Franco Zeffirelli

Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet

One of the great Shakespeare adaptations, Franco Zeffirelli’s sublime take on the Bard’s immortal romantic tragedy breathed new life into the oft-told tale by casting actual teenagers in the title roles. As the young lovers whose affair threatens to inflame the tensions between their feuding families in Renaissance Verona, Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting vividly capture the mix of adolescent ardor and turmoil that fuels their destiny-driven liaison. A sensory banquet thanks to Nino Rota’s delicate score and the exquisite, Oscar-winning costumes and cinematography, Romeo and Juliet is Shakespeare at its most deeply felt and passionately alive.

Film Info

  • Italy, United Kingdom
  • 1968
  • 138 minutes
  • Color
  • 1.85:1
  • English
  • Spine #1171

SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

  • 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
  • Excerpt from the 2018 documentary Franco Zeffirelli: Directing from Life
  • Interviews with actors Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting from 1967 and 2016
  • Trailer
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • PLUS: An essay by scholar Ramona Wray

    New cover based on an original poster design by Maciej Zbikowski

Purchase Options

SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

  • 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
  • Excerpt from the 2018 documentary Franco Zeffirelli: Directing from Life
  • Interviews with actors Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting from 1967 and 2016
  • Trailer
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • PLUS: An essay by scholar Ramona Wray

    New cover based on an original poster design by Maciej Zbikowski
Romeo and Juliet
Cast
Leonard Whiting
Romeo
Olivia Hussey
Juliet
John McEnery
Mercutio
Milo O’Shea
Friar Laurence
Pat Heywood
The nurse
Robert Stephens
The prince
Michael York
Tybalt
Bruce Robinson
Benvolio
Paul Hardwick
Lord Capulet
Natasha Parry
Lady Capulet
Antonio Pierfederici
Lord Montague
Esmeralda Ruspoli
Lady Montague
Roberto Bisacco
Paris
Credits
Director
Franco Zeffirelli
Produced by
Anthony Havelock-Allan
Produced by
John Brabourne
Based upon the play by
William Shakespeare
Screenplay
Franco Brusati
Screenplay
Masolino D’Amico
Screenplay
Franco Zeffirelli
Associate producer
Richard Goodwin
Music
Nino Rota
Cinematographer
Pasqualino De Santis
Editor
Reginald Mills
Production designer
Renzo Mongiardino
Costume designer
Danilo Donati

Current

Romeo and Juliet: Star-Crossed Spectacle
Romeo and Juliet: Star-Crossed Spectacle

Entrenched as an authoritative adaptation, this Oscar-winning hit is still admired, taught, and studied today for its spectacular re-creation of the past and its reinvention of the Shakespearean spoken word.

By Ramona Wray