romeo and juliet (1968 film)

''Romeo and Juliet'' () is a 1968 period romantic tragedy film, based on the play of the same name by William Shakespeare. Directed and co-written by Franco Zeffirelli, the film stars Leonard Whiting as Romeo and Olivia Hussey as Juliet. Laurence Olivier spoke the film's prologue and epilogue and dubs the voice of Antonio Pierfederici, who played Lord Montague but was not credited on-screen. The cast also features Milo O'Shea, Michael York, John McEnery, Bruce Robinson, and Robert Stephens.

The film adaptation of a Shakespeare play was a financial success during its time of release. It became popular among teenagers because it was the first adaptation to cast actors close to the age of the characters from the original play. Many critics also praised the film. It won Academy Awards for Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design. Additionally, it was nominated for Best Director and Best Picture, making it the last Shakespearean film to be nominated for the latter category. Whiting and Hussey both won Golden Globe Awards for Most Promising Newcomers.

Plot

One summer morning in Verona, a longstanding feud between the Montague and the Capulet clans breaks out in a street brawl. The brawl is broken up by the Prince, who warns both families that any future violence between them will result in harsh consequences. That night, two teenagers of the two families—Romeo and Juliet—meet at a Capulet masked ball and fall in love. Later, Romeo stumbles into the secluded garden under Juliet's bedroom balcony and the two exchange impassioned pledges. They are secretly married the next day by Romeo's confessor and father figure, Friar Laurence, with the assistance of Juliet's nurse.

That afternoon, Juliet's cousin Tybalt, furious that Romeo had attended his family's ball, insults him and challenges him to a brawl. Romeo now regards Tybalt as family and he refuses to fight him, which leads Romeo's best friend, Mercutio, to fight Tybalt instead. Despite Romeo's efforts to stop the fight, Tybalt mortally wounds Mercutio, who curses both the Montague and Capulet houses before dying. Enraged over his friend's death, Romeo retaliates by fighting Tybalt and killing him. Romeo is subsequently punished by the Prince with banishment from Verona, with the threat of death if he ever returns. Romeo then secretly spends his wedding night with Juliet, the couple consummate their marriage, and Romeo flees.

Juliet's parents, unaware of their daughter's secret marriage, have arranged for Juliet to marry wealthy Count Paris. Juliet pleads with her parents to postpone the marriage, but they refuse and threaten to disown her. Juliet seeks out Friar Laurence for help, hoping to escape her arranged marriage to Paris and remain faithful to Romeo. At Friar Laurence's behest, she reconciles with her parents and agrees to their wishes. On the night before the wedding, Juliet consumes a potion prepared by Friar Laurence intended to make her appear dead for 42 hours. Friar Laurence plans to inform Romeo of the hoax so that Romeo can meet Juliet after her burial and escape with her when she recovers from her swoon, so he sends Friar John to give Romeo a letter describing the plan.

However, when Balthasar, Romeo's servant, sees Juliet being buried under the impression that she is dead, he goes to tell Romeo and reaches him before Friar John. In despair, Romeo goes to Juliet's tomb and kills himself by drinking poison. Soon afterwards, Friar Laurence arrives as Juliet awakens. Despite his attempts to persuade her to flee from the crypt, Juliet refuses to leave Romeo, and once the Friar flees, she kills herself by plunging his dagger into her chest. Later, the two families, having ended their feud, attend their joint funeral and are condemned by the Prince.

Cast

;The House of Montague
* Antonio Pierfederici as Lord Montague
* Esmeralda Ruspoli as Lady Montague
* Leonard Whiting as Romeo
* Bruce Robinson as Benvolio
* Keith Skinner as Balthasar
* Roberto Antonelli as Abram

;The House of Capulet
* Paul Hardwick as Lord Capulet
* Natasha Parry as Lady Capulet
* Olivia Hussey as Juliet
* Michael York as Tybalt
* Dyson Lovell as Sampson
* Richard Warwick as Gregory
* Pat Heywood as The Nurse
* Roy Holder as Peter

;Others
* John McEnery as Mercutio
* Milo O'Shea as Friar Laurence
* Robert Stephens as The Prince of Verona
* Roberto Bisacco
* Paola Tedesco as Rosaline (uncredited)
* Bruno Filippini as Leonardo, the singer (uncredited)
* Laurence Olivier as the chorus and voice of Lord Montague (uncredited)

Production

Casting

Paul McCartney has said he was considered by Franco Zeffirelli for the role of Romeo. Although Zeffirelli does not mention it in his autobiography, McCartney provided details on this account (including meeting with Olivia Hussey and exchanging telegrams with her) in his co-written autobiography.

Zeffirelli engaged in a worldwide search for unknown teenage actors to play the parts of the two lovers. Musician Phil Collins was in the running for Romeo, while his then-girlfriend Lavinia Lang (herself a great friend to Hussey) was in the running for Juliet, as was actress Anjelica Huston, but the latter's father, director John Huston, withdrew her from consideration when he decided to cast her in his film '' A Walk with Love and Death''. When they were cast, Whiting and Hussey were 16 and 15 years old respectively. However, both stars had aged a year by the time filming began in the summer of 1967. Zeffirelli adapted the play in such a way as to play to their strengths and hide their weaknesses: for instance, long speeches were trimmed, and he emphasized reaction shots. Zeffirelli said of the casting: "It's a tremendous risk. We just hope to have the right chemistry – a melancholy Romeo who rebels like all the youth of today and a pure, determined Juliet. If we fail, it will be ridiculous."

Laurence Olivier's involvement in the production was by happenstance. He was in Rome to film ''The Shoes of the Fisherman'' and visited the studio where ''Romeo and Juliet'' was being shot. He asked Zeffirelli if there was anything he could do, and was given the Prologue to read, then ended up dubbing the voice of Lord Montague as well as other assorted minor roles.

Filming

After cast readings in late May, rehearsals and filming began at the end of June 1967 in Tuscania, Italy, then moved to Pienza, Gubbio, and Artena, before completing at Cinecittà movie studios in Rome. The famous Romeo and Juliet balcony scene was filmed in Artena in September 1967.

The film is set in 14th century Renaissance Italy.
* The balcony scene: at the Palazzo Borghese, built by Cardinal Scipione Borghese in the 16th century, in Artena, 40 km southeast of Rome.
* The interior church scenes: at the Romanesque church of San Pietro, Tuscania in the town of Tuscania, 90 km northwest of Rome.
* The tomb scene: also in Tuscania.
* The palace of the Capulets' scenes: at Palazzo Piccolomini, built from 1459 to 1462 by Pope Pius II, in the city of Pienza in the Siena province.
* The duelling scenes with swords were filmed in the old Umbrian town of Gubbio.
* The street scenes: also in Pienza and on the Cinecittà Studios backlot, Rome.

Editing

During post-production, several scenes were trimmed or cut. Act 5, Scene 3, in which Romeo fights and eventually kills Paris outside Juliet's crypt, was filmed but deleted from the final print. According to Leonard Whiting and Roberto Bisacco

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