Many films have portrayed the well-known tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare in the last 50 years. Among these films include a 1968 and 1996 version. The 1968 version would be considered a classic depiction of the story, while the 1996 shows the story through a more modern view. Although the main story line of these cinemas is kept constant, there are many differences in the way they illustrate setting, characterization, and lighting.
The 1968 movie shows setting in a specific way. The scene starts off with Juliet walking on a stone balcony that wraps around a castle type structure. Through dense greenery and trees, Romeo must make his way to the balcony. During the majority of the scene Romeo is separated from Juliet since she is on the balcony and he is in the tree. In contrast, Romeo and Juliet are together during most of the 1996…show more content… A common similarity between the two is the instance that Romeo speaks, startling Juliet. It is also clear that the characters are very in love in both movies by the amount of kissing, fondling, and repeated displays of their longing motivations. Their actions toward each other reflect how they feel about one another. Despite the similarity of the movies’ loving displays, there are also a couple of contrasting details. The older cinema illustrates the relationship between the two lovers by, as mentioned in the previous paragraph, having Juliet up on a separate balcony than Romeo. He must keep climbing up to her, only to retreat back into the tree several times. This represents his longing to be with her, even when he knows he should leave. On the other hand, the newer video displays the scene in a more intimate fashion since both Romeo and Juliet are on the pool deck at the same time. Both movies are able to imply Shakespeare’s meaning of the scene, even though the characters move around in different