Rating: 
Summary: Exellent movie
Review: i don't know what to say, it's a great movie!
if you really like Shakespearian movies,
i'd recommend Twelfth Night, 1996.
Rating:
Summary: Rose by any other name...
Review: This is a brilliant film.With ROMEO AND JULIET, William Shakespeare has created a story that has weaved itself into our world's cultural psyche and thus there have been several film adaptations (And there will certainly be more.) But, Franco Zefferelli's (TAMING OF THE SHREW) 1968 masterpiece is easily the most intellectually satisfying. He has created this film on location with gorgeous costumes adding truth to the bard's tragic tale. The film is haunted by a beautiful musical score by Nino Rota (THE GODFATHER) that is with you for hours after the closing credits have taken their last breath. But, what makes this slightly abridged version so powerful is the ambitious casting of a 17 and fifteen year old as the children. They have some brief problems with the language, but their phtysicalty and their intent is as strong and as true as the most established performers. They easily carry the film and keep the viewer involved until the end. This is a powerful, gorgeous film. There have been other versions, including an interesting, short-attention span version starring 22 year old Leonardo DiCaprio (pre-TITANIC) as the young teen. While that film has many artistic benefits, the chemistry between Whiting and Hussey is much more believable. Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Best adaptation of Romeo and Juliet ever!
Review: There have been many movie and stage performances of this famous play, i.e., Romeo and Juliet VHS ~ Leonard Whiting. However, none of the other movies can even remotely be compared to that of Zifferlis. At the time the movie was released it was revolutionary to use teenage actors to portray the roles of Romeo and Juliet and his choices could not have been better. Olivia Hussey is stupenous in her portrayal of the beautiful and tragic Juliet. Leonard Whiting does not play second or third fiddle by any means and his potrayal of Romeo is sensitive, poetically handsome and very appealing. The setting for the play is very authentic and one never doubts that one is walking in a renaissance city . Highly Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Best telling of Shakespeare's tragic tale
Review: Franco Zeffirelli's production of "Romeo & Juliet" is my absolute favorite Shakespearean film. Zeffirelli's daring casting of teenagers Len Whiting and Olivia Hussey in the title roles is perfect in the context of the play of two star-crossed teen lovers. Another ideal casting choice was Michael York as Juliet's cousin, Tybalt. York brings a particular venom to the role, all the while revealing his skill and training as a fencer and former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. The film is also visually quite beautiful, with outstanding cinematography and scenery. I have seen numerous productions of "Romeo & Juliet" on stage and screen, and this one surpasses all of them.
Rating: 
Summary: A beautiful movie with some serious flaws
Review: I first saw Romeo and Juliet when it was released in 1968 - I had just turned 13. It ushered me into an uneasy adolescence, and it remains the only movie that has ever broken my heart. No other film has ever had so strong an impact on me, so perhaps I can't give an unbiased account. I later became a Shakespeare lover, and was forced to admit that this film is very flawed, but I owe even this revelation to Zeffirelli: his film introduced me to Shakespeare, and that's quite a gift. None of the significant critics of the time had a kind word to say about Romeo and Juliet. John Simon took Zeffirelli to task for his butchery of the text, and Stanley Kauffmann considered the acting, particularly of the title roles, abysmally amateur. They both made good points: Zeffirelli's cuts are sometimes baffling (he allows Romeo the line, "Thy wit is very bitter sweeting, it is most sharp sauce" which is the punchline to a page and a half of punning humour, EVERY WORD of which is omitted. He removes Romeo's murder of Paris, yet allows the Prince to say "And for winking at your discord too/I have lost a brace of kinsmen." [Brace means two, yet the Prince has now only lost one kinsman] Every word of Juliet's glorious potion speech is omitted: instead we hear only four words, borrowed from her earlier scene with Friar Laurence: "Love, give me strength.") And the young actors playing these star-crossed lovers don't always seem to know what their lines mean. In fact, there are only two performances that could successfully be transposed into a Kenneth Branagh Shakespeare film today: Pat Heywood's Nurse and Natasha Parry's Lady Capulet. Milo O'Shea (Friar Laurence) and Paul Hardwicke (Lord Capulet) are impossibly over-the-top (as was Jack Lemmon in Branagh's Hamlet ;-). John McEnery plays Mercutio interestingly but too often like someone who's smoked one joint too many at a Dead concert. But the principals are not bad. It's a centuries-old cliche that an actress isn't wise enough to play Juliet until she's old enough to play the Nurse. I guess the same could be said of Romeo, even if he doesn't mature during the course of the play as Juliet does. But who among us wants to see a couple of middle-aged actors impersonating a pair of teenagers? The line readings of Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting may at times seem naive, but they are beautiful, young, and believably in love, and they both have supremely expressive faces. They are also very talented, and Mr. Whiting in particular rises to tragic heights in both his "Oh, I am fortune's fool" reading and in his death scene. I'll never understand why the gifted Ms. Hussey, who bears a remarkable resemblance to Catherine Zeta-Jones (except with more expressive eyes), didn't have a major career. This movie also features expert (and Oscar-winning) cinematography and costumes, by Pasqualino de Santis and Danilo Donati. I mentioned critics above (Pauline Kael called Romeo and Juliet the "dustiest" movie ever made). In all fairness, and with all due respect to critics everywhere, I must add that every actor I've ever met has LOVED this movie. If you have a friend who is wary about Shakespeare, this is probably both the best play and movie. The play makes its points very quickly ("two-hour traffic") yet with great poetry. The movie leaves out some of the poetry, but it is SO very beautiful....
Rating:
Summary: The truth behind Romeo and Juliet
Review: We all know to understand Shakespeare, we need to be able to first see a literal meaning of words and then look beyond the surface and see their true meaning. Romeo and Juliet is a perfect example of higher forces(god(s)) teaching humans a lesson that they cannot simply learn themselves. Both the houses of Capulet and Montague had ancient grudges against eachother. Instead of settling their differences, they continued to fight and hate eachother. As Romeo said, "It has much to do with love, but more to do with hate." The houses enjoyed fighting. The only was to end this hatred was with love of Romeo and Juliet, which is odd to think about. Even though the star-crossed lovers lacked credibility(since after all Romeo went from being in love with Rosaline to instantly being in love with Juliet) their love grew to be so immense and too perfect for this world. Sacrificial items are usually immaculate and almost of another world. People that offer up sacrifices to thier gods believe that what their sacrificing is too precious for this world. So, I don't think the death of Romeo and Juliet is neccessary a trajedy. Things that are virtuous and too good for this earth have two paths: death or corruption. And the love Romeo and Juliet had had to die because it was too perfect for this cruel, vile world. Romeo and Juliet can of course be interpreted in many different ways, but it is best to think that it is an example of dichotomy. In the play, Friar Laurence speaks of evil things becoming good and virtue being corrupted. What Romeo and Juliet's love did was destroy the immature hatred that couldn't have been destroyed anyother way.
Rating: 
Summary: IRRESPONSIBLE!
Review: The film looks great, the music is legendary, so why can't I recommend this love story? I have two quibbles, and they are BIG ones: 1) For those who haven't seen the film, the titular star-crossed lovers of this piece both commit suicide, and this is a bad message to be sending today's youth. Would it not have made for a more happy and dramatic ending had the Capulets and the Montegues worked out their differences? My second knock is levelled against the film's screenwriter. People talk REALLY weird in this movie and half the time I couldn't figure out what they were saying!!! To sum up, this film is an incoherent and socially irresponsible mess!
Rating: 
Summary: Taking A Great Story & Making an Passing Movie
Review: We all know the story of Romeo & Juliet, two young couples from the opposing families of Montague (Romeo's Family) & Capulet (Juliet's Family) fall in love after a party and then elope. And then when Juliet is forced by his father to marry another man she doesn't love so she pretends (with a little help of a sleeping potion) she is dead and is taken to a Mosuluem where the plan is to have Romeo get her and run away. However the famous ending is that Romeo doesn't know about her wife's sleeping potion plot and goes to the moseluem anyway after finding out about her death. And not being able to live without his beloved he kills himself with poison. Juliet later wakes up and finds Romeo dead and for the same reason kills her self but with a self-inflicted stab wound. And then the two once opposing families make peace. Now thats a story in a nutshell which is pretty good. However the movie although with realistic setting & realistic looking cast (meaning they look like the original play said like they looked)just isn't a good movie out of the great storyline. The scenes are cartonish and the jokes are hidden puns which takes incredible amounts of thinking to get it and see they aren't even funny. The acting is a bit robotic and unreal. And the scenes are really boring-making me almost go to sleep. So basically the movie is too fake and not enough real drama to keep me enticed.
Rating:
Summary: Romeo and Juliet-The Story
Review: The essence of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is magnificently captured in this 1968 rendition directed by Franco Zeffirelli. His decision to use teenagers in the starring roles verses older actors brings realism to the story. It is like a "breathe of fresh air." Leonard Whiting does an excellent job portraying Romeo. I especially enjoyed the Capulet ball scenes. Whiting (Romeo) enters the ball wearing a mask in order to conceal his identity. Fittingly, it is the mask of a cat. Throughout the scenes at the ball we see Romeo on the prowl. It seems as if he is playing a cat and mouse game with Juliet (Olivia Hussey) being the mouse. Once their eyes meet, he cannot let her out of his sight. He continues to maneuver to get closer and closer to her. He even makes some unsuccessful attempts to "catch" her as depicted in the dance scenes. However, this "cat" will not be denied, he persists until eventually he catches her and they share a tender kiss. Hussey also plays her role extremely well. At first she seems totally unaware of the "danger" she is in. She is like a beautiful gazelle totally unaware of the lion (Romeo) stalking her. Once her eyes meet his, her heart, like that of a frightened gazelle begins to pound rapidly. Her face gives the audience the impression that she is confused as to which course of action she should take "fight or flight." She decides "flight", but it is too late, she is already "caught" by his paralyzing gaze. Another phenomenal aspect of this series of scenes is the solo being sung while this "cat and mouse" game unfolds. A young man sings "Juliet's theme" magnificently. To me, this is far and away the highlight of the entire film. I had "goose bumps" throughout my entire body just listening to it. This theme was the thread that wove this film together like a great tapestry. It was used on no less than ten occasions, however, the singing of it was clearly the most powerful use of the song in the film. I will buy the soundtrack just for this version. The timing of this song was crucial to the film because it set the stage for what was to follow in the film. I have heard the tune many times in the before, however, I had never heard the lyrics before. I think the lyrics contributed as much if not more to the film than the melody. Pasulino De Santis won an Oscar for best cinematography and deservedly so. However, I feel that Nino Rota deserved an Oscar for the job extremely well done in the area of sound. This film is definitely a "classic". I wish that I had seen it sooner. It should be required viewing in school. I think that William Shakespeare himself would have enjoyed this rendition of one of his most famous works.
Rating:
Summary: Greatest Tragedy of All Time
Review: "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.... A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life." This version of William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" is a masterpiece. If you have read the play, you'll notice that the film version is very similar. The actors are very fitting for their characters. Up till this point in this play, directors were using older players. This version uses younger, more fitting actors and actresses. Juliet, played by actress Olivia Hussey, is a young, headstrong girl looking for love. Being that her parents, Lord and Lady Capulet, didn't provide her with much sensitivity and love, Juliet is forced to confide in her nurse. After Juliet finds love in Romeo, actor Leonard Whiting, she learns he is a Montague, her great enemy's son. This devastates both Romeo and Juliet, but nothing will get in the way of their love for one another. The film takes us from the meeting of the title characters to the famous balcony scene. After this, Romeo's friend Mercutio, actor John McEnery battles with Juliet's cousin Tybalt, played by Michael York. He is slain and this starts a war between Tybalt and Romeo. "I am fortune's foe!" Romeo yells this after he kills Tybalt to avenge Mercutio, and then realizes that he is banished from fair Verona. This occurrence threatens Romeo and Juliet's marriage. Another threat to their marriage is the proposal of Paris, actor Roberto Bisacco, to Juliet. Her father, of course, sees Paris as a noble man, worthy of his daughter's hand in marriage. The proposal leaves Juliet to disappoint her mother and father, and the nurse thinks she should marry Paris, although she is already married to Romeo. Now Juliet is left to take desperate measures into her own hands. At Friar Lawrence's cell, actor Milo O'Shea, Juliet insists on his help in the rejoining of her and Romeo. He sees she's desperate and gives her a vial filled with a poison to make her seem dead, while she is really in a deep stage of sleep. He says Romeo will hear the news that she really isn't dead, he'll come and she'll wake. Their marriage should be renewed. As in any other tragedy, not all of the plans are carried out and death is the outcome. With death comes a sense of remorse, both in the Montague and Capulet families. The young actors give the audience a more realistic view of what Shakespeare wanted the characters to be. Hussey and Whiting perform Romeo and Juliet is the fashion in which Shakespeare intended. Both like love, want a little more of it, and will go to great lengths to obtain it. Many viewers argue that they are not truly in love with each other, but rather in lust. The time frame of the film and play is over the course of a couple days, and love usually takes longer to grow than that. None of the characters get enough sleep, and this may force them to act irrationally. You choose for yourself; is "Romeo and Juliet" a story about true love or just a teenage crush? Enjoy the film!
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