Review of Romeo and Juliet (1968) by Eytan D — 23 Nov 2013

As a surprisingly dedicated fan of some of Shakespeare's works, Romeo and Juliet became a big, already popular, title for me in my high school English class. Of the countless renditions adapted to celluloid, Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet is the definitive screen adaptation.

Thanks to the two amazing performances of Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey, who were a little past their teen years at the time, the tragic romance of our title characters is passionate, palpable, and heartfelt.

You feel their pain, which makes their fate all the more sad. Sticking closely to the original play in style and in dialogue, Franco Zeffirelli's direction is just about flawless. The movie is also helped by Nino Rota's haunting score, which is some of the most beautiful music I have ever heard for a film.

The Baz Luhrmann version is decent, but this is a near perfect Shakespeare adaptation that sticks with you for a long time.