Product: Romeo and Juliet [Region 2] (1968)
Rating: 4.0
A Classic Tale Told in a Classic Manner
Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 reproduction of the unforgettable tale, Romeo and Juliet, proved very true to Shakespearean standards. This film did not go against the original work in hardly any ways but instead portrays the work as exact as I have ever seen. For some people, like myself, this may prove to be enjoyable, while others may like more modernized adaptations. This film would be a great aid in teaching the story of Romeo and Juliet to those who are not too familiar with Shakespeare. The first time I viewed it was as a freshman in high school, having never been exposed to Shakespeare. Struggling through the play somewhat as a class for a while we finished the unit by watching this version of Romeo and Juliet. It was very helpful to see people acting out the words that were just read, making the story much more meaningful. I am a firm believer that plays are written to be acted out and without the acting out part much of the drama is lost. Since this version of Romeo and Juliet portrays the story as true as possible, I find it a very enjoyable film.Zeffirelli does an excellent job in making the two main actors, Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey, depict both Romeo and Juliet as they seem in the text. Also, using actual teenagers to play Romeo and Juliet was a good decision, something that worked well. Other versions of this story have older actors playing these roles, making it less believable and making us forget how young the lovers really were. The only complaint that I have about any of the acting in the entire film was probably not due so much to the ability of the actors themselves, but more so to the director who wanted to see Romeo and Juliet portrayed in a certain way. To me Whiting played Romeo as very much a romantic, almost too much so. This is something that I never picked up on as much by reading the text as I did by watching this film. Also, Hussey played Juliet almost a little exaggerated as a whiny young girl. Again, this was something I never picked up on when reading Romeo and Juliet, but was probably done because it was looked at as adding to the depth of the story. Both Whiting's and Hussey's performances were solid, however, no matter how their characters were depicted at times. Other strong performances can be seen in Lord Capulet, Lord Montague, Friar Laurence, and Juliet's Nurse.In deciding whether to view this film again or another version of Romeo and Juliet, such as Baz Luhrman's 1996 version, I would recommend that anyone who has seen either of them indeed view both. The difference in these films lies in whether or not one desires a classic telling of the story with solid acting and a classic scenery, or a much more modernized version also with strong acting but current scenery. Both version are great films almost too different to compare. If the main purpose of one's viewing this timeless story is to learn it the way Shakespeare had meant it to be, however, I would definitely recommend this 1968 version.