Romeo and Juliet (1954)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Renato Castellani

Writers:

Renato Castellani (adaptation)
William Shakespeare (play)

Release Date:

12 November 1954 (Finland)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

In Shakespeare's classic play, the Montagues and Capulets, two families of Renaissance Italy, have hated each other for years, but the son of one family and the daughter of the other fall desperately in love and secretly marry. |

Plot Keywords:

Shakespeare | Star Crossed Lovers | Tragic Ending | Passion | Friendship

Awards:

Nominated for 3 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 4 wins

Cast

Laurence Harvey	...	Romeo
Susan Shentall	...	Juliet
Flora Robson	...	Nurse
Norman Wooland	...	Paris
Mervyn Johns	...	Friar Laurence
John Gielgud	...	Chorus
Bill Travers	...	Benvolio
Sebastian Cabot	...	Capulet
Lydia Sherwood	...	Lady Capulet
Ubaldo Zollo	...	Mercutio
Enzo Fiermonte	...	Tybalt
Giovanni Rota	...	Prince of Verona
Giulio Garbinetto	...	Montague
Nietta Zocchi	...	Lady Montague
Carla Diaz

Also Known As:

Giulietta e Romeo (Italy)

Runtime:

USA:138 min

Country:

Italy | UK

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | Australia:G

Filming Locations:

Italy

Company:

Rank Organisation, The

Trivia:

Thomas Nicholls is dubbed.

Movie Connections:

Version of Romeo and Juliet (1924)

A top-to-toe masterpiece

Castellani presents his neo-realistic view of WS's tragedy. Never have the personalities of the two lovers been so intensely portrayed in the screen. Susan Shentall conveys all the fire of the first love and the impending tragedy that will follow it. Laurence Harvey, though not the ideal match (as far as age is concerned) for Shentall's Juliet, manages to pass Romeo's brash, passioned nature. The great Robert Krasker's photography is the work of a consummated master: each picture frame reflects a Renaisssance painting, as well as the sets (all original ones in Venice, Padova, Verona and Siena), costumes and the décor. The best names then available in those fields in Europe were recruited to recreate what Romeo and Juliet's Verona should have been. The result is a joy to watch and is worth the movie. The ball scene alone could receive all the prizes this film was awarded in the 1954 Venice Film Festival. Roman Vlad's use of an Italian medieval gagliarda as the film's dominating musical comment is a lesson in itself. When compared to Castellani's masterpiece, all other versions seem like pale, unfocused, poor readings of WS's immortal tragedy. Hope this film will soon be available on DVD.