Romeo & Juliet (TV 1978)

Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona where we lay our scene, from ancient grudge break to new mutiny where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins... See full summary »

Director:

Alvin Rakoff

Writer:

William Shakespeare (play)

Stars:

Patrick Ryecart, Rebecca Saire, Celia Johnson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Patrick Ryecart	...	Romeo
Rebecca Saire	...	Juliet
Celia Johnson	...	Nurse
Michael Hordern	...	Capulet
John Gielgud	...	Chorus
Joseph O'Conor	...	Friar Laurence
Laurence Naismith	...	Prince Escalus
Anthony Andrews	...	Mercutio
Alan Rickman	...	Tybalt
Jacqueline Hill	...	Lady Capulet
Christopher Strauli	...	Benvolio
Christopher Northey	...	Paris
Paul Henry	...	Peter
Roger Davidson	...	Balthasar
John Paul	...	Montague

Storyline

Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona where we lay our scene, from ancient grudge break to new mutiny where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes a pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life whose misadventur'd piteous overthrows doth with their death bury their parents' strife.

---

Plot Keywords:

father daughter relationship | pressure from father | mother daughter relationship | biting one's thumb | secret from mother | 

---

Genres:

Drama | Romance

---

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 December 1978 (UK)

Also Known As:

The Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Time-Life Television Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

168 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The second production of "Romeo and Juliet" in which John Gielgud recites the prologue.

---

Connections

Version of Anjuman (1948)

User Reviews

Awful acting

Have to admit, this version disgraces Shakespeare upfront! None can act except the nurse who was my fav! Juliet had good skills as a teen but she can't give emotional depth to her lines and we really can never connect to her. She's worse doing the scene when she is contemplating drinking the sleeping potion...god stop whining! I would have poured it in her mouth to shut her up! Anthony Andrews...yikes! Considering his other great movies (Brideshead Revisited, Ivanhoe, Scarlet Pimpernel), he's quite a shocker in this one. And don't get me started on Romeo...puhleasssssee! It's still good to see if you're on the hunt to see every Romeo and Juliet ever made in the history of film. Olivia and Leonard's version is still the best, followed by Leslie Howard's version and then the current Leo and Clare!