Romeo and Juliet (1968) - film adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

Literary/ Cultural Context Essay

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Adapted from William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Directed by Franco Zeffirelli. Starring Leonard Whiting, Olivia Hussey, John McEnery, Michael York, Pat Heywood and Milo O’Shea, with the voice of Laurence Olivier. English. Colour. 132 minutes.

Franco Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet, released in 1968, is possibly best known for his casting of two unknown teenage actors, Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey, in the lead roles, a decision the director justified by saying that he wanted this to be “a young people’s Romeo and Juliet.” He insisted, moreover, that he was producing Shakespeare for the masses, not for a cultural elite. The fact that it was an immediate success at …

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Citation: Fraser, Duncan. "Romeo and Juliet (1968) - film adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 27 April 2015 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=19393, accessed 28 March 2024.]

19393 Romeo and Juliet (1968) - film adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet 2 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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