Interpretation
The same stories have been told thousands of times. Sometimes they give us new twists, help us understand more and sometimes they are just the same old story with little originality. History is changing, nature is changing and the way we approach to the world is changing with time. There are many enduring and famous stories and of course those ones have the most interpretations.
I will look at the tragic story of Romeo and Juliet and it’s interpretations. There have been many versions of this story but the most famous one is clearly William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. It is believed that he wrote the story between 1591 and 1595 and was first published in 1957. Although even that time it was hardly an original theme. If we only mention the closest versions, in 1554 Matteo Bandelo published his Giuletta and Romeo in the second volume of his ‘Novelle’ which was translated to French and in 1562 with some changes Arthur Brooke translated it into English. Shakespeare follows this version closely but adds more details into the characters. It was trend among playwrights and writers in those days to publish works based on Italian novelles. Everyone knows the story: too teenagers fall in love but can’t be together because of their family’s discordance, at the end they both commit suicide.
There have been many other versions based on Shakespeare’s such as West Side Story or Shakespeare in Love. One of the most recent interpretations is the movie, Romeo+Juliet directed by Baz Luhrmann. He kept the content and the original dialogues but put the act in a modern time and place where the Prince is the Head of the Police and they fight with guns instead of swords.
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| In the first act the Capulets and the Montagues get into a fight which scene in the film was filmed like they were in a western. Mercutio and Romeo |
Both versions trying to refer to their time, the modern version is modern to us but it won’t be that new in 100 years. It all depends on where and when we live.
Medium
I chose Michel Gondry to write about as he is one of my favourite artist. I think his works demonstrate really well how you can make non-commercial as well as commercial works and still stay a 100% yourself and create outstanding things.
He started making music videos when he was in the band called Oui Oui. One of these videos caught the attention of Bjork which led him to direct her music video, Human Behaviour.
They worked together on many projects after this one. Later he directed videos for bands like The White Stripes, Chemical Brothers, The Vines, Radiohead and Beck.
His style is very unique. He has a surreal point of view and his works are very childlike. He also gets a lot of inspiration from his dreams. That last one comes out the best in his film, The Science of Sleep in which a young man struggles to keep contact with reality because of his vivid dreams and imagination.
In Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind we travel through the main character’s memories. Again Gondry creates a beautiful imaginary place which is surreal but still realistic.
Besides his films he also made many TV commercials for Smirnoff Vodka, Gap, Air France, Coca Cola etc. A good example how commercials can be creative and enjoyable to watch.
In 2006 he made his debut as an installation artist at Deitch Projects In New York. It was called, “The Science of Sleep: An Exhibition of Sculpture and Pathological Creepy Little Gifts" It included props from his film, The Science of Sleep and bizarre little gifts that the artist would have given to various women in his life who were/are important to him in some way.
It was his music videos that made him internationally recognized at the first place but the TV commercials he made also get him a big critical recognition all around the world. He is the director of the commercial that has won the most prizes, Levi’s Drugstore from 1995.
