When the now famous “star crossed lovers” of two enemy families meet, forbidden love ensues.
Director Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 version of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet was touted at the time of its release, as something of a ‘youth trip’ movie. This is because Zeffirelli broke the long-standing tradition of casting over-aged, sometimes grey-haired players in the title roles. Seventeen-year-old Leonard Whiting plays Romeo, with 15-year-old Olivia Hussey as Juliet. The youthfulness and inexperience of the leading players works beautifully in the more passionate sequences (some of these breaking further ground by being played in the nude). Among the younger players are Michael York as Tybalt and John McEnery as Mercutio. The duel between Romeo and Tybalt starts out as a harmless, frat-boy exchange of insults, then escalates into tragedy before any of the participants are fully aware of what has happened. Photographed by PASQUALINO DESANTIS on various locations in Italy, Romeo and Juliet was one of the most profitable film adaptations of Shakespeare ever produced. Its most lasting legacy is its popular main theme music, composed by Nino Rota.
I saw this film approximately 20 times during my college years. Franco Zeffirelli’s production was revolutionary for 1967, in using teenage actors for the tragic Romeo and Juliet, and his choices were perfection: the young Olivia Hussey is a heartbreakingly beautiful, vulnerable and courageous Juliet, while Leonard Whiting is a sensitive, poetically handsome and appealing Romeo. Zeffirelli’s career as a director of opera is put to spectacular use here–each scene is meticulously crafted to be an accurate representation of an actual Renaissance scene. Stunningly beautiful clothing, furniture, food, glass, sculpture–it is an overwhelming feast for the eyes. The backgrounds are the preserved medieval towns of Northern Italy, and the gorgeous settings, such as the Borghese palace for the balcony scene, give the entire film the appearance of an animated Renaissance painting. Zeffirelli took some liberties with Shakespeare’s original script,excising some of it for the sake of brevity, but unless you are a die-hard Shakespeare purist, it is a minor flaw in this unforgettable film. The other key roles are acted to perfection by classically-trained performers like Robert Stephens, Michael York and John McEnery (a fiery and very exciting Tybalt and Mercutio). I never saw it in a theater without the sound of many girls weeping aloud by the end of the film–I was often one of them. Leslie Howard was a better actor, and Leonardo DiCaprio/Clare Danes are more contemporary, but if you love beauty, this is THE quintessential Romeo and Juliet on film. – Amazon reviewer
Starring Leonard Whiting, Olivia Hussey, John McEnery, Milo O’Shea, Pat Heywood, Robert Stephens, Michael York.
May be suitable for older children.
Parents need to know that four centuries haven’t diminished the relevance of this tragic and brilliantly worded story, in which the examples of two feuding families drive home a fatal point. Still, teens may see the story as a glamorization of suicide and the subject is well worth discussing with them. – Common Sense Media