Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is the most famous love story of all times, and each generation needs a version of their own, which they can feel identified with. The same play can be interpreted in a totally different way, according to the moral values, the relevant events and the point of view of the time in which it is performed. Thus, two films have been made, based on this masterpiece of English Literature. The first version was filmed in 1968, directed by Zeffirelli, while the second one, whose director is Baz Luhrmann, was made in the late nineties. Needless to say, there are many differences between the two of them, concerning mainly the ways in which certain topics are dealt with.

First of all, the most striking features of both movies as soon as they start is the enormous differences in setting. On one hand, the old version is...