Romeo and Juliet Film Comparison

Comparisons of Films

From watching the older and more modern version of the killing of Mercutio and Tybalt there are obvious differences, as well as hidden ones. The comparison is between the Zeffirelli version and the more modern version. Watching these movies, paying close attention is important because it is not just the scenery and which characters are played by whom, but what the director was trying to portray in this scene. Both these versions were very different and it is obvious that in both cases the fight probably meant different things or played a separate significant role in each movie.

In the older version the atmosphere is much more relaxed and Mercutio is with a friend and the town seems very empty. When Tybalt comes and he and Mercutio start “bad- mouthing” each other it is more of a joke then a verbal fight. In a sudden moment, the joking becomes a true and serious problem. Suddenly, it seems as though all the friends show up and all attention is on the fight. While they start going back and forth, you can see the two sides of friends form so that they are standing on their friend’s side. The first draw of the sword is Mercutio to Tybalt, and Tybalt pulls his sword out right away. All the people and friends seem happy to see a fight, as though they get hyped up seeing people fight. When Romeo comes and sees that the fight went form play to a battle, he tries to stop it all, but he has no success. Mercutio and Tybalt continue fighting and when Mercutio ends up winning, Tybalt walks away, embarrassed. As Mercutio is being congratulated he stands on top of a bunch of stairs and curses Romeo and Tybalt, it is not portrayed as a serious part. When Mercutio falls to the floor and is seen as a joke when he says he was stabbed, everyone laughs. Mercutio suddenly closes his eyes, and Romeo sees that he really was stabbed. When seeing the film you see that Tybalt did not know he stabbed Mercutio and it was a complete accident. Suddenly, Romeo feels the urge to fight Tybalt for Mercutio and runs after him. Immediately, the fight between those two becomes serious. In this version there is not a lot of drama, and it seems as though it does not look like it plays as big of a part.

In the modern version the atmosphere is more focused on Mercutio and how funny he is, and everyone is listening to him. When Tybalt pulls into the scene, Mercutio joke, and Tybalt does not find him amusing at all. Suddenly Tybalt and Mercutio start fighting and it is serious form the start. Romeo comes in the middle and tries to stick up for Mercutio, Tybalt starts kicking him right into and area where this is a huge arch. The huge arch plays a big role because it makes the fight more centered. Romeo is getting seriously beat by Tybalt when Mercutio comes and throws Tybalt on an abandoned glass mirror. Tybalt takes a piece of the mirror and stabs Mercutio. Right in the middle of the arch, Mercutio stands and curses both Romeo and Tybalt. At this time there is lightening in the back and it is such a dramatic part, and he falls dead. Tybalt drives away and Romeo follows. Followed by a car crash, Romeo and Tybalt are face to face and it becomes so dramatic and then Romeo shoots Tybalt in the Chest. In the modern version, when Romeo kills Tybalt and Mercutio dies, they are so dramatic and it stands out and grabs your attention so that you remember it better.

In the older version, nobody is really blamed for Mercutio’s death because it was a complete accident. Tybalt and he were play fighting and Tybalt did not know he stabbed him. It seems in the movie that it was both their faults for play fighting with swords. However, because they played like that back in those times, then nobody is really to blame. In the newer version, Tybalt is completely to blame; this is not just because he was the one that physically stabbed him, but because Romeo did not call for help form Mercutio. When Romeo was getting beaten up, Mercutio threw Tybalt on his own terms, granted it was for Romeo, but Tybalt was the one who started beating Romeo and got thrown into the mirror. Tybalt is to blame because he started the more violent scenery and got himself thrown into the mirror, in which he used to stab Mercutio. If it is thought out, the stabbing with the piece of the mirror goes so quick that you barely see it because so much is going on. Whilst reading the book you get any idea much more like the older version movie, except the killing is more obvious and is more vivid. When thinking about how they say it in the book without looking at the movies, you think of them fighting with swords and there is just a sudden stab. Before seeing the movie, the thoughts are on the fight are much plainer and after seeing the two different movies,