Romeo and Juliet (1968/I)

Director:

Franco Zeffirelli

Writers:

William Shakespeare (play)
Franco Brusati (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

8 October 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

The 1968 Royal Film Performance [UK Theatrical]

Plot:

When the now famous "star crossed lovers" of two enemy families meet, forbidden love ensues.

Plot Keywords:

Forbidden Love | Tragedy | Teenage Girl | Young Man | Secret From Mother

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 13 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Leonard Whiting	...	Romeo
Olivia Hussey	...	Juliet
John McEnery	...	Mercutio
Milo O'Shea	...	Friar Laurence
Pat Heywood	...	The Nurse
Robert Stephens	...	The Prince of Verona
Michael York	...	Tybalt
Bruce Robinson	...	Benvolio
Paul Hardwick	...	Lord Capulet
Natasha Parry	...	Lady Capulet
Antonio Pierfederici	...	Lord Montague
Esmeralda Ruspoli	...	Lady Montague
Roberto Bisacco	...	Paris
Roy Holder	...	Peter
Keith Skinner	...	Balthazar

Also Known As:

William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (UK) (complete title) (USA) (complete title)
Romeo e Giulietta (Italy)
Romeo y Julieta (Argentina) (Mexico) (Spain) [es]
Rómeó és Júlia (Hungary) [hu]
Roméo & Juliette (France) [fr]
Roméo et Juliette (Belgium: French title) [fr]
Romeo & Julia (West Germany) [de]
Romeo ja Julia (Finland) [fi]
Romeo och Julia (Sweden) [sv]
Romeo og Julie (Denmark) [da]
Romeo und Julia (West Germany) [de]
Romeu & Julieta (Brazil) [pt]

Runtime:

138 min

Country:

UK | Italy

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1987) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | South Korea:12 | USA:G (original rating) (Approved No. 21756) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:11 | West Germany:12 | USA:PG (edited for re-rating) (1973) | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

Artena, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

BHE Films

Trivia:

The first major film production of this play to actually cast leading actors who were close to the ages of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Zeffirelli needed to get special permission to show teenaged Olivia Hussey topless in one scene.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the chapel, when Juliet wakes up to find Romeo dead, she leans over him in mourning, though he is visibly breathing.

Quotes:

Lady Capulet: I beg for justice, which thou prince must give! Romeo slew Tybalt... Romeo must not live!
The Prince: Romeo slew him... He slew Mercutio. Who now the price of his dear blood doth owe?
Lord Montague: Not Romeo, Prince! He was Mercutio's friend. His fault concludes but what the law should end-the life of Tybalt!
The Prince: And for that offense, immediately we do exile him hence! Let Romeo hence in haste... Else, when he is found... that hour is his last.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Quest of the Delta Knights (#10.13)" (1998)

Soundtrack:

What Is a Youth

Leonard and Olivia

This was the first time we actually saw the teenage love Shakespeare intended. Years and years before Leonardo Di Caprio and Clare Danes, Leonard Whiting and Olivia Houssey gave life to the tragic story told in this ancestral tale, revamping it without betraying it, making it accessible to a 60s audience without updating it. Leonard and Olivia were so beautiful that Shakespeare became trendy again and I don't mean any disrespect by it, I'm simply stating a fact. The real, stunning, dusty locations, the costumes, the faces, the music made the whole thing a totally new Shakespearen experience. Remember than the biggest screen adaptation of this play had been with the forty something Leslie Howard and Norma Shearer in those roles. Here everything reeked of youth underlining the tragedy in the most cinematic way. Another important point is to confirm that in 2007 the film still feels young and fresh. Recommended