Romeo and Juliet (1968 film)
| Romeo and Juliet | |
|---|---|
theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Franco Zeffirelli |
| Produced by |
John Brabourne Anthony Havelock-Allan |
| Screenplay by |
Franco Brusati Masolino D'Amico Franco Zeffirelli |
| Based on |
Romeo and Juliet (play) by William Shakespeare |
| Starring | |
| Narrated by | Laurence Olivier |
| Music by | Nino Rota |
| Cinematography | Pasqualino De Santis |
| Edited by | Reginald Mills |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
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Release date
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8 October 1968 |
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Running time
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138 minutes |
| Country |
United Kingdom Italy |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $850,000 |
| Box office | $38.9 million |
Romeo and Juliet is a 1968 British-Italian romance film based on the tragic play of the same name (1591–1595) by William Shakespeare.
The film was directed and co-written by Franco Zeffirelli, and stars Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey. It won Academy Awards for Best Cinematography (Pasqualino De Santis) and Best Costume Design (Danilo Donati); it was also nominated for Best Director and Best Picture, making it the last Shakespearean film to be nominated for Best Picture to date. Sir Laurence Olivier spoke the film's prologue and epilogue and reportedly dubbed the voice of the Italian actor playing Lord Montague, but was not credited in the film.
Being the most financially successful film adaptation of a Shakespeare play at the time of its release, it was popular among teenagers partly because it was the first film to use actors who were close to the age of the characters from the original play. Several critics also welcomed the film enthusiastically.
In Verona, Italy, the longstanding feud between the Montague and the Capulet clans breaks out in a street brawl, broken up by the Prince of the city. The same night, two teenagers of the two families — Romeo (Montague ("Montecchi" in Italian) ) and Juliet (Capulet ("Capuleti" in Italian) ) — meet at a Capulet masked ball and become deeply infatuated. Later, Romeo stumbles into the secluded garden under Juliet's bedroom balcony and the two exchange impassioned pledges. They are soon secretly married by Romeo's confessor and father figure, Friar Laurence, with the assistance of Juliet's nursemaid. Unfortunately, another street duel breaks out between Juliet's first cousin Tybalt and Romeo's best friend Mercutio when Tybalt insults Romeo. Since Tybalt is Juliet's cousin and Romeo has just been married to Juliet, he sees Tybalt as family and refuses to fight him, leading Mercutio to be a loyal friend and fight for him. This leads to Mercutio's death. Romeo retaliates by fighting Tybalt and killing him, and is punished by the Prince with banishment instead of the death penalty. Romeo, however, sees his banishment as worse than death, as Verona is the only home he has known and does not want to be pulled away from Juliet. Friar Laurence eventually convinces Romeo that he is very lucky and should be thankful for what he has. Romeo and Juliet secretly spend their wedding night together and consummate their marriage.
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