Impact Of Csr Into A Business Model - 3160 Words

Executive Summary The welfare of the community as well as the employees within a company is what Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) focuses on. It plays a huge role within the society. In this report, we touch on all the various aspects CSR starting with its history(its origin in the fifties), focusing on Bowen, Davis and Carroll’s evolving concepts as it developed over the decades to the current global implication. The briefing on the assumptions of CSR deals with the common beliefs in business practices and our opinions on how corporations’ would react to these assumptions. By analyzing its pros and cons, we discuss the impact of incorporating CSR into a business model. Furthermore, we focus on the theories of CSR, which include†¦show more content†¦Earlier perceptions of corporate social responsibility depicted that it was a philanthropic trend where an organization decided to give back to the immediate community. The notion just gave a rough idea to the society with the objective of showing willingness of the company to express concern over the society (Cadbury, 2006). However, that notion got supplanted by the current concept. That is; businesses have the responsibility and commitment to protecting, as well as, improve the life of its workers and the communities. Accordingly, the (CSR) phenomenon demands that a company should show ample commitment in developing policies affiliated with integrations or social practices. The social practices relate to daily business operations, and the reporting mechanisms related to these activities (Cadbury, 2006). Corporate reports now consider the paramount elements of a business’s operations. For instance, it discusses the governance and ethics of the business. The major of (CSR) is establishing social, environmental and economic sustainability. Initially, (CSR) is a requirement. However, some firms extend the jurisprudence towards engagement in social activities that are going beyond the interest of the firm (Cadbury, 2006). However, the entirety of this phenomenon gets its basis on embracing responsibility for corporate actions. In addition, it issues a general affirmative impact of its external environment

Analysis Of The Book Little Red Cap By Angela Carter

Fairytales subvert, challenge or reaffirm archetypal values through didactic lenses. The presence of universal themes allows for an examination of contextual shifts and by being malleable in nature, can be made relevant to different audiences. The Brothers Grimm s Little Red Cap, Angela Carter’s The Company of Wolves and Tommy Wirkola s film, Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters all promote their hegemonic ideologies and as cultural artefacts’ extrapolate the contextual values of their time period. Carl Jung s theory of the Collective Unconscious ensures that each of these fairytale adaptations can retain their archetypal value and thus remain significant and relevant in contemporary circumstances. The Brother Grimm’s 19th Century Fairytale, Little Red Cap reflects the hegemonies of its context through its cautionary justification. Grimm’s work reflected the importance of German national cohesion under French occupation and the view towards foreigners as destructive usurpers. Little Red Cap was adapted for instructional purposes, specifically aimed at a children s audience. Initially in the tale, the subversion of Perrault’s depiction of the girl is evident exemplifying her as a sweet little girl and the hyperbolic everybody loved her instantly on first sight demonstrates the engrained virtue of her youth. The instruction for Little Red Cap to not stray from the path foreshadows the inherent danger associated with a misguided venture. The symbolism ofShow MoreRelatedConsumer Theory and Horizontal Axis45363 Words   |  182 Pagesworkbook, there is a third person called Ike. Ike has a red income of 40 and a blue income of 10. (Recall that blue prices are 1 bcu [blue currency unit] per unit of ambrosia and 1 bcu per unit of bubblegum. Red prices are 2 rcus [red currency units] per unit of ambrosia and 6 rcus per unit of bubblegum. You have to pay twice for what you buy, once in red currency, once in blue currency.) If Ike spends all of his blue income, but not all of his red income, then it must be that:(b) he consumes at leastRead MoreLibrary Management204752 Words   |  820 PagesAll rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, by any process or technique, without the express written consent of the publisher. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2007007922 ISBN: 978–1–59158–408–7 978–1–59158–406–3 (pbk.) First published in 2007 Libraries Unlimited, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881 A Member of the Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. www.lu.com Printed in the United States of America The paper used in this book complies with the Permanent Paper Standard

The Return Shadow Souls Chapter 17 Free Essays

string(24) " lightning in the room\." â€Å"Her name’s Ulma,† a voice said, and Elena looked down to find Lakshmi holding back the curtains of the litter with a hand over her head. â€Å"Everybody knows Old Drohzne and his slaves. He beats ’em until they pass out and then expects ’em to pick up his rickshaw and go on carrying a load. We will write a custom essay sample on The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 17 or any similar topic only for you Order Now He kills five or six a year.† â€Å"He didn’t kill this one,† Elena murmured. â€Å"He got what he deserved.† She squeezed Ulma’s hand. She was vastly relieved when the litter stopped and Damon himself appeared, just as she was about to start bargaining with one of the litter bearers to carry Ulma in their arms to the doctor. Without regard for his clothing, Damon still somehow managed to convey disinterest even as he picked up the woman – Ulma – and nodded to Elena to follow him. Lakshmi skipped around him and took the lead into an intricately patterned stone courtyard and then down a crooked hallway with some solid, respectable-looking doors. Finally, she knocked on one and a wizened man with a huge head and the faintest remnant of a wispy beard opened the door cautiously. â€Å"I don’t keep any ketterris here! No hexen, no zemeral! And I don’t do love spells!† Then, peering short-sightedly, he seemed to focus on the little group. â€Å"Lakshmi?† he said. â€Å"We’ve brought a woman who needs help,† Elena said shortly. â€Å"She’s pregnant, too. You’re a doctor, aren’t you? A healer?† â€Å"A healer of some limited ability. Come in, come in.† The doctor was hurrying into a back room. They all followed him, Damon still carrying Ulma. Once she arrived, Elena saw that the healer was in the corner of what looked like a crowded wizard’s sanctuary, with quite a bit of voodoo and witch doctor thrown in. Elena, Meredith, and Bonnie glanced at one another nervously, but then Elena heard water splashing and realized that the doctor was in the corner because there was a basin of water there, and the healer was washing his hands thoroughly, rolling his sleeves up to his elbows and making a lot of frothy bubbles. He might call himself a â€Å"healer,† yet he did understand basic hygiene, she thought. Damon had put Ulma onto what looked like a clean white-sheeted examining table. The doctor nodded to him. Then, tch-tching, he pulled out a tray of instruments and set Lakshmi about fetching cloths to clean the cuts and staunch the profuse bleeding. He also opened various drawers to pull out strong-smelling bags and stood on a ladder to pull down clumps of herbs that were strung from the ceiling. Finally he opened a small box and took a pinch of snuff, himself. â€Å"Please hurry,† Elena said. â€Å"She’s lost a lot of blood.† â€Å"And you’ve lost not a little,† the man said. â€Å"My name is Kephar Meggar – and this would be Master Drohzne’s slave, yes?† He peered at them, looking somehow as if he were wearing glasses, which he wasn’t. â€Å"And you would be slaves, too?† He stared at the single rope Elena was still wearing, and then at Bonnie and Meredith, each wearing the same. â€Å"Yes, but – † Elena stopped. Some infiltrator she was. She’d very nearly said â€Å"But not really; it’s just to satisfy convention. She settled for saying, â€Å"But our master is very different from hers.† They were very different, she thought. Damon didn’t have a broken neck, for one thing. And for another, no matter how vicious and deadly he might be, he would never strike a woman, much less do something like this to one. He seemed to have some kind of internal block against it – except when he was possessed by Shinichi, and couldn’t control his own muscles. â€Å"And yet Drohzne allowed you to bring this woman to a healer?† The little man looked doubtful. â€Å"No, he wouldn’t have let us, I’m sure,† Elena said flatly. â€Å"But please – she’s bleeding and she’s going to have a baby†¦.† Dr. Meggar’s eyebrows went up and down. But without asking anyone to leave while he treated her, he pulled out an old-fashioned stethoscope and listened carefully to Ulma’s heart and lungs. He smelled her breath, and then gently palpated her abdomen below Elena’s bloody camisole, all with a professional air, before tipping to her lips a brown bottle, from which she drank a few sips, then sank back, her eyes fluttering closed. â€Å"Now,† the little man said, â€Å"she’s resting comfortably. She’ll need quite a bit of stitching of course, and you could use a few stitches yourself, but that’s as your master says, I suppose.† Dr. Meggar said the word master with a definite implication of dislike. â€Å"But I can almost promise you that she won’t die. About her babe I don’t know. It may come out marked as a result of this business – striped birthmarks, perhaps – or it may be perfectly all right. But with food and rest† – Dr. Meggar’s eyebrows went up and down again, as if the doctor would have liked to say this to Master Drohzne’s face – â€Å"she should recover.† â€Å"Take care of Elena first, then,† Damon said. â€Å"No, no!† Elena said, pushing the doctor away. He seemed like a nice man, but obviously around here, masters were masters – and Damon was more masterful and intimidating than most. But not, at this moment, to Elena. She didn’t care about herself right now. She’d made a promise – the doctor’s words meant that she might be able to keep it. That was what she cared about. Up and down, up and down. Dr. Meggar’s eyebrows looked like two caterpillars on one elastic string. One lagged a little behind the other. Clearly, the behavior he was seeing was abnormal, even liable to be punished by serious means. But Elena only noticed him peripherally, the way she was noticing Damon. â€Å"Help her,† she said vehemently – and watched the doctor’s eyebrows shoot up as if they were aimed for the ceiling. She’d let her aura escape. Not completely, thank God, but a blast had definitely discharged, like a flash of sheet lightning in the room. You read "The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 17" in category "Essay examples" And the doctor, who wasn’t a vampire, but just an ordinary citizen, had noticed it. Lakshmi had noticed it; even Ulma stirred on the examining table uneasily. I’m going to have to be a whole lot more careful, Elena thought. She cast a quick look at Damon, who was about to explode, himself – she could tell. Too many emotions, too much blood in the room, and the adrenaline of killing still pulsing in his bloodstream. How did she know all that? Because Damon wasn’t perfectly in control, either, she realized. She was sensing things directly from his mind. Best to get him out of here quickly. â€Å"We’ll wait outside,† she said, catching his arm, to Dr. Meggar’s obvious shock. Slaves, even beautiful ones, didn’t act that way. â€Å"Go and wait in the courtyard then,† the doctor said, carefully controlling his face and speaking to the air in between Damon and Elena. â€Å"Lakshmi, give them some bandages so they can staunch the young girl’s bleeding. Then come back; you can help me.† â€Å"Just one question,† he added as Elena and the others were walking out of the room. â€Å"How did you know that this woman is pregnant? What sort of spell can tell you that?† â€Å"No spell,† Elena said simply. â€Å"Any woman watching her should have known.† She saw Bonnie flash her an injured look, but Meredith remained inscrutable. â€Å"That horrible slaver – Drogsie – or whatever – was whipping her from the front,† Elena said. â€Å"And look at those gashes.† She winced, looking over two stripes that crossed Ulma’s sternum. â€Å"In that case, any woman would be trying to protect her breasts, but this one was trying to cover her belly. That meant she was pregnant, and far along enough to be sure about it, too.† Dr. Meggar’s eyebrows drew down and together – and then he looked up at Elena as if peering over glasses. Then he nodded slowly. â€Å"You take some bandages and stop your own bleeding,† he said – to Elena, not to Damon. Apparently, slave or not, she had won some kind of respect from him. On the other hand, Elena seemed to have lost stature with Damon – or at least, he’d cut his mind off from hers quite deliberately, leaving her with a blank wall to stare at. In the doctor’s waiting room, he waved an imperious hand at Bonnie and Meredith. â€Å"Wait here in this room,† he said – no, he ordered. â€Å"Don’t leave it until the doctor comes out. Don’t let anyone in the front door – lock it now, and keep it locked. Good. Elena is coming with me into the kitchen – that’s the back door. I do not want to be disturbed by anyone unless an angry mob is threatening the house with arson, do you understand? Both of you?† Elena could see Bonnie about to blurt out, â€Å"But Elena’s still bleeding!† and Meredith was with her eyes and brows calling council on whether or not they needed to hold an immediate velociraptor sisterhood rebellion. They all knew Plan A for this: Bonnie would throw herself into Damon’s arms, passionately weeping or passionately kissing him, whichever best fit the situation, while Elena and Meredith came at him from the sides and did – well, whatever had to be done. Elena, with one flash of her own eyes, had categorically nixed this. Damon was angry, yes, but she could sense that it was more with Drohzne than with her. The blood had agitated him, yes, but he was used to controlling himself in bloody situations. And she needed help with her wounds, which had begun to hurt seriously, ever since she’d heard that the woman she had rescued would live, and might even have her baby. But if Damon had something on his mind, she wanted to know what it was – now. With one last comforting glance at Bonnie, Elena followed Damon through the kitchen door. It had a lock on it. Damon looked at it and opened his mouth; Elena locked it. Then she looked up at her â€Å"master.† He was standing by the kitchen sink, methodically pumping water, with one hand clenched against his forehead. His hair hung over his eyes, getting splashed, getting wet. He didn’t seem to care. â€Å"Damon?† Elena said uncertainly. â€Å"Are you†¦all right?† He didn’t answer. Damon? she tried telepathically. I let you get hurt. I’m fast enough. I could have killed that bastard Drohzne with one blast of Power. But I never imagined you’d get hurt. His telepathic voice was at once filled with the darkest kind of menace imaginable and a strange, almost gentle, calm. As if he were trying to keep all the ferocity and anger locked away from her. I couldn’t even tell him – I couldn’t even send words to him to tell him what he was. I couldn’t think. He was a telepath; he would have heard me. But I didn’t have any words. I could only scream – in my mind. Elena felt a bit light-headed – a little more light-headed than she’d already been feeling. Damon was feeling this anguish – for her? He wasn’t angry about her flagrantly breaking rules in front of crowds, maybe breaking their cover? He didn’t mind looking bedraggled? â€Å"Damon,† she said. He’d surprised her into speaking out loud. â€Å"It – it – doesn’t matter. It’s not your fault. You would never even have let me do it – † â€Å"But I should have known you wouldn’t ask! I thought you were going to attack him, to jump on his shoulders and throttle him, and I was ready to help you do that, to take him down like two wolves taking down a big buck. But you’re not a sword, Elena. Whatever you think, you’re a shield. I should have known that you would take the next blow yourself. And because of me, you got – † His eye drifted to her cheekbone and he winced. Then he seemed to get a grip on himself. â€Å"The water is cold, but it’s pure. We need to clean those slashes and stop that bleeding now.† â€Å"I don’t suppose there’s any Black Magic around,† Elena said, half jokingly. This was going to hurt. Damon, however, immediately began opening cupboards. â€Å"Here,† he said after checking only three, triumphantly coming up with a half-full bottle of Black Magic. â€Å"Lots of doctors keep this as a medicine and anesthetic. Don’t worry; I’ll pay him well.† â€Å"Then I think you should have some, too,† Elena said boldly. â€Å"Come on, it’ll do us both good. And it won’t be the first time.† She knew that the last sentence would clinch it with Damon. It would be a way of getting back something that Shinichi had taken from him. I’ll get the whole of his memories back from Shinichi somehow, Elena decided, doing her best to screen her thoughts from Damon with white noise. I don’t know how to do it, and I don’t know when I’ll get the chance, but I swear I will. I swear. Damon had filled two goblets with the rich, heady-smelling wine and was handing one to Elena. â€Å"Just sip at first,† he said, helpless but to fall into the role of instructor. â€Å"This is a good year.† Elena sipped, then simply gulped. She was thirsty and Clarion Loess Black Magic wine didn’t have any alcohol – as such – in it. It certainly didn’t taste like regular wine. It tasted like remarkably refreshing effervescent spring water that was flavored with sweet, deep, velvety grapes. Damon, she noticed, had forgotten to sip as well, and when he offered her a second glass to match his, she accepted willingly. His aura sure had calmed down a lot, she thought, as he picked up a wet cloth and began, gently, to clean the cut that almost exactly followed the line of her cheekbone. It had been the one to stop bleeding first, but now he needed to get the blood flowing again, to cleanse it. With two glasses of Black Magic on top of no food since breakfast, Elena found herself relaxing against the back of the chair, letting her head drop back a little, and shutting her eyes. She lost track of time, as he stroked the cut smoothly. And she lost strict control of her aura. When she opened her eyes it was in response to no sound, no visual stimulus. It was a blaze in Damon’s aura, one of sudden determination. â€Å"Damon?† He was standing over her. His darkness had flared out behind him like a shadow, tall and wide and almost mesmerizing. Definitely almost frightening. â€Å"Damon?† she said again, uncertainly. â€Å"We’re not doing this right,† he said, and her thoughts flashed at once to her disobedience as a slave, and Bonnie and Meredith’s less serious infractions. But his voice was like dark velvet, and her body responded to it more accurately than her mind. It shivered. â€Å"How†¦do we do it right?† she asked, and then she made the mistake of opening her eyes. She found that he was stooping over her as she sat on the chair, stroking – no, just touching – her hair so softly that she hadn’t even felt it. â€Å"Vampires know how to take care of wounds,† he said confidently, and his great eyes that seemed to hold their own universe of stars caught and held her. â€Å"We can clean them. We can start them bleeding again – or stop them.† I’ve felt like this before, Elena thought. He’s talked to me like this before, too, even if he doesn’t remember. And I – I was too frightened. But that was before†¦ Before the motel. The night when he’d told her to run, and she hadn’t. The night that Shinichi had taken, just as he’d taken the first time they’d shared Black Magic together. â€Å"Show me,† whispered Elena. And she knew that something else in her mind was whispering too, whispering different words. Words that she would never have said if she had for a moment thought of herself as a slave. Whispering, I’m yours†¦ That was when she felt his mouth lightly brush her mouth. And then she just thought, Oh! and Oh, Damon†¦until he moved to gently touch her cheek with his silky soft tongue, manipulating chemicals first to make cleansing blood flow, and finally when the impurities had all been so softly swept away, to stop the blood and to heal the wound. She could feel his Power now, the dark Power that he had used in a thousand fights, to inflict hundreds of mortal wounds, being held tightly in check to concentrate on this simple, homely task, to heal the mark of a whiplash on a girl’s cheek. Elena thought it was like being stroked with the petals of that Black Magic rose, its cool smooth petals gently sweeping away the pain, until she shivered in delight. And then it stopped. Elena knew that she’d once again had too much wine. But this time she didn’t feel sick. The deceptively light drink had gone to her head, making her tipsy. Everything had taken on an unreal, dreamlike quality. â€Å"It will finish healing well now,† Damon said, again touching her hair so softly that she could barely feel it. But this time she did feel it, because she sent out fingers of Power to meet the sensation and enjoy every moment of it. And once again he kissed her – so lightly – his lips barely brushing hers. When her head fell back, though, he didn’t follow, even when, disappointed, she tried to put pressure on the back of his neck. He simply waited until Elena thought things out†¦slowly. We shouldn’t be kissing. Meredith and Bonnie are right next door. How do I get myself in situations like this? But Damon isn’t even trying to kiss†¦and we’re supposed to be – oh! Her other wounds. They really hurt now. What cruel person had thought up a whip like that, Elena thought, with a razor-thin lash that cut so deeply it didn’t even hurt at first – or not that much†¦but got worse and worse over time? And kept bleeding†¦we’re supposed to be stopping the bleeding until the doctor can see me†¦. But her next wound, the one that burned like fire now, was diagonally across her collarbone. And the third was near her knee†¦. Damon started to get up, to get another cloth from the sink and cleanse the cut with water. Elena held him back. â€Å"No.† â€Å"No? Are you sure?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"All I want to do is cleanse it†¦.† â€Å"I know.† She did know. His mind was open to hers, all its turbulent power running clear and tranquilly. She didn’t know why it had opened to her like this, but it had. â€Å"But let me advise you, don’t go donating your blood to some dying vampire; don’t let anyone sample it. It’s worse than Black Magic – â€Å" â€Å"Worse?† She knew he was complimenting her, but she didn’t understand. â€Å"The more you drink, the more you want to drink,† Damon answered, and for a moment Elena saw the turbulence she had caused in those calm waters. â€Å"And the more you drink, the more Power you can absorb,† he added seriously. Elena realized that she had never even thought of this as a problem, but it was. She remembered the agony it had been to try to absorb her own aura before she had learned how to keep it moving with her bloodstream. â€Å"Don’t worry,† he added, still serious. â€Å"I know who you’re thinking about.† He made a move again to get a cloth. But without knowing it, he had said too much, presumed too far. â€Å"You know who I’m thinking about?† Elena said softly, and she was surprised at how dangerous her own voice could sound, like the soft padding of heavy tigress feet. â€Å"Without asking me?† Damon tried to finesse his way out. â€Å"Well, I assumed†¦.† â€Å"No one knows what I’m thinking about,† Elena said. â€Å"Until I tell them.† She moved and made him kneel to look at her, questioningly. Hungrily. Then, just as it was she who had made him kneel, it was she who drew him to her wound. How to cite The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 17, Essay examples

Male Representation in the Two Film Versions of the Play Romeo ; Juliet Essay Example For Students

Male Representation in the Two Film Versions of the Play Romeo ; Juliet Essay The opening of both versions of this piece sets the president for what follows, the Luhrman version perhaps more so than Franco Zefferellis attempt. They display glimpses of what is to come, drawing the viewer deeper into the story. The amalgamation of multiple Big Close Ups and birds eye shot, as well as the incorporation of a masterful music score, serve to create a genius piece of cinematic production for the opening scene. Not only that, but the scenes presented in the shots are chosen specifically to give an uninformed viewer an insight into the turbulent nature of this story; to settle any misgivings the audience may have at the mention of Shakespeare. A male viewer would certainly breath a sigh of relief at the sign of someone getting shot at. Luhrman has chosen to include the Chorus, a popular theatrical device of the Shakespearian era taken from famous Greek tragedies, in the form of a newsreader from a news program, which is an image very familiar to the intended audience. The Chorus uses the original text, superimposed over flashes of gangland violence, to create a subtext that becomes embossed on the viewers interpretation of the rest of the film. As opening sequences go, this one could be considered a masterpiece of modern cinema. Franco Zefferelli has not invested as much importance in the opening of his production. He has instead decided to go with a theme to suit the mode of his film. The hazy, sweeping, classical view of a Renaissance Italian city, presumably constructed on computer from paintings and the like, would appeal to the traditional theatre-goers who packed the cinemas to see this film. The Chorus is present, but only in the faceless guise of a narrator. An audience already familiar with the original text would be disappointed with anything less. The Market Place Act 1, Scene 1 The opening scene in the Luhrman version is set in a typical U.S petrol station. It is a busy and open area, much like the market setting portrayed in the original script. This is typical of Luhrmans cinematic adaptations that run throughout the film; modernising the original setting without losing the feeling of authenticity. A market square in modern America would only confuse the audience. In the Zefferelli version, the director has tried to replicate the setting and atmosphere of the original, using a typical market square from the time that the play was written; this would seem to the audience as a more realistic version of the original text. At the start of the scene in the Luhrman version we see the first of our families, the Montagues. They seem like typical American youngsters having fun in their car with some rather loud hip-hop music blaring. They pull into the petrol station, all smiles and arrogant gestures, displaying all the stereotypical mannerisms of noisy youths. Al l seems well until the second family arrives, the Capulets. At this point the music changes to something more befitting the OK Corral, supposedly to imply imminent violence. They far outclass the Montagues, bedecked as they are in suave Latino smoking jackets and gold chains typical of Italian cartel members; somehow sinister when compared to the garish and colourful Montagues. This is a good way of showing the stark differences between the two families. Both groups of young men carry large calibre pistols, which shows that neither group are familiar with friendly conversation. However, in the Zefferelli version when we see the Montagues and Capulets enter the market square there mannerisms and character representations are not dissimilar; they both seem to display the same calm sophistication that chivalry dictates. The only thing separating them is the difference in family livery; the Capulets wearing black and blue and the Montagues wearing yellow and red. The costume design is accurate of what people wore in the time the play was written, with men in tights, frills and bicorns aplenty. The music score is more background ballroom than sinister melodrama. Film Summary - Interview with a Vampire EssayIt works, and Tybalt is provoked into responding in his usual violent way. The confrontation is very reminiscent of the Jets/Sharks rumble in West Side Story, where Riff and Bernado square up to each other. A rail camera provides some disorientating shots as the pair circle each other onto the increasingly violent sand. The testosterone-fuelled pair would surely have come to blows had the unfortunate Romeo not appeared. His appearance induced an eye of the storm calmness in the score. Tybalt will not be satisfied with Romeos pleadings; indeed, Romeos pacifying words provoke bitter violence from him as he takes it as an affront to his pride, whilst his disgust in Romeos grovelling is obvious. The ancient shell of a theatre under which Romeo keels over adds a certain reminiscent poignancy to the scene. When Mercutio intervenes to save his friend, and delivers his own well placed blows, he receives an unconvincing fatal wound from Tybalt wi th a piece of windshield as the music climaxes. Tybalt, shocked at the deed he had just committed, turns tail and runs with a mask of uncharacteristic shock on his face. Zefferelli has events sequenced differently; the swordfight between Mercutio and Tybalt holds no more malice than a friendly conversation to begin with. Mercutio exchanges flippant witticisms with Tybalt as if they where mere friendly acquaintances. He displays some of the jester-like qualities that Luhrman extenuates, though in a more sociable manner. It is when Romeo, who has offended Tybalt so grievously, appears that Tybalt reverts to his hard and vicious persona. His strokes become sweeping and better aimed, and he really seems to be intent on injuring someone. Indeed, it is his misplaced thrust at Romeos unprotected back that skewers Mercutio. We know this was unintentional by the look on his face, and his sudden flight from the scene. In both version Mercutio takes his own demise in a similar fashion; laughing all the way to the bitter end. The modern representation goes to his grave accompanied by a simmering orchestral flourish, whereas Zefferellis Mercutio passes away with a faint whimper of strings. It is a testament to his character in both versions in the dramatic way in which he plays down his wound, making his friends believe it is a mere scratch, but barbing his jokes with the pain he quiet blatantly suffers. The Luhrman version effectively harnesses the power of pathetic fallacy in the form of rain pouring from the heavens, framing Romeos tortured expression. A deadly mixture of pain, anger, suffering and rage pass across his delicate features as all his sorrows boil in the cocotte of his soul. Without sounding too chauvinistic and stereotypically male, I found the Zefferelli version of this play tediously artsy and lacking in appeal. I realise that I dont fall into the target audience for this production, which is probably why I found watching it decidedly painful and confusing. The acting was impossibly wooden and lacking in emotion, the camera work was terrible and the score was almost identical throughout; far too heavy on the mandolin. By comparison the Luhrman version was pure genius. Despite it not being one of my all-time favourite films I still found is a pleasure to watch. The production was outstanding, as you would expect from a film with such a big budget, and the star-studded cast provides some of the most critically acclaimed performances of their careers. The multitude of gunfights, car chases, explosions and brutal murders also lifted my esteem for this film high above its tawdry counterpart. The film has been penned, directed and edited to appeal the peopl e of my generation, and I feel that it does just that. It may not contain the scripted values of the original text, but it packages the tale of love, loss and tragedy that is Romeo and Juliet into something altogether easier to comprehend.