Italian director Franco Zeffirelli stunned the screen world when he cast two young unknowns to portray the star-crossed lovers in Romeo & Juliet, but it was a gamble that resulted in one of the most popular motion pictures of all time,winning international acclaim and four Academy Award® nominations.
Romeo & Juliet
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Description
Director Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 version of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet was touted at the time of its release (successfully, if the box-office receipts are any indication), as something of a "youth trip" movie. This is because Zeffirelli broke the long-standing tradition of casting over-aged, sometimes grey-haired players in the title roles. Seventeen-year-old Leonard Whiting plays Romeo, with 15-year-old Olivia Hussey as Juliet. The youthfulness and inexperience of the leading players works beautifully in the more passionate sequences (some of these breaking further ground by being played in the nude). Among the younger players are Michael York as Tybalt and John McEnery as Mercutio. The duel between Romeo and Tybalt starts out as a harmless, frat-boy exchange of insults, then escalates into tragedy before any of the participants are fully aware of what has happened. Photographed by Pasqualino DeSantis on various locations in Italy, Romeo and Juliet was one of the most profitable film adaptations of Shakespeare ever produced. Its most lasting legacy is its popular main theme music, composed by Nino Rota.
Cast and crew
-
Franco Zeffirelli
Director -
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
Lord Paris -
Roy Holder
Peter -
Keith Skinner
Balthazar -
Dyson Lovell
Sampson -
Richard Warwick
Gregory -
Roberto Antonelli
Abram -
Carlo Palmucci
Complementary Role -
William Shakespeare
Writer -
Franco Brusati
Writer -
Masolino D'Amico
Writer
Additional information
Directors
Franco ZeffirelliDirectors
Studio
ParamountStudio
Subtitles
English (CC)Subtitles
Released year
1968Released year
Age rating
Duration
2 h 18 minDuration
Genres
DramaRomance
Genres
Romance
Writers
William ShakespeareFranco Brusati
Masolino D'Amico
Writers
Franco Brusati
Masolino D'Amico
Size
8.05 GB (1080p HD)3.7 GB (720p HD)
2.74 GB (SD)
Size
3.7 GB (720p HD)
2.74 GB (SD)
Additional terms
Terms of transactionWindows | Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 or later |
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Xbox | Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox One S, Xbox One X |
Mobile | Windows Phone 8, Windows Phone 8.1, Windows 10 or later |