Romeo and Juliet

Who doesn't love the first time you ever saw breasts in a high school classroom movie?

Easily the best Romeo and Juliet. Good acting, cinematography and score.

The best film version of Romeo and Juliet, no question. Olivia Hussey is sexy as hell.

Passionate and quietly exhilarating Shakespeare adaptation starts with the perfect casting of Whiting and Hussey's idealised archetypes, meshing with Zeffirelli's rough-and-tumble and earthy film-making smarts. Breathes new life into the familiar tale, especially the stunning balcony sequence, and the largely realistic characterisations of usual foils Nurse and Friar Lawrence (Heywood and O'Shea are both marvelous). Possibly the most visceral Shakespeare adaptation this side of Luhrmann's take.

Best version on film

A fantastic adaptation of Shakespeare's most popular play that has yet to obtain a successor which offers more and I can't imagine there ever being one. So why did I give it an 85 and not 100? Simply because I don't find Romeo and Juliet quite as mesmerizing as Shakespeare's other tragedies. Great direction from Zeffirelli and great performances from the kids. If only all Shakespeare plays could get this kind of a quality cinematic treatment.

Beautiful Zeffirelli production of one of the finest tales ever told. This is a very direct adaptation, and so obviously considering the source material the screenplay is magic. The are lots of excellent performances and Zefferilli produces one of the finest cinema adaptations of Shakespeare ever.

Much more well-done than the 90's garbage version. A great viewing for anyone who wants to see Shakespeare's work put to film....and also, where else are you going to see bare breasts in a G-rated film?

Jung Woo approves!

This film packed an enormous pop culture impact when it was released. We all wanted to wear Elizabethan gowns with stomachers and snoods that year. I wrote iambic pentameter in my diary. "Oh Dwayne, if bold thou't were, these lips be kisst'" etc. We hummed the theme song and considered dying for love. We were proto-emo, but with colour. In other words, we were intoduced in the best possible way to Shakespeare's play about the adolescent brain.

Difficult to grade as a film, given that it's an adaptation of one of the most famous plays ever written. That said, it wasn't quite for me. While I can appreciate the commitment to bringing Shakespeare's work to life and making next to no alterations, it bored me more and more the longer it went and, despite decent performances, never quite kept me invested. Part of that, admittedly, likely comes down to some issues I have with the story. Decent overall, and worth a look for fans of the tale.

Although I am still bored to death by the Romeo and Juliet story as a whole, I have to admit that I did at least somewhat enjoy this. It is, by far, the best cinematic interpretation of this story that I have seen.

The solid leads and arresting visuals make a case for Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet as the definitive cinematic adaptation of the play.

This is a great adaptation of Shakespeare's most famous play, and fully captures the innocence of young love, complete with interesting performances, dynamic action scenes, a stunning mediaeval setting and a haunting score. At the same time it feels very stripped back, so the real essence of the writing gets to shine through. Dreamy.

Brilliantly done, especially after seeing the 1996 and 2013 adaptation. The play actually works in this film, the actors do so much more than just recite their lines, which makes it far more vivid than the other two. Extremely beautiful Juliet and great chemistry between Romeo and her. Only the dagger scene seemed a bit sloppy and lacking heaviness, otherwise the extreme acting was brilliantly done. Such young actors make it more believable against the backdrop of real Verona and a great score.

It's probably disappointing on a small screen, but really sublime in a movie theater, if you get the chance.

B

Man, you should've seen my 9th grade class when Romeo first appeared. The girls were squealing

Decent acting. Mercurio was entertaining.

An extra five points for Leonard Whiting's arse.

87.000

The probably best adaptation of R&J I've seen almost, but only almost, managas to justify one of Shakespeare's more contrived and creaky plots.

Pretty damn good; in fact the only shortcomings can be blamed on the source material, which is saying something. Watching this in 10th grade was like a minor coup back in the pre-internet days.

Cool

Had a hard time watching this. I saw Zac Efron every time I looked at Romeo and when I looked away and only listened, I kept picturing Frodo Baggins.

Least favorite Shakespeare play and not that good of a movie adaptation.

87.000

Not a fan of the play, and that translates to the film, but I'll admit it was a well made film with some great scenes that overcame my resistance.

This one works. Gorgeous art direction, and for once the kids are as young as they should be.

Decent enough, but not really anything special, considering all the ways they could have taken it. Nipples, though.

A beautiful adaptation. It's also nice to see that the filmmakers actually let real teenagers tackle such difficult roles.

It is a good adaptation of the classic Shakespeare. The film works well and the pair convinced in the central role of the unfortunate lovers, though a bit exaggerated.

Yes, it is beautiful and accurate, but it doesn't seem to capture that passion and pain which Shakespeare articulates through writing.

A very well-done portrayal of the timeless classic.

Great music.

Melodramatic and a bit overacted...but that's typical Shakespeare. Great score.

It's a bit more simplistic than I would have liked and the second half is somewhat unfulfilling, but by and far, this is the best version of Romeo and Juliet I've seen.

Another excellent movie directed by Zeffirelli!

Nobody but nobody has done Shakespeare's Roneo and Juliet justice except Franco Zefferelli. He had the nerve to cast an actual young teen girl as Juliet, the wonderful Olivia Hussey, and another handsome young teen as Romeo, Leonard Whiting, and to stage the play in the actual, beautiful scenery of Verona, Italy. Unforgettable haunting score by Francis Lai. See this once in your life, even if you don't like Shakespeare.

I Can't Imagine giving the Bard's work anything less than 100! Franco Zeffirelli did a very good job directing!

It drags, and is perhaps one of the worst adaptations I've seen, which is a bit of a shame, Zeffirelli is a better director than this film lets on.

A bit meh.

Like any other Zeffirrelli film, it's beautiful without having a brain. Casting real teenagers as the leads may have been revolutionary, but imagine what would've happened if they had checked for acting skillz as well.

A beautiful adaptation of Shakespeare's most beautiful (though most overdone) play. It doesn't try to add bells and whistles like the Luhrman version; it feels Shakespeare's work is excellent on its own, and it makes it so.