Movie Guide: The Golden Years - 1968 – Romeo and Juliet

Seventh recommendation in this, so multifaceted, year 1968. And so, as in our previous recommendation we had touched the stick of the "historical drama" genre, we are going to take advantage of the previous content, to offer you a new subgenre related to this open path. And it is the one that tells us about the adaptation made to the cinema of one of the most recognized books of the one who is also one of the most important playwrights in the history of literature. His name, William Shakespeare, and the title of the film to reel "Romeo and Juliet ". So let's enjoy a whole "romantic medieval drama" and with the verse of the greatest teacher that the United Kingdom has given, let's ride on this dramatic-youthful plot.

And to begin with, let's review its technical sheet, focusing on its production. About her, let me tell you that "Romeo and Juliet" is an Italian-British film of a medieval romantic style and that, with a budget of $0.85M, it obtained a collection of $38.9M. "A whole ball", if we compare the ratio between cost and box office.

Therefore, with a magnificent score of 7.1, it must be assessed as a great film. Let us discover, then, the genius of such a discovery, and it is that it was none other than the Italian film producer: Dino De Laurentiis. And it is that the visionary producer, after the Second World War, was able to bring Italian cinema back to the international scene. Therefore, a world-renowned producer who managed to get thirty-eight of the more than five hundred films he produced to be nominated for Oscars. One of them was our recommendation today: "Romeo and Juliet". So let's find out what prizes he opted for.

And it is that the first one takes it on the forehead, and it is that this "Romeo and Juliet" apart from being nominated for the Oscar for best film, what it did obtain was the Golden Globe for best foreign film. "There is nothing"

On the other hand, its director was the florentine Franco Zeffirelli for sure, his most recognized film and that is that, for his direction, he was nominated for both an Oscar and a Golden Globe for best director. Recognized, I have said for the critics, although under his direction, if any were successful at the box office, it was the film of 1979 and shot 11 years later, the sports-dramatic "The Champ " that, with a cost of $8M, was already recommended by us, obtained a collection of $65M.

And after, finally, this well-versed brushstroke, we come to the core of our recommended film. And it is that in a youthful and romantic-medieval drama like this "Romeo and Juliet", without a doubt, the actors who played such roles, must be their protagonists.

And it is that under the strict desire of the Italian director Franco Zeffirelli, to be entirely faithful to the work of William Shakespeare, led him to respect even the real age of his protagonists, so Romeo and Juliet were played by a 17-year-old actor. years old and a 16-year-old actress. Of course, actors, until then unknown. Their names Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey. Let's find out a little more about them.

And if we are to talk about this London actor named Leonard Whiting, we could simply classify him as a simple shooting star that appears dazzling in the starry sky. And it is that, multifaceted, his story arises when, at the age of 12, for 18 months, he interprets the character of the vicious Artful Dodger in the main theaters of London. In what work? Of course, in the Lionel Bart musical, "Oliver "

Scenic cache, which serves as experience until, for any shooting star, its time comes, when in an audition of more than three hundred young actors, the Italian director Franco Zeffirelli chooses him to interpret, neither more nor less to interpret his Romeo. And a role for which he gets the Golden Globe for Best New Actor.

Thus, then, a shining star, but it only lasted a moment because, as we said, his passage was that of a shooting star, his career falling into the most absolute anonymity. Curiously, with the exception of his intervention, surprising to me, as the main voice in the song "The Raven" by my favorite symphonic rock group "The Alan Parsons Project" and their Lp "Tales of Mystery and Imagination".

And as a gift, and ending this brief review of the history of this young British actor, I leave you here the play of the song "The Raven". By the way, one of the top and iconic songs of this progressive rock group. So enjoy the piece of voice that this young Leonard Whiting had.

1976 - The Alan Parsons Project - Historias de imaginación y misterio - Leonard Whitin - El cuervo 

And if we have talked at length about our Romeo, for gender equality, now it is fair to talk about our Juliet. And I can tell you about her that, in real life, which for us is the one shown through celluloid, it fell on the figure of the British actress of Argentine origin, Olivia Hussey.

Another shooting star in the firmament and that, curiously, has some parallelism with the career of his co-star, Leonard Whiting. And it is that his principles, he also made them behind the scenes of the theater and, staging her intervention in the play "The best years of Miss Brodie", together with the true protagonist, the actress Vanessa Redgrave.

Preparation, then, that served him until the role of his life came to him. And it is that after an audition among more than five hundred young actresses, the Italian director Franco Zeffirelli chooses her to interpret, neither more nor less than his Juliet, and for which Olivia Hussey also gets the Golden Globe for best new actress . "What, is there parallelism or not?"

Therefore and along with his love affair partner, a shooting star that in turn decreased. Well, after this film, his career was limited to secondary roles, such as the one he played in 1977 with the role of Maria in the television series "Jesus of Nazareth" and which, curiously, was also directed by the Italian film director: Franco Zeffirelli.

Finally, in the acting section and, as supporting actors, I want to focus on two actors and one actress:

The first, and as a good gentleman, let's let the ladies pass and let's highlight the role played by the actress, Pat Heywood, playing Juliet's nurse. But, above all, and above all, stands out the performance of British actor John McEnery who, in the short time that he appears on the film, flies over, like a beautiful eagle, above the rest. Well, who if not in the brief space of a spell interprets the satirical drama of the great Mercutio as a master. "What a Shakespearian I have left!, right?"

Extraordinary interpretation that leaves the performance of his supporting actor, the British, Michael York, in a rather pusillanimous line, and who, nevertheless, would enjoy a much more fruitful career than that of the good old Mercutio, because who does not recognize the actor born in, Fulmer, in leading man movies such as "Cabaret" in 1972, in the role of d'Artagnan in 1973 in "The Three Musketeers" by American director Richard Lester. Or on television, playing Logan, in the 1977 science fiction series "Logan's Run".

A curiosity, it turns out that in that same year, 1977, he played the role of John the Baptist together with our previously presented Olivia Hussey and in the film "Jesus of Nazareth", which was also directed by our presented Italian director Franco Zeffirelli. Well, as the saying goes: "It is clear that God raises them and they get together"

And so leaving aside the interpretative section, let's move on to its technical aspects and, from this "Romeo and Juliet" let's pay homage to its author. And I can tell you about him that, as we said at the beginning, our romantic medieval drama was born from the imagination of who is, without a doubt, the greatest British playwright that the United Kingdom has given to the history of literature. His name is William Shakespeare, and as one of the greatest writers, logically he is the author who, due to his transcendence, is the playwright who has passed the most works to the world of cinema. So let's check his awards, to know if it has turned out like this:

1935 - "A Midsummer Night's Dream " nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture.

From the year 1936 - "Romeo and Juliet" nominated for an Oscar for best film.

Also in the year 1936 "As You Like It".

1944 - "Henry V" nominated for an Oscar for best film.

1948 - "Hamlet" Oscar for best film.

1953 - "Julio César" nominated for an Oscar for best film.

1956 - "Richard III" Golden Globe for best foreign film.

1965 - " Otelo"

1967 - "The Taming of the Shrew" by our director of the day, the Italian Franco Zeffirelli and, nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Comedy.

1968 - Our recommended today "Romeo and Juliet", of course, also by the Florentine director Franco Zeffirelli and, nominated for an Oscar for best film, in addition to obtaining the Golden Globe for best foreign film.

1982 - "Tempest"

2004 - "The Merchant of Venice"

"What, did you think it was little?" "Absolutely nothing"

Finally, and with respect to the libretto itself, and which in verse is couplet, simply point out who had the pleasure of adapting the work of the writer born Stratford-upon-Avon, William Shakespeare and the honor fell on the screenwriters: Franco Brusati, Maestro D'Amico and the director Franco Zeffirelli himself.

And, to finish, and this section deserves a separate paragraph, it is to talk about its soundtrack that was the work of the master of masters, the Italian and to be more exact from Milan, Nino Rota who, orchestrated by the also Italian composer Bruno Nicolai, got the nomination Golden Globe for Best Soundtrack. Another injustice of the academies that, finally corrected in 1972 with the Golden Globe for best soundtrack for "The Godfather" and, another 2 years later, in 1974 with the Oscar for best soundtrack for "The Godfather II".

So here, with this soundtrack that, at the time, enjoyed great popularity, I leave you the link of its main theme "A Time for Us" and that, with this extremely romantic soundtrack "Romeo and Juliet" , got, as we said, Nino Rota, got his first Golden Globe nomination. Let's enjoy it.

1968 - Nino Rota - Romeo and Juliet - Song - A time for Us 

And finally, once this "Romeo and Juliet" has been dissected, it's time for us to enjoy this romantic-medieval drama, for that, you just have to take into account that, as always under the cover, we have left the post published in Ok.ru and, and, under its trailer, the link to the full film in the original version with subtitles. Therefore, you only have to click on any of these links, to be able to enjoy the chosen option.

Synopsis: Adaptation of Shakespeare's classic. Two families from Verona, the Montesco and the Capuleto, have been at odds for years. The young Romeo Montesco and his friends show up at a party organized by the Capuleto with the intention of causing trouble. There, Romeo meets Juliet Capuleto and immediately falls in love with her. (Filmaffinity)