Product: Romeo and Juliet [Region 2] (1968)
Rating: 5.0
Eyes, look your last! Arms, take your last embrace!
I was in high school when this movie came out. Like most people, I thought of Shakespeare's language as "Old English," not realizing that in fact it was Modern English, though 400 years old.High school students invariably hate to read Shakespeare in class because they don't get the euphemisms and word play of the era--even someone like me, who appreciated literature. But Zeffirelli's "Romeo and Juliet" changed all that. First, the actors were perfectly cast: young people in the main roles, as they are in the story. The settings and cinematography are wonderful, completely realistic, but lush and romanticized. But most importantly, the actors' performances were perfect, and they delivered their lines so flawlessly that even viewers who aren't familiar with the language of the time pick up most of what is conveyed in the lines: young love, the art of word play, metaphor, etc. The actors so got into their roles that they seemed to be truly living them, and viewers were enjoying a voyeuristic glimpse at an ancient romantic tragedy. At the center of it all, Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting are stunning; while all of the acting is superior, theirs is unparalleled and haunting.While all of the performances in this film are incredibly good, Mercutio's lines are still a little difficult to follow for the untrained ear as he chatters away in staccato tones filled with idioms and asides. But no one could miss the heartbreaking tragedy of his death. There is a lot of tragic death in this play-none moreso than those of the title characters. Zeffirelli seemed to recognize that this is a story that was meant to be appreciated by young people, with hormone levels skyrocketing, who feel love passionately and for the first time, who suffer from the constraints put on them by their parents, who assume a greater wisdom of life whether they in fact have it or not.This movie tipped me over the edge into becoming not only an English major in college, but also with an emphasis in Renaissance English literature. And when I was trying to get my students to appreciate Shakespeare years later, the ultimate teaching tool has always been Zeffirelli's version of "Romeo and Juliet."