''Romanoff and Juliet'' is a 1961 American

Technicolor Technicolor is a family of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes. The first version, Process 1, was introduced in 1916, and improved versions followed over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black-and ...

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and Romance novel, romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Ro ...

film adaptation of the play '' Romanoff and Juliet'', which was itself loosely based on ''

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

'' by

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, released by

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

Peter Ustinov Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov (16 April 192128 March 2004) was a British actor, director and writer. An internationally known raconteur, he was a fixture on television talk shows and lecture circuits for much of his career. Ustinov received #Awa ...

wrote the screenplay, directed, and starred in the film. It co-starred John Gavin as Igor and

Sandra Dee Sandra Dee (born Alexandra Zuck; April 23, 1942 – February 20, 2005) was an American actress. Dee began her career as a child model, working first in commercials and then film in her teenage years. Best known for her portrayal of ingénues ...

as Juliet. The film was shot in Italy.

Plot

A vote in the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

is deadlocked. The deciding vote goes to the tiny, obscure European Republic of Concordia. Its president, known as the General (

), abstains from voting. To remedy the issue, ambassadors from the United States and Soviet Union attempt to win the General's favor. Juliet Moulsworth (

) and Igor Romanoff ( John Gavin) meet at a party, not knowing that Juliet is the daughter of the American ambassador and Igor is the son of the Soviet ambassador. They instantly fall in love and spend the whole night talking. Before they part the next morning, they are distressed to discover each other's parentage. Juliet's fiancé, Freddie, writes to say he's coming to visit her in Concordia. Panicked, she confesses to her parents that she's not in love with Freddie, but rather with Igor. Her parents are shocked and horrified. Meanwhile, Igor is informed by his parents that they have arranged a marriage for him and the prospective bride will soon arrive. Igor informs them that he has fallen in love with Juliet and they react in a similar manner as Juliet's parents. Otto, an adviser to the General, fears that their small nation will be invaded should they continue to abstain from voting. Lacking any formal military, the two of them make an unconventional plan to save Concordia. They begin by intimidating the larger nations with a fake atomic bomb detonation. They follow this up by putting together a volunteer army out of patriotic civilians, complete with fake air raids and chaotic, nonsensical

military exercise A military exercise, training exercise, maneuver (manoeuvre), or war game is the employment of military resources in Military education and training, training for military operations. Military exercises are conducted to explore the effects of ...

s. A Soviet spy informs the General that Igor will kill himself if he cannot be with Juliet. The General hurries to Igor and stops the young man by promising he will see his beloved within the hour. The General goes to Juliet, who tells him she can't be with Igor for the sake of her parents. The General counters that she must listen to her own heart's desires. The General presides over a celebration of Concordia's history with the American and Soviet ambassadors and their wives in attendance. A seemingly fake marriage ceremony turns out to be a real one between Juliet and Igor, who have disguised themselves. They are wedded on the steps of a church by a Concordian priest. The General asks the ambassadors if they are ready to surrender to the inevitability of love, which they refuse. The General pretends to order a firing squad on the parents, only to reveal that Concordia has never made nor purchased ammunition. Dancing in the streets ensues. Igor asks the General how they can thank him. The General replies he should be thanking them, as they've proven love cannot be defeated. He will go to the United Nations to report on Concordia's victory.

Cast

as The General *

as Juliet Moulsworth * John Gavin as Igor Romanoff *

Akim Tamiroff Akim Mikhailovich Tamiroff (born Hovakim Tamiryants; October 29, 1899 – September 17, 1972) was an Armenian-American actor of film, stage, and television. One of the premier character actors of Hollywood's Golden Age, Tamiroff developed a pr ...

as Vadim Romanoff * Tamara Shayne as Evdokia Romanoff * Alix Talton as Beulah *

Rik Van Nutter Frederick Allen Nutter (May 1, 1929 – October 15, 2005), known professionally as Rik Van Nutter and occasionally as Clyde Rogers, was an American actor who mostly appeared in Italian-produced films. He is also remembered for playing Felix Leit ...

as Freddie * John Phillips as Hooper Moulsworth * Peter Jones as Otto * Suzanne Cloutier as Marfa Zlotochienka

Awards

Ustinov was nominated for the

Golden Bear The Golden Bear () is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival and is, along with the Palme d'Or and the Golden Lion, the most important international film festival award. The bear is the heraldic an ...

at the 11th Berlin International Film Festival and the

Directors Guild of America The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is an entertainment guild that represents the interests of Film director, film and Television director, television directors in the United States motion picture industry and abroad. Founded as the Screen Dir ...

Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures.

References

External links

*
Page on film
at Sandradeefans.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Romanoff and Juliet 1961 films 1961 romantic comedy films American romantic comedy films American political satire films American films based on plays Cold War films Films based on Romeo and Juliet Films directed by Peter Ustinov Films scored by Mario Nascimbene Films shot in Italy Films set in Europe Films set in fictional countries Universal Pictures films 1960s English-language films 1960s American films Soviet Union–United States relations English-language romantic comedy films