ROMEO & JULIET(DVD)WS ENHANCED 16X9/DOLBY DIGITAL ENG MONO DVD

Romeo and Juliet
Director Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 version of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet was touted at the time of its release (successfully, if the box-office receipts are any indication), as something of a "youth trip" movie. This is because Zeffirelli broke the long-standing tradition of casting over-aged, sometimes grey-haired players in the title roles. Seventeen-year-old Leonard Whiting plays Romeo, with 15-year-old Olivia Hussey as Juliet. The youthfulness and inexperience of the leading players works beautifully in the more passionate sequences (some of these breaking further ground by being played in the nude). Among the younger players are Michael York as Tybalt and John McEnery as Mercutio. The duel between Romeo and Tybalt starts out as a harmless, frat-boy exchange of insults, then escalates into tragedy before any of the participants are fully aware of what has happened. Photographed by Pasqualino DeSantis on various locations in Italy, Romeo and Juliet was one of the most profitable film adaptations of Shakespeare ever produced. Its most lasting legacy is its popular main theme music, composed by Nino Rota. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cast Olivia Hussey as Juliet Leonard Whiting as Romeo Milo O'Shea as Friar Laurence Michael York as Tybalt John McEnery as Mercutio Pat Heywood as The Nurse Natasha Parry as Lady Capulet Robert Stephens as Prince Of Verona Keith Skinner as Balthazar Richard Warwick as Gregory Dyson Lovell as Sampson Ugo Barbone as Abraham Bruce Robinson as Benvolio Paul Hardwick as Lord Capulet Antonio Pierfederici as Lord Montague Esmeralda Ruspoli as Lady Montague Roberto Bisacco as Count Paris Roy Holder as Peter Aldo Miranda as Friar John Dario Tanzini as Page to Tybalt

Crew Luciano Puccini - Art Director Richard Goodwin - Associate Producer Danilo Donati - Costume Designer Franco Zeffirelli - Director Reginald Mills - Editor Nino Rota - Composer (Music Score) Eugen Walter - Songwriter Henry Mancini - Songwriter Lorenzo Mongiardino - Production Designer Pasqualino De Santis - Cinematographer Anthony Havelock-Allan - Producer Lord John Brabourne - Producer Christine Edzard - Set Designer Franco Zeffirelli - Screenwriter Masolino D'Amico - Screenwriter Franco Brusati - Screenwriter William Shakespeare - Play Author

Romeo and Juliet
The unrepentant romanticism of Franco Zefferelli's Romeo and Juliet works beautifully in translating William Shakespeare's tragic drama to the silver screen. The lyrical score of Academy Award-winner Nino Rota (The Godfather) and the voluptuous and magnificent period costumes by Danilo Donati combine with the sensuous and dusty cinematography of Pasqualino De Santis to evoke the Italian renaissance setting perfectly. Ever the traditionalist, Zefferelli took a consistently conventional approach to the production, with his only really daring move coming in the casting. For the first time in film, two teenage actors portray Shakespeare's tragic protagonists, and the employment of a cast rife with unknowns results in the film being a triumph of spirit and enthusiasm over technique. Simply put, neither Olivia Hussey as Juliet, nor Leonard Whiting as Romeo, are very skilled actors: Shakespeare's words are often garbled, and the actors' intonations are occasionally inappropriate. Still, Zefferelli manages to overcome his young star's lapses (their considerable physical charms help as well), not to mention the coincidence-filled and hole-ridden plot, to offer a film of great beauty, abundant energy, and deep sorrow. Furthermore, the desperate romanticism of the titular characters' final actions taps into adolescent society's deeply rooted rebelliousness that was finding popular expression at the time. Nominated for four Academy Awards (including Best Director and Best Picture), Romeo and Juliet was the winner of two, for Cinematography and Costume Design. ~ Dan Jardine, All Movie Guide
 

Danilo Donati: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Costume Design (winner) Franco Zeffirelli: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Director (nominated) Franco Zeffirelli: Directors Guild of America, Best Director (nominated) Franco Zeffirelli: National Board of Review, Best Director (winner) Leonard Whiting: Golden Globe, New Star of the Year - Male (winner) Nino Rota: Golden Globe, Best Original Score (nominated) Olivia Hussey: Golden Globe, New Star of the Year - Female (winner) Pasqualino De Santis: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Cinematography (winner)

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Picture (nominated) Golden Globe, Best Foreign Film - English Language (winner) National Board of Review, Best Picture (nominated)

General Specifications: Language Options: English Subtitle Options: English Sound Processing: 1: PCM mono 5.1: 5 full-range channels. Includes 3 for the front speakers, 2 surround channels for rear speakers, & 1 low-frequency effects (LFE) channel to carry deep bass effects Additional Features: Widescreen version enhanced for 16x9 Dolby Digital: English English subtitles Interactive menus Scene selection Theatrical trailer DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1: Theatre Wide-Screen MPAA Rating: PG DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 138 min Part of Series: Paramount Widescreen Collection   DVD Chapters: Side #1 0. Scene Selection 1. Houses Of Dignity [8:27] 2. Sad Hours [3:53] 3. A Mother's Desire [1:27] 4. Talk Of Dreams [3:10] 5. Beauty [5:51] 6. Love Sprung From Hate [5:03] 7. Sweet Goodnight [2:50] 8. Friar Consents [8:05] 9. "Commend me to thy lady!" [1:33] 10. Impatience [11:18] 11. A Life For A Life [1:38] 12. Price Of Blood [3:28] 13. The Lark Sings [:09] 14. So Worthy A Gentleman [1:30] 15. Desperate Deception [6:15] 16. Lover's Farewell [1:15] 17. A Gloomy Peace [4:52] 18. End Credits [12:41]