Every director has their own ideas about the portrayal of a specific scene. The balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet is quite famous, and still every director and actor does it differently. I watched the 1968 version, Gnomeo and Juliet, Royal Shakespeare Company, and the 1936 version. Of the four, Romeo was the most effective portraying a boy in love, and Juliet was only once (to me) successful in her portrayal of a girl who loves a boy. The 1968 version worked, especially as Romeo watched his love from afar. The balcony was very long, which helped provide movement. However, Juliet’s fantasies were less like she was speaking to herself, or pondering, and more like she was just speaking towards - nothing? I was confused at why she was talking. Juliet also got extremely frightened by Romeo, which was slightly over-exaggerated.
The Gnomeo and Juliet version was very clever. The modern terminology managed to keep a lot of the famous metaphors and similes of the original text. It was very short, however, which was interesting. The Royal Shakespeare Company’s version had, in my eyes, the best Juliet. Still, she wasn’t perfect. Her position was often awkward, but when she spoke to herself, her intentions were clear - she was confused, and trying to work it out with herself. Romeo was very intense in this version. This intensity of Romeo was also visible in the 1936 version. Romeo was very bold and boisterous, and Juliet was much softer.
I think, in order for this scene to work, Juliet’s intentions need to be made very clear, and Romeo needs to be soft in approach - nervous about his love. The innocence of both characters should be made very clear.
No comments:
Post a Comment