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Romeo and Juliet
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Synopsis
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. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cast

Roberto Bisacco Count Paris
Paul Hardwick Lord Capulet
Pat Heywood The Nurse
Roy Holder Peter
Olivia Hussey Juliet
John McEnery Mercutio
Milo O'Shea Friar Laurence
Natasha Parry Lady Capulet
Antonio Pierfederici Lord Montague
Esmeralda Ruspoli Lady Montague
Keith Skinner Balthazar
Robert Stephens Prince Of Verona
Richard Warwick Gregory
Leonard Whiting Romeo
Michael York Tybalt
Bruce Robinson Benvolio
Dyson Lovell Sampson
Ugo Barbone Abraham
Aldo Miranda Friar John
Dario Tanzini Page to Tybalt

Production Crew

Luciano Puccini Art Director
Richard Goodwin Associate Producer
Pasqualino De Santis Cinematographer
Nino Rota Composer (Music Score)
Danilo Donati Costume Designer
Franco Zeffirelli Director
Reginald Mills Editor
William Shakespeare Play Author
Anthony Havelock-Allan Producer
Lord John Brabourne Producer
Lorenzo Mongiardino Production Designer
Franco Brusati Screenwriter
Franco Zeffirelli Screenwriter
Masolino D'Amico Screenwriter
Christine Edzard Set Designer
Eugen Walter Songwriter
Henry Mancini Songwriter
Year: 1968
Runtime: 140
Country: Italy
MPAA Rating:
Category: Feature

Genre
Drama
Romance

Produced by
British Home Entertainment
De Laurentiis Entertainment Group
Paramount
Verona

Release
October 19, 1968 (Italy)

Awards
1968 - Best Foreign Film - English Language - Golden Globe
1968 - Best Picture - National Board of Review
1968 - Best Picture - Academy
1968 - Best Picture - Academy
1968 - Best Picture - Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie
1968 - Best Picture - National Board of Review
1968 - Best Picture - Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie
1968 - Best Foreign Film - English Language - Hollywood Foreign Press Association