Romeo and Juliet

Drama | English | 138 minutes

Info

In the Italian city of Verona, the Montague and Capulet families are constantly feuding and are at each other’s throats. One night, two teenagers, Juliet (a Capulet) and Romeo (a Montague), meet at a masked ball and fall in love. After a brief courtship, they elope. Juliet’s parents, unaware of the marriage, arrange for Juliet to marry the wealthy Count Paris. Juliet is bereft. She takes a potion that simulates her death for 42 hours. Romeo, under the impression that Juliet is dead, commits suicide. When the potion wears off and Juliet recovers, she is told of Romeo’s suicide. Juliet, in turn, takes her life. The two families attend the joint funeral and condemn the feud that took the lives of their young, innocent children.

Cast

Leonard Whiting (Romeo) / Olivia Hussey (Juliet)

Why Stream This Film?

Film critic Roger Ebert wrote: “With ROMEO and JULIET Shakespeare began shaping modern drama in which the fates of ordinary people are as crucial as those of the great. Romeo and Juliet were not distant and august figures, not Caesars, Othellos or Macbeths, but a couple of kids in love.”

Rotten Tomatoes Score (Critics Consensus): 95%
Metacritic Score: 69

Accolades

Academy Awards: Winner, Best Cinematography (Pasqualino De Santis); Nominated, Best Picture; Best Director (Franco Zeffirelli)
National Board of Review: Winner, Best Director (Franco Zeffirelli); Listed, Top Ten Best Films of the Year
Directors Guild of America: Nominated Best Director (Franco Zeffirelli)
Golden Globe Awards: Winner, Best English-Language Foreign Film; Most Promising Newcomer – Male (Leonard Whiting); Most Promising Newcomer – Female (Olivia Hussey)

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