Romeo and Juliet (1968 film)
Encyclopedia
Romeo and Juliet is a 1968 British-Italian cinematic adaptation
of the William Shakespeare
play
of the same name
.
The film was directed and co-written by Franco Zeffirelli
, and stars Leonard Whiting
and Olivia Hussey
. It won Academy Awards
for Best Cinematography
and Best Costume Design
; it was also nominated for Best Director
and Best Picture
. Sir Laurence Olivier
spoke the film's prologue and epilogue and reportedly dubbed the voice of the Italian actor playing Lord Montague, but was not credited in the film.
and fall in love. They are secretly married by Romeo's confessor and father figure, Friar Laurence, with the assistance of Juliet's nursemaid
. Unfortunately, a street duel breaks out between Juliet's cousin Tybalt and Romeo's friend Mercutio when Tybalt insults Romeo. However, since Romeo has just been married to his cousin, he refuses to fight, leading Mercutio to be a loyal friend and fight for him. This leads to Mercutio's death. Romeo retaliates by fighting Tybalt and killing him, and is penalized by the Prince of Verona with banishment.
Unaware of Juliet's secret marriage, her father has arranged for her to marry wealthy Count Paris
. In order to escape this arranged marriage and remain faithful to Romeo, Juliet consumes a potion prepared by Friar Laurence, intended to make her appear dead for 42 hours. Friar Laurence plans to inform Romeo of the hoax so that he can meet Juliet after her burial and escape with her when she recovers from her swoon, but the news of Juliet's death reaches Romeo before the friar's letter. In despair, he goes to the tomb and there drinks a poison
, killing himself
. Awakening shortly after he expires, Juliet discovers a dead Romeo and proceeds to stab herself with his dagger
. Later, the two families attend their joint funeral
together, and the narrator's voice states that "A glooming peace this morning with it brings".
period, Romeo & Juliet was filmed entirely in Italy
in varying locations:
's autobiography, Paul McCartney
was originally asked to play the part of Romeo.
.
Simon Bates
. In addition to this, various versions of the theme have been recorded and released, including the most successful by Henry Mancini
, whose instrumental rendition was a number-one success in the United States during June 1969.
There are two different sets of English lyrics
to the song.
cites the film as one of the inspirations for the Radiohead
song "Exit Music (For a Film)
", which was written specifically for the ending credits of the 1996 film William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet
. Said Yorke, "I saw the Zeffirelli version when I was 13, and I cried my eyes out, because I couldn't understand why the morning after they shagged, they didn't just run away. The song is written for two people who should run away before all the bad stuff starts. A personal song".
Celine Dion
referenced this film, in particular the "hand dance" scene, in the video for her 1992 single "Nothing Broken but My Heart
".
Japan
ese manga
artist Rumiko Takahashi
referenced the Zeffirelli film in two of her manga and anime
works. In one episode of Urusei Yatsura
, devious troublemaker Ryoko Mendou invites the series' male protagonist
, Ataru Moroboshi
, to have a "Romeo and Juliet" rendezvous with her, and wears a dress based on Olivia Hussey's from the 1968 film. Later, Takahashi's Ranma 1/2 featured a storyline in which the lead characters, Ranma Saotome and Akane Tendo, are cast as Romeo and Juliet in a production of the play at their high school
. Takahashi designed Ranma and Akane's costumes for the play with Whiting and Hussey's outfits in the Zeffirelli film in mind.
Film adaptation
Film adaptation is the transfer of a written work to a feature film. It is a type of derivative work.A common form of film adaptation is the use of a novel as the basis of a feature film, but film adaptation includes the use of non-fiction , autobiography, comic book, scripture, plays, and even...
of the William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
play
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
of the same name
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
.
The film was directed and co-written by Franco Zeffirelli
Franco Zeffirelli
Franco Zeffirelli KBE is an Italian director and producer of films and television. He is also a director and designer of operas and a former senator for the Italian center-right Forza Italia party....
, and stars Leonard Whiting
Leonard Whiting
Leonard Whiting is a British actor who starred as Romeo in the 1968 Zeffirelli film version of Romeo and Juliet opposite Olivia Hussey's Juliet, a role which earned him the Golden Globe Award for New Star Of The Year - Actor....
and Olivia Hussey
Olivia Hussey
Olivia Hussey is an Argentinian actress who became famous for her role as Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli's Academy Award-winning 1968 film version of Romeo and Juliet. For this role she won the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year - Actress as well as the David di Donatello for best actress...
. It won Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for Best Cinematography
Academy Award for Best Cinematography
The Academy Award for Best Cinematography is an Academy Award awarded each year to a cinematographer for work in one particular motion picture.-History:...
and Best Costume Design
Academy Award for Costume Design
The Academy Award for Best Costume Design is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for achievement in film costume design....
; it was also nominated for Best Director
Academy Award for Directing
The Academy Award for Achievement in Directing , usually known as the Best Director Oscar, is one of the Awards of Merit presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to directors working in the motion picture industry...
and Best Picture
Academy Award for Best Picture
The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to artists working in the motion picture industry. The Best Picture category is the only category in which every member of the Academy is eligible not only...
. Sir Laurence Olivier
Laurence Olivier
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century. He married three times, to fellow actors Jill Esmond, Vivien Leigh, and Joan Plowright...
spoke the film's prologue and epilogue and reportedly dubbed the voice of the Italian actor playing Lord Montague, but was not credited in the film.
Plot
In Verona, Italy, Romeo and Juliet, the teenaged children of two feuding families (Montagues and Capulets, respectively), meet at a feastFeast
Feast may refer to:* Banquet, a large meal* A Festival or feria* Ramadan, Muslim's holy month* Nineteen Day Feast, a monthly meeting held in Bahá'í communities to worship, consult, and socialize....
and fall in love. They are secretly married by Romeo's confessor and father figure, Friar Laurence, with the assistance of Juliet's nursemaid
Nursemaid
A nursemaid or nursery maid, is mostly a historical term of employment for a female servant in an elite household. In the 21st century, the position is largely defunct, owing to the relatively small number of households who maintain large staffs with the traditional hierarchy.The nursery maid...
. Unfortunately, a street duel breaks out between Juliet's cousin Tybalt and Romeo's friend Mercutio when Tybalt insults Romeo. However, since Romeo has just been married to his cousin, he refuses to fight, leading Mercutio to be a loyal friend and fight for him. This leads to Mercutio's death. Romeo retaliates by fighting Tybalt and killing him, and is penalized by the Prince of Verona with banishment.
Unaware of Juliet's secret marriage, her father has arranged for her to marry wealthy Count Paris
Count Paris
In William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Count Paris is a suitor of Juliet Capulet. He is handsome, somewhat self-absorbed, very wealthy, and is a kinsman of Prince Escalus...
. In order to escape this arranged marriage and remain faithful to Romeo, Juliet consumes a potion prepared by Friar Laurence, intended to make her appear dead for 42 hours. Friar Laurence plans to inform Romeo of the hoax so that he can meet Juliet after her burial and escape with her when she recovers from her swoon, but the news of Juliet's death reaches Romeo before the friar's letter. In despair, he goes to the tomb and there drinks a poison
Poison
In the context of biology, poisons are substances that can cause disturbances to organisms, usually by chemical reaction or other activity on the molecular scale, when a sufficient quantity is absorbed by an organism....
, killing himself
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. Awakening shortly after he expires, Juliet discovers a dead Romeo and proceeds to stab herself with his dagger
Dagger
A dagger is a fighting knife with a sharp point designed or capable of being used as a thrusting or stabbing weapon. The design dates to human prehistory, and daggers have been used throughout human experience to the modern day in close combat confrontations...
. Later, the two families attend their joint funeral
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
together, and the narrator's voice states that "A glooming peace this morning with it brings".
Cast
- Leonard WhitingLeonard WhitingLeonard Whiting is a British actor who starred as Romeo in the 1968 Zeffirelli film version of Romeo and Juliet opposite Olivia Hussey's Juliet, a role which earned him the Golden Globe Award for New Star Of The Year - Actor....
as Romeo MontagueRomeo MontagueRomeo is one of the fictional protagonists in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Romeo is the son of old Montague and his wife, who secretly loves and marries Juliet, a member of the rival House of Capulet... - Olivia HusseyOlivia HusseyOlivia Hussey is an Argentinian actress who became famous for her role as Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli's Academy Award-winning 1968 film version of Romeo and Juliet. For this role she won the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year - Actress as well as the David di Donatello for best actress...
as Juliet CapuletJuliet CapuletJuliet is one of the title characters in William Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet, the other being Romeo. She is the daughter of old Capulet, head of the house of Capulet. The story has a long history that precedes Shakespeare himself.... - John McEnery as MercutioMercutioMercutio a fictional character in William Shakespeare's 1597 tragedy, Romeo and Juliet. He is a close friend of Romeo, and Romeo's cousin Benvolio, and also a blood relative to Prince Escalus and Count Paris. As such, being neither a Montague nor a Capulet, Mercutio is one of the few in Verona...
- Milo O'SheaMilo O'Shea-Early life:He was born and raised in Dublin and educated by the Christian Brothers at Synge Street, along with his friend Donal Donnelly.He was discovered in the 1950s by Harry Dillon, who ran the "37 Theatre Club" on the top floor of his shop The Swiss Gem Company, 51 Lower O'Connell Street...
as Friar LawrenceFriar LawrenceFriar Laurence is a fictional character in William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet.-Role in the play:... - Pat HeywoodPat HeywoodPatricia Heywood in Gretna Green, Scotland) is a British character actress who has appeared in stage productions, movies, and television. Married to Oliver Neville, the former principal of RADA.-Career:...
as The Nurse - Robert StephensRobert StephensSir Robert Stephens was a leading English actor in the early years of England's Royal National Theatre.-Early life and career:...
as Prince Escalus - Michael YorkMichael York (actor)Michael York, OBE is an English actor.-Early life:York was born in Fulmer, Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, the son of Florence Edith May , a musician; and Joseph Gwynne Johnson, a Llandovery born Welsh ex-Royal Artillery British Army officer and executive with Marks and Spencer department stores...
as TybaltTybaltTybalt is a fictional character and the main antagonist in William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. He is Lady Capulet's nephew, Juliet's hot-tempered cousin and Romeo's rival. Tybalt shares the same name as the character Tibert/Tybalt the "Prince of Cats" in Reynard the Fox, a point of... - Bruce RobinsonBruce RobinsonBruce Robinson is an English director, screenwriter, novelist and actor. He is arguably most famous for writing and directing the cult classic Withnail and I , a film with comic and tragic elements, set in London during the 1960s which drew on his experiences as 'a chronic alcoholic and resting...
as Benvolio - Antonio Pierfederici as Lord Montague
- Esmerelda Ruspoli as Lady Montague
- Paul HardwickPaul HardwickPaul Hardwick was an English actor.-Selected filmography:*The Prince and the Showgirl *The Long Duel *Romeo and Juliet -External links:...
as Lord Capulet - Natasha ParryNatasha Parry-Selected filmography:* Dance Hall * Crow Hollow * Knave of Hearts * Windom's Way * The Rough and the Smooth * The Fourth Square * Girl in the Headlines * Romeo and Juliet...
as Lady Capulet - Roberto Bisacco as Paris
- Roy HolderRoy HolderRoy Holder is an English television actor who has appeared in various programmes including Ace of Wands, Z-Cars, Spearhead, the Doctor Who serial The Caves of Androzani and Sorry! His first notable appearance on the screen was in the 1961 film Whistle Down the Wind...
as Peter - Keith SkinnerKeith SkinnerKeith Skinner is a British actor who worked in cinema and television.His career began when he starred as Bruno in the 1966 film Mademoiselle, and more notably perhaps in Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 film Romeo and Juliet as Balthasar, Romeo's manservant and trusted friend...
as Balthasar - Laurence OlivierLaurence OlivierLaurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century. He married three times, to fellow actors Jill Esmond, Vivien Leigh, and Joan Plowright...
as Narrator
Differences from the original play
While following the basic plotline faithfully, and retaining much of Shakespeare's dialogue, numerous small details were changed in the film's story:| In the play...| | In the Zeffirelli film... |
|---|---|
| Rosaline Rosaline Rosaline is an unseen character and niece of Capulet in William Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet . Although silent, her role is important. Romeo is at first deeply in love with Rosaline and expresses her cruelty for not loving him back... (Romeo's unrequited love) is unseen in the play. Yet she is expected to be at the feast and this is why Romeo attends it as well. |
Rosaline can be found at Capulet's feast. (She also appears in the 1936 and 1954 film versions.) It becomes evident at the feast, Romeo is not the only one whom Rosaline shuns; she has multiple potential suitors doting on her, none of which she shows any interest in, though she seems to enjoy basking in the attention she is getting. |
| At the feast, when Tybalt recognizes Romeo, he is ready to kill him on the spot ("to strike him dead I'll hold it not a sin"), but he is intercepted by Lord Capulet. | Tybalt instead runs to Lord Capulet to protest Romeo's presence. |
| After Mercutio is stabbed, he exits with Benvolio. Benvolio then re-enters to tell Romeo of Mercutio's death. | Mercutio dies in front of Romeo and Benvolio, without exiting. |
| After stabbing Mercutio, Tybalt exits, only to return moments later. | After Tybalt exits the scene following Mercutio's stabbing, Romeo runs after him and calls his name, prompting Tybalt to turn around and attack. |
| Immediately following the fight between Romeo and Tybalt (and Romeo's quick exit), both house lords and ladies and the Prince arrive on the fight scene. | Following Juliet and her Nurse's grieving, the scene is instead shifted to the steps of the prince's palace. |
| Just before he leaves Verona after being exiled by the Prince, Romeo bids Juliet farewell on her balcony. The lovers are traditionally fully clothed although it is the morning after their wedding. | This scene takes place largely in Juliet's bedroom after their wedding night. Romeo is naked lying next to Juliet who is sleeping partially covered by a blanket. Romeo gets out of bed, Juliet awakens to see him gazing out the window. After he pulls on his trousers, he lays down next to her and she begins the Lark/Nightingale conversation. Only the last part of this scene takes place on the balcony, as in the play. |
| Juliet's arranged marriage to Count Paris is scheduled for a Thursday, but after Juliet's seeming repentance, an overjoyed (and overzealous) Lord Capulet moves the wedding day up to Wednesday. | The wedding remains scheduled for Thursday. |
| Juliet delivers a lengthy speech, commonly known as The Potion Scene, before drinking the sleeping potion. | Juliet simply says: "Love give me strength" before drinking the potion. |
| Friar John (the unnamed donkey-riding messenger in the film) cannot get Friar Laurence's message to Romeo because he finds himself thwarted by a quarantine Quarantine Quarantine is compulsory isolation, typically to contain the spread of something considered dangerous, often but not always disease. The word comes from the Italian quarantena, meaning forty-day period.... , and instead returns the letter to Friar Laurence. |
Balthasar, galloping on horseback to tell Romeo of Juliet's death, passes the unhurried messenger on the road. Later on, as Romeo and Balthasar ride back to Verona, they pass by the messenger, who is obliviously making adjustments to the cargo on his donkey. |
| After hearing of Juliet's death, Romeo buys a vial of poison from a Mantuan apothecary Apothecary Apothecary is a historical name for a medical professional who formulates and dispenses materia medica to physicians, surgeons and patients — a role now served by a pharmacist and some caregivers.... before riding back to Verona. |
The scene was eliminated and was replaced by Balthasar and Romeo riding to Capulets' tomb; though it is still daylight as they ride back to Verona, night has already fallen when they arrive. Where Romeo got the poison from is never explained in the film. |
| At the entrance to Capulet's tomb following Juliet's interrment, Romeo is intercepted by Count Paris, who tries to arrest the fugitive Romeo, but Romeo draws on Paris and kills him (in the final scene, the Prince, referring to losing "a brace of kinsmen", also referred to Paris as well as Mercutio). | That scene was eliminated altogether, but the Prince's line at the end was not changed. Reference to the scene was made in the souvenir program for the film, however, indicating that it may have been filmed, but deleted before the final release. |
| Near the end, following Romeo's and Juliet's respective suicides, Friar Laurence, arrested and brought back to the tomb by the Prince's Watchmen, reveals to the Prince, both Lords and Lady Capulet the truth of Romeo and Juliet's clandestine wedding and his other plans. (His story is confirmed by a letter intended for Lord Montague that Romeo had given to Balthasar.) | The Friar is not seen or heard from again after fleeing in terror from the tomb, and thus the revelation of the secret marriage is never shown in the film, though both houses evidently know about Romeo and Juliet's marriage by the time of the double funeral. |
| In the tomb, we learn through Lord Montague that his wife died of a broken heart upon learning of her son Romeo's banishment. | Lady Montague is still alive in the final scene at the church. |
| The play ends in Capulet's Tomb. | The final scene (the double funeral) unfolds at the steps to Verona's church. After the Prince's reprimand of both families, they exit, without reconciliation by the two fathers. The end credits are visible as processions from both houses make their way side by side into the church. As they enter, members of one family are seen either embracing or shaking hands with the other. |
| The final line ("...for never was a story of more woe, than this of Juliet and her Romeo") is recited by the Prince. | The unseen narrator who performed the introduction also gives the closing lines. |
Production
Set in a 15th-century RenaissanceRenaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
period, Romeo & Juliet was filmed entirely in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in varying locations:
- The balcony scene: At the Palazzo Borghese, built by Cardinal Scipione Borghese in the 16th century, in ArtenaArtenaArtena is a village and comune in the province of Rome, Italy. It is situated in the northwest of Monti Lepini, in the upper valley of the Sacco River...
, 20 miles south of Rome. - The church scenes: At a RomanesqueRomanesque architectureRomanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
church named St. Pietro in TuscaniaTuscaniaTuscania is a town and comune in the province of Viterbo, Lazio Region, Italy. Until the late 19th century the town was known as Toscanella.-Ancient times:...
, 50 miles northwest of Rome. - The tombTombA tomb is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes...
scene: Also in TuscaniaTuscaniaTuscania is a town and comune in the province of Viterbo, Lazio Region, Italy. Until the late 19th century the town was known as Toscanella.-Ancient times:...
. - The palace of the Capulets' scenes: At Palazzo Piccolomini, built between 1459-62 by Pope Pius IIPope Pius IIPope Pius II, born Enea Silvio Piccolomini was Pope from August 19, 1458 until his death in 1464. Pius II was born at Corsignano in the Sienese territory of a noble but decayed family...
, in the city of PienzaPienzaPienza, a town and comune in the province of Siena, in the Val d'Orcia in Tuscany , between the towns of Montepulciano and Montalcino, is the "touchstone of Renaissance urbanism."...
, in SienaSienaSiena is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena.The historic centre of Siena has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site. It is one of the nation's most visited tourist attractions, with over 163,000 international arrivals in 2008...
province. - The street scenes: Also in PienzaPienzaPienza, a town and comune in the province of Siena, in the Val d'Orcia in Tuscany , between the towns of Montepulciano and Montalcino, is the "touchstone of Renaissance urbanism."...
. - The fight scenes: In GubbioGubbioGubbio is a town and comune in the far northeastern part of the Italian province of Perugia . It is located on the lowest slope of Mt. Ingino, a small mountain of the Apennines. See also Mount Ingino Christmas Tree.-History:...
, a town in UmbriaUmbriaUmbria is a region of modern central Italy. It is one of the smallest Italian regions and the only peninsular region that is landlocked.Its capital is Perugia.Assisi and Norcia are historical towns associated with St. Francis of Assisi, and St...
province.
Casting
According to Franco ZeffirelliFranco Zeffirelli
Franco Zeffirelli KBE is an Italian director and producer of films and television. He is also a director and designer of operas and a former senator for the Italian center-right Forza Italia party....
's autobiography, Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
was originally asked to play the part of Romeo.
Controversial rating distinctions
The film was once rated G in the United States, but was later re-rated PG primarily because of a nude scene featuring Hussey. Zeffirelli had to get permission for Hussey to appear nude in the film as she was only 15 years old at the time. Leonard Whiting (Romeo), a 17-year-old subject of Great Britain at the time of the filming, was of legal age in Britain and did not need permission. Italy, where the film was made, has similar age lawsAge of consent
While the phrase age of consent typically does not appear in legal statutes, when used in relation to sexual activity, the age of consent is the minimum age at which a person is considered to be legally competent to consent to sexual acts. The European Union calls it the legal age for sexual...
.
"Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet"
The film's love theme is used in popular culture, as in "Our Tune" by disc jockeyDisc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
Simon Bates
Simon Bates
Simon Bates is a UK disc jockey and radio presenter. Between 1976 and 1993 he worked at BBC Radio 1, presenting the station's weekday mid-morning show for most of this period. He later became a regular presenter on Classic FM...
. In addition to this, various versions of the theme have been recorded and released, including the most successful by Henry Mancini
Henry Mancini
Henry Mancini was an American composer, conductor and arranger, best remembered for his film and television scores. He won a record number of Grammy Awards , plus a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously in 1995...
, whose instrumental rendition was a number-one success in the United States during June 1969.
There are two different sets of English lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
to the song.
- The film's version is called "What Is a Youth?", featuring lyrics by Eugene WalterEugene WalterEugene Ferdinand Walter, Jr. was an American screenwriter, poet, short-story author, actor, puppeteer, gourmet chef, cryptographer, translator, editor, costume designer and well-known raconteur. During his years in Paris, he was nicknamed Tum-te-tum...
, and sung by Glen Weston. This version has been released on the complete-score soundtrack release. - An alternate version, called "A Time for Us", featuring lyrics by Larry KusikLarry KusikLarry Kusik is an award-winning lyricist.He is perhaps best known for writing the lyrics for the tune Speak Softly Love, the love theme from the 1972 film The Godfather, however he has also written lyrics to many other movie themes, including A Time for Us from the 1968 film version of Romeo and...
and Eddie SnyderEddie SnyderEdward Abraham Snyder was an American composer and songwriter. Snyder is credited with co-writing the English language lyrics and music for Frank Sinatra's 1966 hit, "Strangers in the Night"....
. This version has been recorded by Johnny MathisJohnny MathisJohn Royce "Johnny" Mathis is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standards, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum status, and 73 making the Billboard charts...
and Andy WilliamsAndy WilliamsHoward Andrew "Andy" Williams is an American singer who has recorded 18 Gold- and three Platinum-certified albums. He hosted The Andy Williams Show, a TV variety show, from 1962 to 1971, as well as numerous television specials, and owns his own theater, the Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri,...
, among others. Josh GrobanJosh GrobanJoshua Winslow "Josh" Groban is an American singer-songwriter, musician, actor, and record producer. His four solo albums have been certified at least multi-platinum, and in 2007, he was charted as the number-one best selling artist in the United States with over 21 million records in that country...
performed "Un Giorno Per Noi", an Italian version of "A Time for Us". - A third version is called "Ai Giochi Addio", featuring lyrics by Elsa MoranteElsa MoranteElsa Morante was an Italian novelist, perhaps best known for her novel La storia .-Biography:...
, and has been performed by opera singers such as Luciano PavarottiLuciano Pavarottiright|thumb|Luciano Pavarotti performing at the opening of the Constantine Palace in [[Strelna]], 31 May 2003. The concert was part of the celebrations for the 300th anniversary of [[St...
and Natasha MarshNatasha MarshNatasha Jane Marsh is a Welsh operatic soprano. A highly-regarded performer in both opera and oratorio, her debut album, Amour, topped the classical album charts in 2007. She has toured with artists such as G4, Russell Watson, Il Divo and Paul Potts...
.
In popular culture
Thom YorkeThom Yorke
Thomas "Thom" Edward Yorke is an English musician who is the lead vocalist and principal songwriter for Radiohead. He mainly plays guitar and piano, but he has also played drums and bass guitar...
cites the film as one of the inspirations for the Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
song "Exit Music (For a Film)
Exit Music (For a Film)
"Exit Music " is a song by Radiohead, written specifically for the ending credits of the 1996 film William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet. Although not included on either of the two soundtrack albums at the request of Thom Yorke, the song appears on the band's highly acclaimed third album, OK...
", which was written specifically for the ending credits of the 1996 film William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet
William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet
William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet is a 1996 film adaptation of William Shakespeare's romantic tragedy of the same name. It was directed by Australian Baz Luhrmann and stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes in the leading roles....
. Said Yorke, "I saw the Zeffirelli version when I was 13, and I cried my eyes out, because I couldn't understand why the morning after they shagged, they didn't just run away. The song is written for two people who should run away before all the bad stuff starts. A personal song".
Celine Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
referenced this film, in particular the "hand dance" scene, in the video for her 1992 single "Nothing Broken but My Heart
Nothing Broken But My Heart
"Nothing Broken But My Heart" is a song from Céline Dion's eponymous album. It was released as the third single in the United States , Canada and Japan, and fourth in Australia ....
".
Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
artist Rumiko Takahashi
Rumiko Takahashi
is a Japanese manga artist.Takahashi is one of the wealthiest individuals, and the most affluent manga artists in Japan. The manga she creates are popular worldwide, where they have been translated into a variety of languages...
referenced the Zeffirelli film in two of her manga and anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
works. In one episode of Urusei Yatsura
Urusei Yatsura
is a comedic manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi that premiered in Weekly Shōnen Sunday in 1978 and ran until its conclusion in 1987. Its 374 individual chapters were collected and published in 34 tankōbon volumes. The series tells the story of Ataru Moroboshi, and the alien...
, devious troublemaker Ryoko Mendou invites the series' male protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
, Ataru Moroboshi
Ataru Moroboshi
is a fictional character and the main protagonist of Rumiko Takahashi's manga and anime series Urusei Yatsura. He is sometimes considered a teenage version of the character Nobita Nobi from Fujiko Fujio's popular manga Doraemon by many anime fans.-History:...
, to have a "Romeo and Juliet" rendezvous with her, and wears a dress based on Olivia Hussey's from the 1968 film. Later, Takahashi's Ranma 1/2 featured a storyline in which the lead characters, Ranma Saotome and Akane Tendo, are cast as Romeo and Juliet in a production of the play at their high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
. Takahashi designed Ranma and Akane's costumes for the play with Whiting and Hussey's outfits in the Zeffirelli film in mind.
External links
- Romeo and Juliet 1968. The first website on the film created by Barbara BachBarbara BachBarbara Bach is an American actress and model known as the Bond girl from the James Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me . She is married to former Beatle Ringo Starr.-Early life:...
. - Comprehensive webpage on Romeo & Juliet, featuring magazine articles and film reviews (archived).
- "Virtuoso in Verona" — 1968 review in Time (magazine)Time (magazine)Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...