SCREEN-L Archives

April 1998, Week 1

SCREEN-L@LISTSERV.UA.EDU

Options: Use Monospaced Font
Show Text Part by Default
Show All Mail Headers

Message: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Topic: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Author: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]

Print Reply
Subject:
From:
Susan Vaill <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Film and TV Studies Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Tue, 31 Mar 1998 16:13:44 -0500
Content-Type:
text/plain
Parts/Attachments:
text/plain (45 lines)
(Save Romeo & Juliet before someone let's them live!)
 
On the R & J note, I think even a selective comparison of Franco
Zefferelli's film with Bas Luhrmann's (?) recent 'modernized' version
would be very useful for kids. When I was in 6th grade, a group of us put
on a condensed version of the play, so the story was always familar to
me--I couldn't imagine not knowing it.
 
However, around the time the recent Romeo & Juliet came out, I met an 11
year-old girl who she was really excited about going to see the movie.
She had seen the trailer and asked me about the part where Romeo is
climbing up a wall to Juliet in the window--she thought Juliet had been
kidnapped and he was coming to rescue her. I was shocked--she said she
had never read the play--then her 14 year old brother chimed in that he
had never read it either. I said, well, you must know the plot, its been
retold in movies time and time again--the boy and girl from thw opposite
side of the tracks, from rival groups--star-crossed lovers?... They
looked at me blankly. Not even West Side Story? They'd never heard of it.
 
Essentially, it occurred to me what a tragedy (no pun intended) it would
be for these kids' first and perhaps only familiarity with Romeo & Juliet
to come from the music video version. I myself enjoyed it a great deal
for its *differences*, but I can't imagine not having something to
compare that to--especially Claire Danes vs. Olivia Hussy (I think that's
the name of Zefferelli's Juliet).
 
I even remember a Wonder Years episode about Zefferelli's R & J being the
fad movie for all of those kids to go see.
 
Just some thoughts,
 
 
 
Susan Vaill
 
MFA Film Production Program
University of Southern California
School of Cinema-Television
 
(213) 650-6199
 
----
Online resources for film/TV studies may be found at ScreenSite
http://www.tcf.ua.edu/screensite

ATOM RSS1 RSS2