patanellar Because it was required by my school. I never understood how this film was remade, because aren't films that are remade supposed to be good? One good thing came out of this-I got to call Romeo a sexist womanizing playboy in my essay about this. Why? Because he clearly is.

Mike LeMar 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.

rsd_anon I haven't seen this movie for 40 years. I had always remembered it as a great movie. I had been waiting for a Blu-ray version, but I finally gave up and decided to see the DVD version.The movie was a mixed bag for me. I still love the sets and most of the acting. The audio, however, was so bad that it seriously distracted from the movie. If the audio was equal to the sets and acting, I would raise my rating to a 9. As it is, I can only give it a 6.There were three things that were particularly bad. First the speaking parts seemed to have all the bad quality of a dubbed movie. It appears that the actors were all speaking in English, but the soundtrack sounded as if it was all dubbed. All of the speaking parts reminded me of "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly". The second problem (for me) was the overly emotive sobbing of Juliet throughout many of her scenes. Again, it was if the scenes were filmed and then the parts were spoken later in a recording studio. Maybe this is the way all movies are made, but it was bad enough to make me cringe each time Juliet started the sobbing. The third problem was the use of orchestra music in the background of many scenes. This may just be the norm for 1968-era movies, but it now sounds wrong.

oOoBarracuda I was finally able to finish House of Cards so I could get started on my movie list for March; better late than never, right? I chose to watch first perhaps the best known and most imitated work of Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet. I chose the 1968 adaptation directed by Franco Zeffirelli, starring Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey in the titular roles. I selected this adaptation because everything I had read indicated that it was the most faithful adaptation. I wanted to start out my month of Shakespeare strong, and this version of Romeo and Juliet did not disappoint. I'm almost certain that everyone knows the story. The classic tale of forbidden romance ending in tragedy. Teenagers from two competing families unexpectedly fall in love. Romeo Montague (Leonard Whiting) spots Juliet Capulet (Olivia Hussey) while attempting to create a ruckus at a Capulet gathering. Unable to get the young girl out of his mind, Romeo seeks her out under the cover of darkness. Unbeknownst to him, Juliet saw him at the party too and has also fallen instantly in love. At her balcony, Romeo professes his love to Juliet and vows that she will remain the only woman in his heart. Juliet obliges and agrees she will not seek the company of any other men. The problem for their budding romance is their families' years- long feuding. The Capulets and Montagues are hopelessly divided and any romance intermixing the two families would be received as betrayal. In secret, their relationship presses on, culminating in a secret marriage. Juliet is then promised in marriage to a man of her father's choosing. Devastated by the thought of marrying another, and unsure what to do about her predicament, Juliet drinks a potion which will render her with the appearance of being dead. Her co- conspirator, Friar Lawrence (Milo O'Shea) is to get a message to Romeo about the plan. The goal was for Juliet to appear dead long enough to be entombed, then, regain consciousness and run away with Romeo. Romeo never receives the message, and believing Juliet to be dead, poisons himself. When Juliet awakes, sees Romeo has died, kills herself, unwilling to live a life without his love. Obviously, a heavy story involving two teens engaging in a forbidden love, this version of Romeo and Juliet was incredibly faithful to the Shakespeare play. This faithful adaptation bogged down the story with heavy period dialogue. There was also a problem with sound throughout this film. In several scenes, especially high-intensity ones, the speech being heard didn't match the actor saying the words, which was a bit distracting. The sound in the opening battle scene was so off, it was almost comical. The camera work throughout the film made it very dated. Many techniques reeked 1960's and made the film a bit less visually appealing. There were high points to the film. I quite enjoyed the theatrical feel of the film. I enjoy watching plays, and like a movie that can recreate that feeling. The acting was also very well done. Romeo and Juliet showed a wonderfully reserved chemistry on-screen. The actors had to appear hopelessly in love, yet must hide their love from others, no small task, especially for younger actors. Although I don't know how many more times I will see this film, it did prove an exceptionally faithful adaptation of the bard's magnum opus.