Tagline: No ordinary love story.
Romeo and Juliet movie storyline. The classic and immortal Shakespearean tale of forbidden, tragic, and star-crossed love. Adapted in this modern and realistic version by Zefferelli for the first time with two teenaged leads as the youthful, innocent, strong-willed lovers Romeo (Leonard Whiting) and Juliet (Olivia Hussey). Their warring families, the bitterly-hateful Montagues and Capulets, doom their tender romance, with a first-time-ever scene of the nude couple on their wedding night.
In gorgeous Technicolor, shot on location in Italy and enhanced by a memorable soundtrack from Nino Rota. Academy Award nominations: 4, including Best Picture, Best Director. Academy Awards: 2, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design. it was also nominated for Best Director and Best Picture, making it the last Shakespearean film to be nominated for Best Picture to date.
Romeo and Juliet is a 1968 British-Italian romantic drama film based on the 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). 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.
About the Story
One summer morning in Verona, Italy, 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 become deeply infatuated. 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 nursemaid.
That afternoon, Juliet’s first cousin Tybalt, enraged that Romeo had attended his family’s ball, insults him and challenges him to a brawl. Romeo 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 badly 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, however, sees his banishment as worse than the death penalty, as Verona is the only home he has known and he does not want to be separated from Juliet. Friar Laurence eventually convinces Romeo that he is very lucky and that he should be more thankful for what he has. Romeo then secretly spends his wedding night together with Juliet and the couple consummate their marriage before Romeo flees.
Juliet’s father and mother, 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 forty-two 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.
Romeo and Juliet (1968)
Directed by: Franco Zefferelli
Starring: Olivia Hussey, Leonard Whiting, Milo O’Shea, Michael York, Paul Hardwicke, John McEnery, Pat Heywood, Laurence Olivier, Robert Stephens, Bruce Robinson, Esmeralda Ruspoli, Natasha Parry
Screenplay by: Franco Brusati
Production Design by: Lorenzo Mongiardino
Cinematography by: Pasqualino De Santis
Film Editing by: Reginald Mills
Costume Design by: Danilo Donati
Art Direction by: Emilio Carcano, Luciano Puccini
Music by: Nino Rota
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
Release Date: October 8, 1968
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