Romeo and juliet, american film drama, released in 1968, that was an adaptation of. Romeo and juliet 1968 rotten tomatoes movie trailers. Some of his operatic designs and productions have become worldwide classics. I believe franco zeffirellis romeo and juliet is the most exciting film of shakespeare ever made. A t their first press conference in 1967, romeo and juliet clutched each others hands. Watched this in high school maybe buy this track here.
Franco zeffirelli, the stylish and sometimes controversial theater, opera and film director, has died. Leonard whiting, olivia hussey, john mcenery, milo oshea. Italian director franco zeffirelli started out as an actor in the stage productions of. Franco zeffirellis romeo and juliet captures the innocent rapture of teenage love when hormones spill over to create an intoxicating cocktail of lust and longing. Aug 01, 2018 olivia hussey, star of zeffirellis romeo and juliet. Ronald grant archive a t their first press conference in 1967, romeo and juliet clutched each others hands. Start studying romeo and juliet movie questions franco zeffirelli 1968. Find movie and film cast and crew information for romeo and juliet 1968 franco zeffirelli on allmovie. Comparing the opening shots in baz luhrmann and franco zeffirelli s versions of romeo and juliet this essay will compare two versions of romeo and juliet directed by baz luhrmann and franco zeffirelli.
With this in mind, i believe franco zeffirelli s romeo and juliet is the most exciting film of shakespeare ever made. Romeo and juliet remains the magical high point of his career. Another extraordinary thing is that zeffirelli had another actress in mind with blonde hair. Over the years, his theater background has had a huge influence on his films, particularly.
Full of life and perfectly cast, newcomers leonard whiting and olivia hussey were absolutely exquisite as the starstruck pair, evoking. Romeo montague and juliet capulet fall in love against the wishes of their feuding families. Romeo and juliet 1968 franco zeffirelli cast and crew. The film was directed and cowritten by franco zeffirelli, and stars leonard whiting and olivia hussey. Director franco zeffirelli s beloved version of one of the most wellknown love stories in the english language. Costumes in romeo and juliet 1968 and fifteenth century realism using images from fifteenth century frescoes and paintings, it shows the key inspirations for danilo donatis costume creations for zeffirellis movie. The paper analyzes the romeo and juliet movie 1968. Celebrate the 50th anniversary of director franco zeffirellis oscar winning adaptation of shakespeares classic tale of romance and tragedy. 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. Olivia hussey and leonard whiting in romeo and juliet 1968 olivia. Aug 09, 2018 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.
Whenever i hear talking about romeo and juliet, i cant help thinking about them both. Olivia hussey in zeffirelli s romeo and juliet 1968. He was known for several of the movies he directed, especially the 1968 version of romeo and. Olivia hussey, star of zeffirellis romeo and juliet. Franco zeffirellis romeo and juliet is a lovely, sensitive, friendly popularization of the. It was originally released as a vinyl record, containing nine entries, most notably the song what is a youth, composed by nino rota, written by eugene walter and performed by glen weston. Romeo and juliet 19 movie clip i never saw true beauty til this night 1968.
Juliet by franco zeffirelli and baz luhrmann both openings of romeo and juliet by franco zeffirelli and baz luhrmann show similarities and contrasts. I remember it from my schooldays, when my class was taken to the cinema to see it. Shakespeare movies emerged, beginning with franco zeffirellis exuberant the taming of the shrew 1966, featuring richard burton and elizabeth taylor. With leonard whiting, olivia hussey, john mcenery, milo oshea. This script is a transcript that was painstakingly transcribed using the screenplay andor viewings of romeo and juliet. This is because zeffirelli broke the longstanding tradition of casting. The paper noted that director franco zeffirellis 16yearold heroine still spoke shakespeare with a spanish lilt. I know, i know, i still need to get the cast names in there and ill be eternally tweaking it, so if you have any corrections, feel free to. Franco zeffirelli was a master charmer no wonder we all fell for his romeo and juliet. Romeo and juliet is a 1968 britishitalian romantic tragedy film based on the play of the same name by william shakespeare. Romeo and juliet script transcript from the screenplay. Well, zefirelli not only cast ageappropriate actors, but he also set the film in italy, where its supposed to be. Romeo and juliet 1968 directed by franco zeffirelli. He was also a senator from 1994 until 2001 for the italian centerright forza italia party.
May 19, 2016 f ranco zeffirellis 1968 movie version of romeo and juliet is back on rerelease. For safety, star olivia hussey insisted to the guardian. Flawless film that is more than perfection, but a visionary work of art. Finally, the romeo and juliet script is here for all you quotes spouting fans of the franco zeffirelli movie with olivia hussey. Until this version of shakespeares tragic romance, the actors who. He was also a senator from 1994 until 2001 for the italian centreright forza italia party.
Director franco zeffirellis 1968 version of shakespeares romeo and juliet was touted at the time of its release successfully, if the boxoffice receipts are any indication, as something of a youth trip movie. It is intriguing that zeffirelli in 1968 focused on love, while baz luhrmanns popular version of 1996 focused on violence. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Zeffirelli cut nearly twothirds of shakespeares lines, but many critics felt this film was a sensitive adaptation of the text. The solid leads and arresting visuals make a case for zeffirelli s romeo and juliet as the definitive cinematic adaptation of the play. Zeffirelli stuck with shakespeare for his second feature, romeo and juliet eight years after he directed the play with judi dench as the heroine at the old vic in 1960. This movie tells the story of william shakespeares classic tale. Today im comparing the balcony scene for two different romeo and juliet movies. Olivia hussey recalls controversial romeo and juliet role.
Romeo and juliet, american film drama, released in 1968, that was an adaptation of william shakespeares famous tragedy of the same name. Romeo and juliet secretly wed despite the sworn contempt their families hold for each other. Italian director franco zeffirelli started out as an actor in the stage productions of performerp115512luchino viscontiluchinovisconti, then worked as an assistant on several viscontidirected films. Romeo and juliet film 1968 study guide contains a biography of franco zeffirelli, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Compare and contrast the two film versions of romeo and. Romeo and juliet movie questions franco zeffirelli 1968.
The film was directed and cowritten by franco zeffirelli, and stars leonard. But it is greater shakespeare than either because it has the passion, the sweat, the violence, the poetry, the love and the tragedy in the. I knew that in live productions that they were typically played by much older actorsactors this young were unheard of. In 2018, i wrote an academic working paper entitled. Olivia hussey juliet and leonard whiting romeo in franco zeffirellis. Not because it is greater drama than oliviers henry v, because it is not. Comparing the opening shots in baz luhrmann and franco zeffirelli s versions of romeo and juliet 1551 words 7 pages. Romeo and juliet is arguably the classic romantic story of all time. When two young members of feuding families meet, forbidden love ensues. Driven by their passion, the young lovers defy their destiny and elope, only to suffer the ultimate tragedy. Franco zeffirellis directorial decisions to omit or adapt certain scenes alter the meaning of romeo and juliet by transforming the character analyses, changing the mood of certain events, and forming confusion around implicit information. With this in mind, i believe franco zeffirellis romeo and juliet is the most exciting film of shakespeare ever made. This is because zeffirelli broke the longstanding tradition of casting overaged, sometimes greyhaired players in the title roles. Romeo and juliet and their families are italian and so is zefirelli, so i think it perfectly makes sense for them to emote with great noise and abandon.
Zeffirelli s romeo and juliet 1968 won acadamy awards for best cinematography and best costume design. This critically acclaimed movie features olivia hussey as juliet and leonard whiting as romeo, two starcrossed lovers forbidden by their families to follow their hearts. The life of laura ingalls wilder tribute little house on the prairie tv show theme song duration. The film won two academy awards and was nominated for best picture and best director. Baz luhrmann and franco zeffirelli portrayed the film romeo and juliet in very different ways. Film critic roger ebert of the chicago suntimes wrote.
Romeo and juliet film by zeffirelli 1968 britannica. The music score won a silver ribbon award of the italian national syndicate of film journalists in. I first saw romeo and juliet when i was a college junior majoring in english. F ranco zeffirelli s 1968 movie version of romeo and juliet is back on rerelease. Gian franco corsi zeffirelli kbe, grande ufficiale omri 12 february 1923 15 june 2019, commonly known as franco zeffirelli italian pronunciation.
For one scene in romeo and juliet 1968, zeffirelli had to get special permission to show olivia hussey topless. The movie did not tamper with shakespeares beautiful poetry. But it is greater shakespeare than either because it has the passion, the sweat, the violence, the. Romeo and juliet balcony scene comparison the jiblog. Hussey was not allowed to attend the premier because of her age and the films rating, even through the only bare breasts in the entire film were her own. Most of the scenes in the film are portrayed in different ways although there are some similarities. Brilliantly made movie by the great franco zeffirelli. Franco zeffirelli has been a major director of opera productions since the 1950s in italy, as well as all over europe and in the united states.
As romeo and juliet awaken after they have spent the night together, there is a full view, from the back only, of the body of the actor playing romeo. Zeffirelli vs luhrmann romeo and juliet essay artscolumbia. It is not long, however, before a chain of fateful events changes the lives of both families forever. I remember being slightly shocked at the tender age of by the naked body of romeo with his love juliet, though it was very well acted and directed, nothing sleezy about this version of the great will. Franco zeffirelli is an italian director and producer of operas, films and television. In baz lurhmanns version of romeo and juliet he starts with a dark room with a television producing static noise. The soundtrack for the 1968 film romeo and juliet was composed and conducted by nino rota.
Director franco zeffirelli s 1968 version of shakespeares romeo and juliet was touted at the time of its release successfully, if the boxoffice receipts are any indication, as something of a youth trip movie. Juliet was touted at the time of its release, as something of a youth trip movie. Although both versions are faithful to the text as the words spoken by the voiceover in the prologue are the same, the methods of presentation are clearly different. A wide variety of literature, despite how renowned, is susceptible to great alterations that may change the entire meaning of the work, such as romeo and juliet. Best director regista del miglior film franco zeffirelli. Romeo and juliet on imdb romeo and juliet at the tcm movie database romeo and juliet at allmovie. There are some very obvious differences including the intended audience, the setting, the place and the timing of the play. He was known for several of the movies he directed, especially the 1968 version of romeo. Neither olivia nor leonard were experienced actors, yet they delivered stunning performances. Comparing zeffirelli and luhrmanns versions of romeo and. They are both aware that their families would never approve of their relationship. Directed by franco zeffirelli, it is often lauded as the best take on the oftfilmed classic.
Dec 22, 2019 franco zeffirellis romeo and juliet adaptation is a unique take on the william shakespears play. Zeffirellis acclaimed adaptation of shakespeares timeless love story. Zeffirelli, who was oscarnominated for his 1968 version of romeo and juliet. Two families of verona the montagues and the capulets have been fighting with each other for years. Franco zeffirelli was a master charmer film the guardian. Romeo montague meets juliet capulet and they fall in love with each other. The actors, who were unknown, were the age of the star crossed lovers. Compare and contrast the two film versions of romeo and juliet by franco zeffirelli and baz luhrmann essay sample. Director, screenwriter, set designer, production designer. Analysis the tragedy of romeo and juliet by william shakespeare is considered by many the greatest love stories ever written. One is the 1968 version which starred leonard whiting as romeo and olivia hussey as juliet and directed by franco zeffirelli which i have talked about in a previous blog and the 1996 version which starred leonardo dicaprio and claire danes and was directed by.
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