Scene Comparison: West Side Story and Romeo and Juliet
This musical and this play have often been compared. We will look at two clips from Romeo and Juliet (Baz Luhrman's 1997 version) and West Side Story (the film version directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, 1961) and consider the following questions in our comparison:
- how is the setting different from what you imagine the original Shakespearean performance would have been like? Provide two examples for each.
- how is each performance "dated" in terms of the setting, costumes, story, and conflicts presented?
- how does the musical version of the story (West Side Story) differ from the dramatic one (Romeo and Juliet)? Provide two examples.
- which of the two balcony scenes did you find more interesting, and why?
- how did the story's ending differ between the two films?
- how does colour play a role in each of the films, such as the pastel technicolor look of West Side Story? Include some examples in your answer.
- describe who the audience is for the two films. Would the audience be the same or different? How so?
The Balcony Scene
West Side Story
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Romeo and Juliet
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The Final Act
West Side Story
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Romeo and Juliet
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Romeo and Juliet
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