Compare and Contrast the 1968 Franco Zeffirelli Version and the More Recent Baz Luhrmann Version

After watching both Baz Luhrmann's and Franco Zeffirelli's versions of Shakespeare's tragedy, "Romeo and Juliet," one would not be hard pressed to find contrasting differences. Franco Zeffirelli's is set in the Renaissance era and Baz Luhrmann's in modern times. We will embark on a voyage through the anomalies in setting, costume and omission in both versions and contrast and compare the two. We will also distinguish the difference in depictions of Mercutio and Friar Lawrence in both movies.
In Franco Zeffirelli's account of "Romeo and Juliet", a good amount of the story is inference, left up to the viewer to figure out by watching closely. In Baz Luhrmann's, everything is spelled out quite plainly for all to see. …