Sadly Over-hyped

Good movie but grossly overrated

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

I couldn't quite give it an 8 because Romeo isn't very manly in this. He's more of a guy in the remake. The one and only part I couldn't stand is when he learns of his banishment; he lies on his side on the floor, facing up against the wall to shut the world out...and blubbers...and blubbers...and blubbers...until eventually Father Laurence snaps at him, telling him to get up, and explains where to go from here. When he did that, I thought, "Seriously. Get up out of your fetal position and be a man. How can a beautiful girl be in love with that? I understand being devastated but my word..." A POSITIVE note that I have is that the Love At First Sight sequence, from beginning to end (when they finally part ways from the Capulet backyard after exchanging vows) was even better than the remake. It went slower and had a lot more feeling/vibe to it. It sunk deeper into a given person in the audience; it was FELT more.

In keeping up the tradition of Shakespeare Month, I am very proud to say that this is my favorite movie of the month so far! I believe I saw this movie earlier in a literature class. As the film is so long, I'm fairly certain I only saw the first half of it, so I took this opportunity to see the second half. This was released in 1968, which was the year that MPAA ratings were created. You can actually totally tell. This movie is rated PG and actually has a brief scene of a topless woman. Wow, could not get away with that today. The weird thing is that I heard Olivia Hussey was not allowed to see this movie because of her own breasts.Yeah, it does make me think about the age old question of if children who act in R-rated films are allowed to see them (and doesn't that violate child labor laws?). Of course, the actors in this movie weren't really kids which makes it all the weirder that there was this restriction. The best thing about this movie is probably how long it is. It's the longest Shakespeare adaptation I've ever seen and not a single minute is wasted. It's obviously very loyal to the source material and we get to see all the elements of the classic story here. I think my favorite part about this story in general is the end.Romeo and Juliet have committed suicide and this finally brings their families to stop bickering. The story is a tragedy, but at least it ends up doing more good than harm...I guess. The sets are great and this was also the same time that movies were making the transition to color. Everything really does look gorgeous in this movie. This probably is the version that you should show to a literature class. Oh, notice how I didn't put spoilers in this? I'm pretty sure everyone knows how this ends. ****

Well, it was about a year ago, when I was in ninth grade and I had to read Romeo and Juliet for English. Course, like any high school student, I dreaded it. But at the end of the unit, we got to see Zeffirelli's interpretation of the tale. In the beginning, I didn't really get the majesty of the film until I re-watched it today, and oh my god, what a film! What really makes this movie work is one fact: Zeffirelli understands the material well! The reason why so many adaptations before this one failed, is because they were casted poorly, but here, every single role, done to the last damn extra was casted correctly! I could go on saying how the editing of the original script was done well, and how the sets and costumes and cinematography are done beautifully, but I think you get the gist. Watch it its awesome!

I was 14 years old when this film came out, and sat in the theater all day (ah, remember back when you could do that and not have to pay to see the film again?) with a friend from school, and we just cried and cried. That night I dreamed the whole film again! It was one of the first movies I purchased on video, and I have seen it way too many times to count. It truly remains timeless-- the cinematography is beautiful, the cast delivers across the board, and it never looks dated, even now. The brilliant move of using actors who were actually close in age to the characters they played makes this film work like no other adaptation. One of the best films ever...