Comparing Balcony Scenes

The four balcony scenes that I watched was the one with Leonardo DiCaprio, the Zeffinelli version (1968), the one acted by the Royal Shakespeare Company, and the Gnomeo and Juliet version. Out of all four adaptations, I think that the one starring Leonardo DiCaprio and the Zeffirelli versions were the two more effective scenes. These two versions stayed very close to the original script which was very effective. This allowed the audience to see the play come to life through the actors and sets. The sets in these two versions, because they were movie sets, were very detailed and more life-like. For example, in Zeffinelli’s version, although Romeo and Juliet never came into physical contact with each other, the space between them was apparent. The audience could see the distance between the balcony and the ground. This could symbolize the wrongness of their love, but through the intense eye contact between the pair, the distance did not seem as far. At one point, Romeo even started hugging a branch, to show how much emotion he had for Juliet that he could not express. Similarly, the pool in DiCaprio’s version was an important set piece as well. The couple was often found in the pool, touching, swimming, floating, or even kissing each other. It really became ‘their’ spot, despite the fact that it was in Juliet’s backyard. This also shows the sense of the forbidden love element because of the location of the pool in the Capulet mansion.

The other two versions, Royal Shakespeare Company and Gnomeo and Juliet, were not very effective for me, personally. The one acted by the Shakespeare Company was very different because it was shot on a stage with very minimal props or set. This left a lot to the audience’s interpretation which I was not a fan of. The costuming in this version was also a little confusing because Romeo was wearing a hoodie with a collared shirt, while Juliet was wearing a black dress. This made me wonder if the play took place in modern society or back in Shakespeare’s time. Juliet’s dress also made me question her character a little bit; was she timid young woman that many other adaption portray her as or is she more independent in this one? Lastly, the Gnomeo and Juliet version, although being the most understandable and comedic, was not very effective for me. Juliet said her modified line about the name problem very quickly and then Gnomeo suddenly arrived to startle her. This did not allow any time for the audience to process Juliet’s feelings.