This lavish British-Italian production about ill-fated and star-crossed lovers deals about the Montagues and the Capulets, two powerful families of Verona , hate each other . They are two feuding families whose young sons Romeo (Leonard Whiting) and Juliet (Olivia Hussey) meet and fall in love and whose passion for one another is irresistible. Romeo, son of Montague, crashes a Capulet party, and there meets Juliet, daughter of Capulet . They fall passionately in love . Since their families would disapprove, they marry in secret . There are many obstacles on the way and they have to hide their love from the world because both know which their parents will not allow them to be together . The prince of Verona has prohibited duels and fights, but Tybaldo Capulet (Michael York) kills Mercutio (Peter MacEnery) and Romeo Montague as revenge murders gets in a fight with Tybalt , nephew of Lady Capulet, and kills him . Romeo . He is banished from Verona. Capulet, not knowing that his daughter is already married, proceeds with his plans to marry Juliet to Paris , a prince . This puts Juliet in quite a spot, so she goes to the sympathetic Friar Laurence (Milo O'Shea), who married her to Romeo. He suggests a daring plan to extricate her from her fix . Tragedy ensues. The priest friend prepares a potion for Juliet to simulate her death. Then Romeo is banished to Mantua when he receives the news that Juliet has dead, and happen their tragic destiny.
This is one of the best filmed and most pleasant adaptations of Shakespeare's play about a young love is poisoned by a generations long feud between two noble families . Lush Production Design by Lorenzo Mongiardino and being well-performed, two protagonists are adequate for the roles, as at the play they were fifteen and fourteen years old respectively . The first major film production of this play to actually cast leading actors who were close to the ages of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Julietn. Franco Zeffirelli needed to get special permission to show teenaged Olivia Hussey topless in one scene. Leonard Whiting, who was from Great Britian, was 17 at the time and did not need permission . This is considered to be the best version based on known play by William Shakespeare , though is handicapped because the overlong of this romantic flick . This sumptuously version has the virtue of good and appealing casting, such as John McEnery as Mercutio, Michael York as Tybalt ,Bruce Robinson as Benvolio, Milo O'Shea as Friar Laurence , first cinema film of Pat Heywoodas The Nurse and Robert Stephens as The Prince of Verona . And Laurence Olivier , he agreed to play the uncredited role of the narrator because he was so impressed with Zeffirelli's work for the National Theatre of Great Britain, of which Olivier was director at the time and he did it all for the love of William Shakespeare and didn't accept any payment. Exquisitely cinematography by Pasqualino De Santis, a magnificent Italian cameraman , being shot on evocative location in Verona . Hauntingly wonderful musical score by the classic composer Nino Rota , including unforgettable melody . Splendidly directed by Franco Zeffirelli , he initially planned the film as a television production , then Paramount became involved and increased the budget. Anyone interested in tragic love tales and timeless stories will want to watch this cinematic version on Shakespeare tragedy.
Other versions about this know story are the followings : the vintage classic, Romeo and Juliet(36)by George Cukor with Norma Shearer and Leslie Howard; Renato Castenalli rendition with Laurence Harvey , Susan Shentall , Flora Robson Bill Travers and Enzo Fiermonte , Mervyn Johns ; a dance adaptation(1966) by Paul Czinner with Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn; famous rendition(1968) by Franco Zeffirelli with Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey; and modern version(1996) by Baz Luhrmann with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes . Being recently shot the followings : Romeo y Julieta (2013)by Carlo Carlei with Hailee Steinfeld , Douglas Booth , Damian Lewis , Laura Morante ,Tomas Arana , Kodi Smit-McPhee , Natascha McElhone , Stellan Skarsgård and Romeo and Juliet (2014) by Don Roy King with Orlando Bloom as Romeo and Condola Rashad as Juliet .
This is one of the best filmed and most pleasant adaptations of Shakespeare's play about a young love is poisoned by a generations long feud between two noble families . Lush Production Design by Lorenzo Mongiardino and being well-performed, two protagonists are adequate for the roles, as at the play they were fifteen and fourteen years old respectively . The first major film production of this play to actually cast leading actors who were close to the ages of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Julietn. Franco Zeffirelli needed to get special permission to show teenaged Olivia Hussey topless in one scene. Leonard Whiting, who was from Great Britian, was 17 at the time and did not need permission . This is considered to be the best version based on known play by William Shakespeare , though is handicapped because the overlong of this romantic flick . This sumptuously version has the virtue of good and appealing casting, such as John McEnery as Mercutio, Michael York as Tybalt ,Bruce Robinson as Benvolio, Milo O'Shea as Friar Laurence , first cinema film of Pat Heywoodas The Nurse and Robert Stephens as The Prince of Verona . And Laurence Olivier , he agreed to play the uncredited role of the narrator because he was so impressed with Zeffirelli's work for the National Theatre of Great Britain, of which Olivier was director at the time and he did it all for the love of William Shakespeare and didn't accept any payment. Exquisitely cinematography by Pasqualino De Santis, a magnificent Italian cameraman , being shot on evocative location in Verona . Hauntingly wonderful musical score by the classic composer Nino Rota , including unforgettable melody . Splendidly directed by Franco Zeffirelli , he initially planned the film as a television production , then Paramount became involved and increased the budget. Anyone interested in tragic love tales and timeless stories will want to watch this cinematic version on Shakespeare tragedy.
Other versions about this know story are the followings : the vintage classic, Romeo and Juliet(36)by George Cukor with Norma Shearer and Leslie Howard; Renato Castenalli rendition with Laurence Harvey , Susan Shentall , Flora Robson Bill Travers and Enzo Fiermonte , Mervyn Johns ; a dance adaptation(1966) by Paul Czinner with Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn; famous rendition(1968) by Franco Zeffirelli with Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey; and modern version(1996) by Baz Luhrmann with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes . Being recently shot the followings : Romeo y Julieta (2013)by Carlo Carlei with Hailee Steinfeld , Douglas Booth , Damian Lewis , Laura Morante ,Tomas Arana , Kodi Smit-McPhee , Natascha McElhone , Stellan Skarsgård and Romeo and Juliet (2014) by Don Roy King with Orlando Bloom as Romeo and Condola Rashad as Juliet .