Romeo & Juliet (1978) (TV)

Director:

Alvin Rakoff

Writer:

William Shakespeare (play)

Release Date:

3 December 1978 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona where we lay our scene, from ancient grudge break...

Plot Keywords:

Love | Mother Son Relationship | Father Son Relationship | Secret From Family | Tragedy

Cast

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
Zulema Dene	...	Lady Montague
Esmond Knight	...	Old Capulet
David Sibley	...	Sampson
Jack Carr	...	Gregory
Bunny Reed	...	Abraham
Vernon Dobtcheff	...	Apothecary
John Savident	...	Friar John
Danny Schiller	...	Musician
Jeremy Young	...	1st Watch
Jeffrey Chiswick	...	2nd Watch
Gary Taylor	...	Potpan
Mark Arden	...	Page
Robert Burbage	...	Page
Alan Bowerman	...	1st Citizen

Directed by
Alvin Rakoff

Writing credits
William Shakespeare		(play)

Produced by
Cedric Messina	....	producer

Original Music by
James Tyler

Production Design by
Stuart Walker

Costume Design by
Odette Barrow

Makeup Department
Dawn Alcock	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Fraser Lowden	....	unit production manager

Sound Department
Colin Dixon	....	sound

Stunts
William Hobbs	....	fight director

Camera and Electrical Department
John Treays	....	lighting technician

Music Department
David Lloyd-Jones	....	music advisor
William Walton	....	composer: title music

Other crew
Carol Robertson	....	production assistant
Alan Shallcross	....	script editor
Geraldine Stephenson	....	choreographer
John Wilders	....	literary consultant

Production Companies

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

Other Companies

• London Early Music Group  music performed by

Also Known As:

"The Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet" - USA (video title)

Runtime:

USA:168 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

Unlike most versions of the play, the actress cast to play Juliet was similar to Juliet's actual age; in the play, Juliet is only 13, but in most stagings and adaptations a girl in her late teens/early twenties plays the role. Rebecca Saire was only 14 when she made this film.

Movie Connections:

Version of Romeo + Juliet (1996)

Shakespeare Should be Rolling in his Grave

For my first taste of Shakespeare on stage, I cannot believe what these people did to a perfectly good play.

-Let's start off with the good bit, shall we?-

Alan Rickman is alright, although some of his dialog could have been delivered with more feeling. The rest of the actors needed to pull it together.

Romeo, Romeo, whyfore art thou not dead yet, Romeo? The actor, while not only completely wooden and deadpan, could not read his lines with any gusto at all. He was completely out of focus, had difficulty even looking Juliet in the face, and absolutely NO grace with the lines that he was given. Whoever cast him deserves to be punished. Juliet is almost passable, but she gives no depth to her character,and seems to be completely out of touch with the play. Mercutio was incredibly creepy and completely out of character for the entirety of his dialog. Benvolio was unfeeling and mercilessly choppy with his lines.

I was forced to endure this half-baked production of Romeo and Juliet. The acting was stilted and the costumes were nothing short of distracting. I have seen kindergarten puppet shows with more effort put into them. I only wish that i could give this movie a rating of zero.