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:

Passion | Teenage Girl | Bare Butt | Dysfunctional Family | Atmospheric

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
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:

Romeo e Giulietta (Italy)

Runtime:

138 min

Country:

UK | Italy

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | UK:A (original rating) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | South Korea:12 | UK:PG (video rating) (1987) | 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: When Romeo is talking to Tybalt's dead body, Tybalt is visibly breathing.

Quotes:

Juliet: My only love sprung from my only hate. Too early seen unknown, and known too late.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Donggam (2000)

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