Film Review
Undeterred by the lukewarm reception that his first Shakespeare
adaptation -
The Taming of the Shrew (1967)
- had received, director Franco Zeffirelli threw caution to the wind
and attempted another, even grander, retelling of one of the Bard's
great plays. Zeffirelli's
Romeo
and Juliet was to be one of the most successful screen
adaptations of a Shakespeare play ever, taking almost 40 million
dollars at the US box office alone. The film owed its
popularity not only to its stunning production values but also to the
fact that it was very much in tune with the Zeitgeist of the era.
Its tale of two adolescent lovers rebelling against the established
order struck an immediate chord with the counter-culture generation of
the late 1960s, and it helped that the lead characters were played by
youngsters with whom a young cinema audience could immediately
identify. Zeffirelli took the unprecedented step of casting two
unknown teenagers for the lead roles - Leonard Whiting and Olivia
Hussey, aged 17 and 15 respectively - and this gives the film a realism
and poignancy that is often lacking from productions of
Romeo and Juliet.
Visually, the film is stunning, and it hardly matters that it does not
follow Shakespeare's text to the letter. The beautifully shot
Tuscany locations and colourful Renaissance costumes bring the play to
life and give it a startling vibrancy and immediacy. With its
cast composed predominantly of inexperienced young actors, you might
think the film would lack credibility in the acting department, but
this is most definitely not the case. Whilst it is to be
regretted that some of the longer speeches were trimmed to lighten the
load for the principals, the performances are up to RSC standard and
are not only true to the original text but also work to make the text
relevant to a contemporary audience. Somehow Shakespeare's
lines from
Romeo and Juliet
have an added charm and poignancy when they come from the lips of
someone who has yet to go beyond the experience of that first traumatic
love. There is an innocence, purity and lack of self-awareness to
Whiting and Hussey's performances that makes this a particularly
affecting interpretation of the play.
The film was not only a massive box office hit, it was also widely
praised by the critics and was nominated for four Oscars (including
Best Picture and Best Director), winning in the categories of Best
Cinematography and Best Costume Design. Nino Rota's evocative
love theme became a hit single in various different versions and was
used by the UK disc jockey Simon Bates for many years in his radio
show. With its heartbreaking yet true-to-life portrayal of
adolescent love thwarted by circumstance and parental interference,
Franco Zeffirelli's
Romeo and Juliet
is a film that speaks to all generations, but especially the
young. If you are not sobbing your heart out by the end of this
film, shame on you. Shakespeare's tale of star-crossed lovers is
the definitive weepy, and Zeffirelli certainly does it justice in that
respect. Never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and
her Romeo...
© James Travers 2011
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
The peace of 15th century Verona is disturbed by the on-going feud
between the houses of Montague and Capulet. At a lavish banquet,
Romeo, Montague's young son, is captivated by 14-year-old Juliet and,
not knowing that she is Capulet's daughter, he proceeds to court
her. Deeply in love but fearing their parents may oppose their
union, Romeo and Juliet persuade Friar Laurence to marry them in
secret. Their happiness proves to be short-lived. After
Juliet's cousin Tybalt has slain his friend Mercutio in a duel, Romeo
takes his revenge by killing Tybalt. For this offence, Romeo is
banished from Verona and risks being put to death if he returns.
Unaware that his daughter has married, Capulet arranges for Juliet to
wed the wealthy Count Paris. When she hears of this, Juliet is
devastated - she would rather die than prove unfaithful to her beloved
Romeo. Fortunately, Friar Laurence has a cunning plan...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.