The varied atmospheres conveyed by the imagery in the 1996 version help better explain the mood of the scene rather than the lack luster attempts at the same material in the 1968 version. Mercutio’s death, a crucial part of the story, is a great example of why the 1996 version is clearly better than the 1968 version. The 1968 version of this scene goes as such, Mercutio is accidentally stabbed and killed but keeps the fact that he has been stabbed hidden from his friends until the final reveal. He also jokes around stalling for time which just made the scene drag on way longer then it really should have. On the opposite side of the spectrum, we have the 1996 version. Now the lead up to his deaths are almost identical, except they cut out a
