already out of hearing range. The set was well built, yet there were too many lights. Romeo was speaking right behind Juliet and she did not hear him. He touched her she screamed and pushed him into the water. Overall this scene would receive a C+. The lack of accuracy to the play and the non-real situations gave this scene a C+.

The next scene I will review is the fight scene. This is scene is the most exciting part of the movie. Even though it was the most exciting part, it wasn't all that exciting. This fight is where Romeo kills Tybalt, directly after Tybalt kills Mercutio. In the old original film, this fight is very unreal. The part where Tybalt killed Mercutio was fake. If Mercutio was stabbed in the chest he would collapse and die on the spot, yet he gets the energy to stand up and stubble up stairs and yell. There is barely any blood and a chest would like that would create blood gushing out. This setting was put together well, yet it didn't well set the mood. It was supposed to be hot, yet the only way they were able to show that was by Mercutio jumping in the fountain. The fight scene was not set well giving this a B-. The good lines, bad acting, accuracy of play, bad set, and lack of mood earns it a B.

The new movie put a twist on the fight scene. This scene is accurate with the lines and sets the mood well. This scene created the perfect set. As the fight began a storm off in the distance began to rumble. This sets the mood well for when Mercutio dies. Again the place where Mercutio is stabbed shouldn't have killed him. It may have killed him if he did not seek medical attention, yet he died on the spot. The music, lighting, setting, and storms set that scene so well. Romeo mad, after Tybalt kills Mercutio, goes after Tybalt. He kills Tybalt with his gun and Tybalt falls into the fountain. This film did much better than the first earning it an A+ for the fight scene.

The last scene I will review is the Final Death Scene. During this scene Romeo and Juliet die. The first original film was bad. Both film's scenes were bad. The first scene started off with Romeo entering the tomb. The set and lighting was well. The set included all the graves of former Capulets. Tybalt was one of the few that were in the tomb. Romeo commits suicide and so does Juliet. The part that was left out was Paris. Whatever happened to Paris? Did he die of natural causes or did Romeo kill him in an unseen scene? The mood was set well because there was light shining down on Juliet and this showed how important Juliet was to Romeo. Overall this scene would be given an A-. The scene was well done, yet had some flaws regarding Paris.

The newer film had more drama because Juliet wakes up right as Romeo drinks the poison. Once Romeo dies, Claire Danes (Juliet) yells out the most awkward laugh/ cry I have ever heard. She sounded like she didn't know how to show the feelings on camera. This is horrible actor delivery. Also the setting is set bad. The tomb isn't a tomb but more like the church they got married at. There are so many lights it is impossible to find Juliet through all the lights. They have so many candles they must have gone through so much to film that scene. Also I stop to ponder, when do churches have neon lights of the cross? This scene set the mood well making everything in the church look like Juliet was a hero. This scene, the death scene, earned itself a D+. This was by far the worst film I have ever seen (excluding the first Romeo and Juliet. Overall these movies were terrible. The newer one was a bit better and deserves a strong B. While the older more accurate deserves a B+. If this were based on which I think was better I would pick the newer one, yet it wasn't great. The worst part of both films was the beginning of the newer version. They described everyone and their names. This was annoying and wouldn't be in any other film. They had a helicopter shot of the city repeating itself over and over. This is why I rate these movies the way they are.

ROMEO AND JULIET B+
ROMEO +JULIET B

` A review by Andrew Thompson