Romeo and Juliet (1968) [The Criterion Collection]

Director: Franco Zeffirelli
Starring: Olivia Hussey, Michael York, John McEnery, Milo O'Shea, Pat Heywood, Robert Stephens

One of the great Shakespeare adaptations, Franco Zeffirelli’s sublime take on the Bard’s immortal romantic tragedy breathed new life into the oft-told tale by casting actual teenagers in the title roles. As the young lovers whose affair threatens to inflame the tensions between their feuding families in Renaissance Verona, Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting vividly capture the mix of adolescent ardor and turmoil that fuels their destiny-driven liaison. A sensory banquet thanks to Nino Rota’s delicate score and the exquisite, Oscar-winning costumes and cinematography, Romeo and Juliet is Shakespeare at its most deeply felt and passionately alive.

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