Romeo and Juliet (1954 film)
| Romeo and Juliet | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Directed by | Renato Castellani |
| Produced by |
Sandro Ghenzi Joseph Janni Earl St. John |
| Written by | Renato Castellani William Shakespeare (play) |
| Based on |
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare |
| Starring |
Laurence Harvey Susan Shentall |
| Music by | Roman Vlad |
| Cinematography | Robert Krasker |
| Edited by | Sidney Hayers |
| Distributed by | Rank Organisation (UK) |
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Release date
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1 September 1954 (UK) |
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Running time
|
138 minutes |
| Country | Italy/UK |
| Language | English |
Romeo and Juliet is a 1954 film adaptation of William Shakespeare's play of the same name. It was directed by Renato Castellani and stars Laurence Harvey as Romeo, Susan Shentall as Juliet, Flora Robson as the Nurse, Mervyn Johns as Friar Laurence, Bill Travers as Benvolio, Sebastian Cabot as Lord Capulet, Ubaldo Zollo as Mercutio, Enzo Fiermonte as Tybalt and John Gielgud as the Chorus.
The film won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, and was named the best foreign film by the National Board of Review, which also named Castellani as best director.
Joan Collins was originally announced to play Juliet.
Renato Castellani won the Grand Prix at the Venice Film Festival for his 1954 film of Romeo and Juliet. His film contains interpolated scenes intended to establish the class system and Catholicism of Renaissance Verona, and the nature of the feud. Some of Castellani's changes have been criticised as ineffective: interpolated dialogue is often banal, and the Prince's appearances are reimagined as formal hearings, undermining the spontaneity of Benvolio's defence of Romeo's behaviour in the duel scene.
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