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Saturday, March 28, 2015

Romeo and Juliet: book vs. 1996 film

 "I know you'll come
With the speed of light
You're my everything , all that I need."
"I'm alive" - Elhaida Dani
 
For today's task, we had to note the differences between the reader of this year, Romeo and Juliet (a simplified version for non-native students), and the 1996 movie with the same name.
 
The first notable difference is the setting: while the movie shows a modern society, marked by miamian stereotypes (actually, Verona is renamed as Verona Beach), the book is a quite good example of the society of the Renaissance, not only because of the looks of the city but also because of the ambient and attitude of some characters.

Another aspect that makes the two features unlike each other is the use of images and metaphors, such as the connotations given to water (representing peace between the two families and the love between the main characters, like in the pool where they first kiss each other) and fire (representing war, like in the gas station just after the fight in the beginning) in the movie.

Yet another difference is the language, since, even though some characters and situations still keep the language and lines from Shakespeare's play, some show a modernized street-like language; the book, in contrast, uses the original cultured language in all of its dialogs.

A scene which shows especial contrast between the book and the movie is the party held in the Capulets' hall. While, in the book, the costumes have the sole role of hiding people's faces, in the movie some are given a humouristic connotation (especially Mercutio's costume).

Other elements to bear in mind while mentioning the differences between the book and the movie are, for example, object changes like swords for guns or carriages for cars or features like elevators, gas stations or caravans, which didn't exist back in the XVI century. There are also certain differences referring secondary characters such as the friar (who grows plants in the movie but not in the book) or the apothecary (who is, in the movie, a drug dealer).