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Romeo and Juliet
Impression of Romeo & Juliet years after first seeing it.
A Great Love Story
The power of love.
"For never was a story of more woe Than this of Juliet and her Romeo."

Romeo & Juliet (1968)
Starring: Leonard Whiting , Olivia Hussey , John McEnery , Milo O'Shea , and Pat Heywood (II)
Director: Franco Zeffirelli
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: Video
Binding: VHS Tape

Hussey, Olivia | ( H ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

O'Shea, Milo | ( O ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Parry, Natasha | ( P ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Stephens, Robert | ( S ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

Warwick, Richard | ( W ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

York, Michael | ( Y ) | Actors & Actresses | VHS | Video

General | Drama | Genres | VHS | Video

Classics | Drama | Genres | VHS | Video

Zeffirelli, Franco | ( Z ) | Directors | VHS | Video

Drama | Today's Deals in Video | Features | VHS | Video

Deals Under $8 | Today's Deals in Video | Features | VHS | Video

Hamlet
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Twelfth Night
Macbeth / McKellen, Dench (Thames Shakespeare Collection)
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ASIN: 6300216039
Release Date: 1996-09-10

Amazon.com

Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet was unique in its day for casting kids in the play's pivotal roles of, well, kids. Seventeen-year-old Leonard Whiting and 15-year-old Olivia Hussey play the titular pair, the Bard's star-crossed lovers who defy a running feud between their families in order to be together in love. Typically played on stage and in previous film productions by adult actors, the innocent look and rawness of Whiting and Hussey resonated at the time with a burgeoning youth movement from San Francisco to Prague. The tragic romance at the center of the story also clicked with anti-authority sentiments, but even without that, Zeffirelli scores points by validating the ideals and passions of strong-willed adolescents. Less successful are scenes requiring the actors to have a fuller grasp of the text, though the best thing going remains the unambiguous duel between Romeo and Tybalt (Michael York). Lavishly photographed by Pasquale de Santis on location in Italy, this Romeo and Juliet brought a different tone and dimension to a story that had become tiresome in reverential presentations. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Romeo and Juliet.......2007-06-28

My favorite version of this oft-filmed classic is Zeffirelli's Oscar-nominated version. Starring two unknowns in the title roles (17-year-old Whiting and 15-year-old Hussey), the movie remains true to Shakespeare, while making the language more accessible to modern audiences. Both Michael York (as Romeo's nemesis, Tybalt) and Milo O'Shea (as Mercutio) lend strong support, while Zeffirelli's unabashed romanticism is enhanced by magnificent period detail and a sweeping score from Nino Rota. The story of youthful rebellion also spoke to basic issues arising in the restive sixties. A top-notch rendering of an eternal classic.

Impression of Romeo & Juliet years after first seeing it........2007-06-16

I first saw the 1968 version of Romeo & Juliet the year it was released.
In our small town, we had only one theatre, and it showed the same movie
for about 5 days. I was studying Shakespeare in college and decided it
might be a good idea to see the film. The first viewing made such an
impression on me that I was left wanting more. I know I went the first
night it opened and then went every night again till it left the theatre.

In the period between 1968 & 2007, I didn't see the movie...even though
VHS & DVD releases made it possible. I'm not sure why I decided to see
it again...by accident, I guess. After so many years, I was surprised
to have the same emotions as I'd felt so long ago. Leonard Whiting &
Olivia Hussey are perfection in their title roles...both in appearance and delivery of the famous lines. If nither of them had never done anything else in their careers, they've left a lasting impression (as teenage actors) which will be ageless. Others may try to better this production of Shakespeare's famous play, but none will ever come even close to equalizing the 1968 production by Franco Zeffirelli. Do yourself a favor and buy the movie in DVD or VHS. You'll want to watch it again and again to see scenery you've missed and understand lines you've heard.

I've read some reviews indicating [...] aspects of the 1968 production.
These people need psychiatric help. Their repulsive suggestions toward
the acting/actors in this production couldn't be more off the mark.
There is nothing [...] or degrading about this movie.

A Great Love Story.......2007-06-08

I saw this movie when I was in High School. I have LOVEd it ever since. The Nurse charater just cracks me up. Olivia Hussy was really beautiful. For you kids out there that think nothing existed before 1980, this version is just as good as the Leonardo DiCaprio version.

The power of love. .......2007-05-25

I only have one thing to say. This movie shows what true love really is.

"For never was a story of more woe Than this of Juliet and her Romeo.".......2007-04-28

I've loved it since I saw it first time - I was 16 and for me, Romeo and Juliet were not the Shakespeare's characters, they were just a girl and a boy who loved each other and died together because they could not live without each other. I did not know the names behind the production but I remember that the costumes were gorgeous (I still remember the red and gold dress Juliet wore in her first scene), the score and song were sweet and tender, and the cinematography brought to life a very real Verona, colorful and violent. Only much later I learned that Nino Rota was the composer, Danilo Donati a costume designer, and Pasqualino De Santis a cinematographer. Both Donati and De Santis won very well deserved Oscars.)

I was absolutely charmed by Olivia Hussey - she could be the most beautiful (and sensual and youngest) Juliet ever on screen. The only other film I've seen her was "Death on the Nile" - and she was not lost among very famous costars (Peter Ustinov, Bette Davis, and Angela Lansbury among others). I also remember that even though I was in love with Leonard Whiting's Romeo, I realized that as an actor he was much less interesting than John McEnry (whimsical Mercucio), Milo O'Shea (Friar Laurence) and Pat Heywood (the Nurse). Zeffirelli came from a successful career as an international opera designer and director in London, New York, and Milan with a reputation for opulent spectacle. It may explain his ability to handle crowds on the screen so effortlessly and skillfully. He also at one point of his career worked as Luchino Visconti's assistant - perhaps he learned a lot from him. In "Romeo and Juliet" he was able to make a very dynamic film that did not feel at all as an adapted play and also was a great romance which made me feel incredibly close to its characters. Four hundreds years seemed to disappear and Shakespeare became my contemporary. I've seen "Romeo and Juliet" many times and I believe Zeffirelli's is the best adaptation of the play. Well, there is of course, the ballet with the Sergey Prokofiev's music - but it is a different story altogether.

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