hi ray! i was wondering what movie adaptation of romeo and juliet you prefer, francisco zeffirelli or baz luhrmann?? (im partial to luhrmann myself) im just curious!!
aw man this is such a cool question to get; thank u friend
okay um it’s been a while since i last saw the zeffirelli one but it has a special place in my heart since it’s the first r&j movie i ever saw; we watched it in english class while reading the play. it also has a benvolio that lines up much better with how i imagine him than other benvolios tend to, and benvolio is my favourite, so, yeah,
BUT i recently saw the luhrmann one for the first time and i think i might like it better overall?? the whole aesthetic of it fits really well with the play; all the bright colours and exaggeration/melodrama and such,,, and the modern stuff is really nice; i’ve always found that r&j is a play that works particularly well set in modern times but keeping the original language
AND leo dicaprio’s romeo stood out to me; in terms of looks young leo made a great romeo, all lanky and youthful with those big bright eyes, and i also think he spoke his lines really well and i found myself thinking ‘he has a great voice for shakespeare’?? i think it’s in the accent, and also how clearly he enunciates his words
i can’t really comment on other actors because i was too enamoured with young leonardo dicaprio i;m sorry ask me again once i’ve seen the movie a second time
so yeah general opinion: i love both adaptations in different ways but i think i love luhrmann’s more despite its less-than-stellar benvolio