Romeo and Juliet Movie Comparison

Movie Compare and Contrast

There are many similarities and differences between the sixties version of Romeo and Juliet and the modern version of Romeo and Juliet. It is very easy to spot these differences considering the time period each movie was set in. There are some things in the play that totally got cut from both movies. There are also some things that they added to the movies that weren’t in the play. Let us get on to the similarities and differences.

First off, the biggest difference is the time periods of each movie. The older movie was set in Early Renaissance times. The newer movie is set in the early ninety’s. Another difference is the use of special effects. In the new version they have explosions and gunfights. In the older version there was no use of special effects, therefore, the movie totally relied on acting, which the new movie didn’t have. The new movie used special effects to make up for the lack of good acting. My next difference is that the famous balcony scene isn’t on a balcony in the new one. Instead Juliet just wanders around the outside of a pool. If the movie didn’t have the balcony scene on a balcony what was the point of making the movie? You can’t take the balcony out of that scene and replace it with a pool.

It’s like not having Darth Vader say, “Luke, I am your father.” Another difference between the movies is in the modern version before the Capulet Party when Mercutio gives his speech about Queen Mab afterwards Mercutio gives Romeo acid. What did that have to do with the story? Romeo got dizzy for a minute at the party and then he was fine. It had no relevance to the story line what so ever. Another big difference is Juliet saw Romeo die in the modern version. In the old version Romeo dies without knowing Juliet was really alive. In the modern version Juliet wakes up seconds after Romeo drinks the poison. If Juliet would have taken the sleeping potion a minute earlier, the two lovers could have been together. My final difference is in the modern version once Romeo goes back into the Verona walls the cops start to chase him. While being chased Romeo makes a stop at the Apothecary who sells him the poison. In the old version they didn’t