Romeo and Juliet
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Riccardo Freda
Gerald Meynier
Rosemarie Dexter
Carlos Estrada
Umberto Raho
Toni Soler
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
A film adaptation of Shakespeare's play.
Director
Riccardo Freda
Cast
Gerald Meynier
Rosemarie Dexter
Carlos Estrada
Umberto Raho
Toni Soler
Andrea Bosic
Antonella Della Porta
José Marco Davó
German Grech
Mario De Simone
Bruno Scipioni
Franco Balducci
Elsa Vazzoler
Antonio Gradoli
Crew
Anna Amidei
Piero Filippone
Riccardo Freda
Antonio Gimeno
George Higgins Iii
Bruno Nicolai
José Pagán
Gabor Pogany
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Antonio Ramírez Angel
Giovanni Rossi
Angel Rossón
Pëtr Ilich Tchaikovsky
Teddy Villalba
Film Details
Technical Specs
Award Wins
Best Cinematography
Best Costume Design
Award Nominations
Best Director
Best Picture
Quotes
Good night, good night. Parting is such sweet sorrow, That I shall say good night till it be morrow.- Julet
My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.- Romeo
Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life; Whose misadventured piteous overthrows Do with their death bury their parents' strife. The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love, And the continuance of their parents' rage, Which, but their children's end, nought could remove, Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;The which if you with patient ears attend, What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.- Naration
Love give me strength. and strength shall help afford.- Julet
But soft. What light through yonder window breaks?- Romeo
Trivia
A rumor surrounding this film was that Olivia Hussey was really Franco Zeffirelli's daughter. Not true, of course. Franco Zeffirelli initially turned Olivia Hussey down for the role of Juliet, thinking her overweight. The actress he did choose cut her hair just before filming, ruining the effect she had on Zeffirelli. Hussey came in for another reading but by this time had developed into a beautiful teenager. She got the part.
The first major film production of this play to actually cast leading actors who were close to the ages of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Zeffirelli needed to get special permission to show teenaged Olivia Hussey topless in one scene.
Franco Zeffirelli became concerned by Olivia Hussey's full figure during filming, and ordered that no more pasta would be served on the set.
During the sword fight scene when Mercutio throws a sword at Tybalt's feet, Mercutio's shadow is actually Franco Zeffirelli's shadow standing in for him because John McEnery was sick that day (according to Michael York's autobiography).
According to Franco Zeffirelli's autobiography, Paul McCartney was originally asked to play the part of Romeo.
Notes
Location scenes filmed in Rome, Verona, Ávila, and Madrid. Released in Italy in 1964 as Giulietta e Romeo; in Spain as Los amantes de Verona; running time: 95 min. Spanish working title: Julieta y Romeo. Gerónimo Meynier and Tadeo Villalba are credited in the United States under their anglicized names.
