Romeo and Juliet (1968/I)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Franco Zeffirelli

Writers:

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

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
Dyson Lovell	...	Sampson
Richard Warwick	...	Gregory
Roberto Antonelli
Carlo Palmucci
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ugo Barbone	...	Abraham (uncredited)
Salvatore Billa	...	Undetermined role (uncredited)
Bruno Filippini	...	Leonardo (uncredited)
Maria Fracci	...	(uncredited)
Aldo Miranda	...	Friar John (uncredited)
Laurence Olivier	...	Narrator (voice: English version) (uncredited)
Dario Tanzini	...	Page to Tybalt (uncredited)

Directed by
Franco Zeffirelli

Writing credits
William Shakespeare		(play)
Franco Brusati		(screenplay) &
Masolino D'Amico		(screenplay) &
Franco Zeffirelli		(screenplay)

Produced by
John Brabourne	....	producer
Richard B. Goodwin	....	associate producer (as Richard Goodwin)
Anthony Havelock-Allan	....	producer

Original Music by
Nino Rota

Cinematography by
Pasqualino De Santis		(lighting cameraman)

Film Editing by
Reginald Mills

Casting by
Dyson Lovell		(uncredited)

Production Design by
Lorenzo Mongiardino		(as Renzo Mongiardino)

Art Direction by
Emilio Carcano
Luciano Puccini

Costume Design by
Danilo Donati

Makeup Department
Mauro Gavazzi	....	makeup artist
Luciano Vito	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Giuseppe Bordogni	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Isa Bartalini	....	assistant director
Dyson Lovell	....	assistant director
Bert Pearl	....	assistant director
Rinaldo Ricci	....	assistant director

Art Department
Christine Edzard	....	set dresser
Italo Tomassi	....	set designer (uncredited)

Sound Department
Sash Fisher	....	sound mixer
Pat Foster	....	assistant dubbing editor
Mike Hopkins	....	dubbing editor (as Michael Hopkins)
Maurice Askew	....	sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)
Peter Maxwell	....	adr mixer (uncredited)
Lionel Strutt	....	sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)

Stunts
Nicolo Perno	....	fight arranger (as Nicolo' Perno)

Camera and Electrical Department
David Harcourt	....	camera operator
Dudley Lovell	....	camera operator

Editorial Department
John Rushton	....	assistant editor
Giorgio De Vincenzo	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Glen Weston	....	singing voice: Leonardo (uncredited)

Other crew
Gabriella Bernardi	....	production secretary
Anna Davini	....	production assistant
Pio De Vito	....	production accountant
Sue Huskisson	....	production secretary
Liselotte Kloncka	....	production secretary
Lamberto Pippia	....	production assistant
Alberto Testa	....	choreographer
Giorgio Albertazzi	....	voice dubbing: John McEnery (Italian version) (uncredited)
Roberto Bertea	....	voice dubbing: Paul Hardwick (Italian version) (uncredited)
Pino Colizzi	....	voice dubbing: Michael York (Italian version) (uncredited)
Dhia Cristiani	....	voice dubbing: Pat Heywood (Italian version) (uncredited)
Marina Dolfin	....	voice dubbing: Natasha Parry (Italian version) (uncredited)
Sergio Fantoni	....	voice dubbing: Robert Stephens (Italian version) (uncredited)
Mario Feliciani	....	voice dubbing: Milo O'Shea (Italian version) (uncredited)
Giancarlo Giannini	....	voice dubbing: Leonard Whiting (Italian version) (uncredited)
Anna Maria Guarnieri	....	voice dubbing: Olivia Hussey (Italian version) (uncredited)
Massimo Turci	....	voice dubbing: Bruce Robinson (Italian version) (uncredited)

Production Companies

• BHE Films
• Verona Produzione (made with)
• Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica (made with)

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1968) (USA) (theatrical)
• Paramount Pictures (1973) (USA) (theatrical) (reissue)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1980) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• CIC Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Paramount Filmes do Brasil (Brazil) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Cinecittá Studios  filmed at (as Cinecittà Studios - Rome)

Also Known As:

William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (UK) (complete title) (USA) (complete title)
Romeo e Giulietta (Italy)

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:

Continuity: After Tybalt is stabbed, the blood stain on his shirt keeps changing places.

Quotes:

Romeo: Death that hath sucked the honey of thy breath hath had no power yet upon thy beauty.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Cannibal (2006/I)

Soundtrack:

What Is a Youth

A scandal that the Academy did not give this best film

I saw Romeo and Juliet at the Odeon Leicester Square, the day after the Royal Premier and from that day I was hooked on this film. I went back three times with different sets of friends just to watch it again and each time I enjoyed it more. Now owning it on DVD when I want to just feel good about films I watch it!

So much has already been written about the youth of the two young unknown stars and the chemistry that they had on screen that I don't need to repeat it now. However the key to this film's great success was that it was visually stunning, Zefferelli is the master of using colour, setting and costume to great effect. He was so clever in his casting, not just with the very handsome young Leonard Whiting who at the time when I was only 18 myself I thought was gorgeous but also the innocence of an immature Hussey was perfect. A master stroke was Milo O'Shea as Friar Lawrence, never ever has there been a better role for this talented by rarely seen Irish actor.

It's pointless complaining that the text is cut, by leaving out Romeo killing Paris and also the apothecary selling Romeo the poison in no way detracts from the overall imagery and beauty of Shakespeare's text. To have made the film using the whole text would have been too difficult and perhaps Zefferelli did want to portray Romeo as a little nicer than he actually was. In truth he was a fickle young man as all teenage boys can be and also prone to an amount of passionate violence so prevalent in adolescence. But this was Italy in Tudor times when life was cheap and the willingness to reach for the sword was as it should be.Shakespeare understood human nature better than anyone and that's why all his plays show so much insight into the human spirit.

Zefferelli balanced the film perfectly, nothing was overdone. He combined the tragedy with the humour as well as the love story by casting the right actor for each role and even if some of them faded into oblivium later, for this film they were all perfect. I never want to see another version. Baz Luhrmann's pales in comparison and thats not a bad film.

Come the Oscars I waited with baited breath having convinced myself that it would get best film - I was so disappointed!. It did collect Best Costume and I think Best Cinematography, but what a travesty, especially when the film that did win that year was not even in the same league and is hardly ever remembered. It's always very difficult to succeed with Shakespeare on the big screen but this version of Romeo and Juliet had it all. Only Kenneth Brannagh's mammoth production of the uncut version of Hamlet comes anywhere near this wonderful film.

How Nino Roto's soundtrack also missed out on an Oscar I will never understand. Footnote: Luciano Pavarotti has recorded the main love theme and it's called Ai giochi addio - it is so beautiful it will make you cry as you remember the film.