Named as one the best 1,000 movies ever made by the new york times, the 1936 film adaptation of romeo and juliet stars leslie howard and norma shearer as romeo and juliet. The two teenaged lovers, romeo and juliet, fall in love the first time they see each other, but their families feud requires they remain enemies. Ive only seen two versions not counting gnomeo and juliet, i think the romeo and juliet death scene at the end was better in the leonardo caprio rather than the one with franco zefferelli. Romeo and juliet secretly wed despite the sworn contempt their families hold for each other. Sep 17, 2000 romeo and juliet is always said to be the first romantic tragedy ever written, but it isnt really a tragedy at all. A group of young men act like delinquents at a fuel station, waving. Director franco zeffirellis 1968 version of shakespeares romeo. It is not long, however, before a chain of fateful events changes the lives of both families forever. Mgm was a little apprehensive about allowing director george cukor to make. A true love letter to one of the best movies of the nineties, this event is an absolute must for fans. Romeo and juliet have no flaws, and arent old enough to be blamed if they did.
Romeo and juliet which romeo and juliet movie is the. The film stars douglas booth, hailee steinfeld, damian lewis, kodi smitmcphee, ed westwick, stellan skarsgard and paul giamatti. Going into the movie, i thought it was going to do poor with the amount of criticism the film had beforehand. A performance history of shakespeares romeo and juliet. Romeo and juliet act 1 scene 5 romeo first notices juliet. They have to hide their love from the world because they know that their parents will not allow them to be together. Examination questions and answers romeo, rosaline, and juliet the importance of romeo and rosaline romeo and juliet plot summary acts 1 and 2 romeo and juliet plot summary acts 3, 4 and 5 romeo and juliet and the rules of dramatic tragedy. The moment the director yelled cut, danes smacked dicaprio on the arm and said, dont make me cry. The film was directed and cowritten by franco zeffirelli, and stars leonard whiting and olivia hussey. Oct 11, 20 the young men of both families are hotblooded and ready to fight at any provocation, despite the princes edict against such fights. This is the best romeo and juliet adaptation ive ever seen. Olivia hussey nude romeo and juliet 1968 video celebs. The power of romeos love, however, often obscures a clear vision of romeos character, which is far more complex. Add into this the fact that even qualifiers for film quality like awards, box office and longevity are flawed at best.
How there can be two opinions about this, it is difficult to see. As youths insolence arms the charming young montague, romeo, with dauntless courage to come uninvited to the capulets scintillating masked ball, a brief but thrilling encounter with the delicate darkhaired capulet, juliet, will pave the way for an ardent passion and a cruel romantic tragedy. A group of young men act like delinquents at a fuel station, waving guns around and intimidating other people who are there. Romeo and juliet 1968 rotten tomatoes movie trailers. Juliet is the only daughter of the patriarch of the house of capulet. The date of the first performance is unknown but it was first performed by the lord chamberlains men. My first and most influential exposure to shakespeare was in 1970 or 71, when i was 14, in my english lessons with ray winch who later became my friend. Romeo and juliet 19 movie clip i never saw true beauty. Was franco zeffirellis romeo and juliet your first, or. The director, franco zeferelli, wanted to make the movie sexier and more appealing than the stage play, so he took the second half of the famous balcony scene and put it in juliets chamber the next morning. But when young romeo, a montague, first sets eyes on the virginal capulet daughter juliet, no enmity between families can prevent his falling in love with her, and her with him. The solid leads and arresting visuals make a case for zeffirellis romeo and juliet as the definitive cinematic adaptation of the play. Together with hamlet, romeo and juliet is almost certainly the most performed of shakespeares plays. The play was first heard on film in the hollywood revue of 1929, in which john gilbert recited the balcony scene opposite norma shearer.
He has fallen madly in love with rosaline, and the irony is that she has probably hardly ever noticed him. Olivia hussey was put on diet pills when she was first cast as juliet. Baz luhrmann s energetic adaptation of romeo and juliet, starring leonardo dicaprio and claire danes as the starcrossed lovers, hit theaters on nov. Olivia hussey and leonard whiting in romeo and juliet 1968 leonard whiting in romeo. Several important scenes in the movie have water in them. Although olivia was not an adult at that time, she had nice boobs and an angel face. Ill have you tortured if you dont put down your swords and listen to your angry prince. The first american film version of william shakespeares romeo and juliet was a silent film short made in 1908 made by vitagraph studios. Men who turn their weapons against their own neighborsthey wont listen to me.
William shakespeares 1590s play romeo and juliet has been adapted to film and television. Have you ever seen the movie version of romeo and juliet. Check out our countdown to the greatest movie version of the greatest love story ever told, ahead. All the most notable romeo and juliet movie adaptations, ranked in descending order from the worst to the best. Jul 23, 2015 thiss the best kissing scene ever of romeo and juliet, one of the most romantic film. Olivia hussey became a movie star at age 15 when she was cast as the most infamous doomed lover in 1968s romeo and juliet and the actress is. The souvenir program given out when the film first played in theatres indicates that plans were originally made for paris to be killed by romeo, just as in the original play there is a reference to the graveyard where romeo slays paris.
Romeo and juliet 20 rotten tomatoes movie trailers. Romeo and juliet is a play about the conflict between the main characters love, with its transformative power, and the darkness, hatred, and selfishness represented by their families feud. Juliet capulet is the female protagonist in william shakespeare s romantic tragedy romeo and juliet. Always before, we have had actors in their 20s or 30s or even older, reciting shakespeares speeches to each other as if it were the words that mattered. Romeo and juliet, american film drama, released in 1968, that was an. Oct 07, 2011 at the capulet masquerade ball, romeo leonard whiting falls in love with juliet olivia hussey at first sight. But when young romeo, a montague, first sets eyes on the virginal capulet daughter juliet, no enmity between families can prevent his. The moral of romeo and juliet the play has received its share of attention from shakespeares critics. Olivia hussey recalls controversial romeo and juliet.
Romeo and juliet remains the magical high point of his career. 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. Romeo and juliet in harlem 2015 film, directed by aleta chapelle the first shakespeare feature film adaptation of romeo and juliet with a complete cast of color that stays true to the language and storyline. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes, a pair of starcrossed lovers take their life, whose misadventured piteous overthrows doth, with their death, bury their parents strife. Before the great success of romeo and juliet, be first visited shakespeare for the shaky but highspirited taming of the shrew 1967, with burton and taylor. Romeo and juliet is always said to be the first romantic tragedy ever written, but it isnt really a tragedy at all. Its not even the best baz luhrmann movie ever made. Leonardo dicaprios version of romeo s speech at juliet s bier was so good that it moved claire danes to tears, nearly ruining the scene. Shakespeare wrote romeo and juliet to explain the worst possible situation lovers can find themselves in. Romeo and juliet first kiss which takes place in a cramped elevator with the camera dizzyingly swirling around them was achieved by making the elevator into sections and putting the camera on a circular dolly. Romeo and juliet, william shakespeares epic and searing tale of love, is revitalized on screen by writer julian fellowes downton abbey and director carlos carlei the flight of the innocent. The class read the merchant of venice and, although of course i didnt understand it al. The first scene of the movie describes some of the things to come include two star crossd lovers who take their own lives.
The young men of both families are hotblooded and ready to fight at any provocation, despite the princes edict against such fights. To begin with, zeffirellis film is the first production of romeo and juliet i am familiar with in which the romance is taken seriously. The latter two were both, in their time, the highestgrossing shakespeare film ever. The 10 greatest productions of romeo and juliet of all time. Romeo and juliet, 1936 mgm film mgmwikicommons old vic theatre, 1960 originally directing operas, franco zeffirelli decided to tackle romeo and juliet as his first shakespeare production on the professional level. Will romeo and juliet ever come out with their marriage. William shakespeares play romeo and juliet has been adapted to film and television many times. I remember i was 15 when i saw this movie for the first time, after me and my classmates learnt about at school and i loved it so much, especially olivia and the music. Romeo and juliet film by zeffirelli 1968 britannica. The play romeo and juliet is a tragedy written by william shakespeare early in his. Admittedly, i first watched this movie when it came out. There is no possible way to determine what the best movie is under possible metric. Being the fat and lonely teenager that i am, i decided to use this day to talk about the worst movie i have ever seen.
Later he directed placido domingo in otello 1986, verdis opera, and directed mel gibson in hamlet 1991. The bbc made some splendid versions of the collective works of shakespeare, of course including romeo and juliet, in the 1980ies and i think they come as close to the actu. Oct 11, 20 the 20 film version of romeo and juliet is a far more purist interpretation of the original story than other retellings over the years see. We just finished that movie today, and our whole class couldnt help laughing slightly when juliet tried to kill herself. It also helps to explain his moody appearance when we first encounter him in scene 12. The classic story of romeo and juliet, set in a modernday city of verona beach.
Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair verona, where we lay our scene. The 20 film version of romeo and juliet is a far more purist interpretation of the original story than other retellings over the years see. By the time this muddled and dumbeddown version of one of the greatest love stories ever told comes to its cantarrivesoonenough conclusion, some might be compelled to exclaim, oy. Zeffirellis romeo and juliet 1968 won acadamy awards for best cinematography and best costume design. Jul 31, 2019 my first and most influential exposure to shakespeare was in 1970 or 71, when i was 14, in my english lessons with ray winch who later became my friend. Romeo, in romeo and juliet, does indeed experience a love of such purity and passion that he kills himself when he believes that the object of his love, juliet, has died. Complete play with explanatory notes stage history of romeo and juliet romeo and juliet.
Romeo and juliet was first filmed in the silent era, by georges melies, although his film is now lost. Romeo and juliet is a 1968 britishitalian romantic tragedy film based on the play of the same name by william shakespeare. William shakespeares romeo and juliet is a 1996 american romantic crime tragedy film. It is an adaptation and modernization of william shakespeares tragedy romeo and juliet. The montagues and capulets are two feuding families, whose children meet and fall in love. She falls in love with romeo, a member of the house of montague with which the capulets have a blood feud. Romeo and juliet are both from families that hate each other, they face the fact that romeo killed juliets cousin, and that they have known each other for less than a week. As leonard whiting stated in interview in 1968, the direction he received from zeffirelli was that this probably was romeos first teenage love. Juliet is a naive, obedient girl at the beginning of the story, having not experienced true love, but by the time shes met romeo and her love has deepened, we see how dramatically her character has developed. Franco zeffirelli leonard whiting, olivia hussey, john mcenery. You men, you beasts, who satisfy your anger with fountains of each others blood. Romeo and juliet is arguably the classic romantic story of all time, so its little wonder that shakespeares play has been reproduced on the silver screen so many times.
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