Romeo & Juliet

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Nino Rota -- Romeo & Juliet Romeo and Juliet is a 1968 British-Italian cinematic adaptation of the William Shakespeare play of the same name. The film was directed and co-written by Franco Zeffirelli, and stars Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey. It won Academy Awards for Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design; it was also nominated for Best Director and Best Picture. Sir Laurence Olivier spoke the film's prologue and epilogue and reportedly dubbed the voice of the Italian actor playing Lord Montague, but was never credited in the film. Plot In Verona, Italy, Romeo and Juliet, the teenaged children of two feuding families, meet by chance and fall in love. They are secretly married by Romeo's confessor, Friar Laurence, with the assistance of Juliet's nursemaid. Unfortunately, a street duel breaks out between Juliet's cousin Tybalt and Romeo's friend Mercutio, which results in the death of the latter. Romeo retaliates by killing Tybalt, and is penalized with exile. Unaware of Juliet's secret marriage, her father has arranged for her to marry a wealthy young count. In order to escape this arranged marriage and remain faithful to Romeo, Juliet consumes a potion prepared by Friar Laurence, intended to make her appear dead. Friar Laurence plans to inform Romeo of the hoax so that he can pick Juliet up after her burial and escape with her when she recovers from her swoon, but the news of Juliet's death reaches Romeo before the friar's letter. In despair, he kills himself in Juliet's tomb. Awakening shortly after he expires, Juliet follows suit. Later, the two families process into their joint funeral together, implying that the tragedy has resolved their feud. Cast * Leonard Whiting as Romeo Montague * Olivia Hussey as Juliet Capulet * John McEnery as Mercutio * Milo O'Shea as Friar Lawrence * Pat Heywood as The Nurse * Robert Stephens as Prince Escalus * Michael York as Tybalt * Bruce Robinson as Benvolio * Antonio Pierfederici as Lord Montague * Esmerelda Ruspoli as Lady Montague * Paul Hardwick as Lord Capulet * Natasha Parry as Lady Capulet * Roberto Bisacco as Paris * Roy Holder as Peter * Keith Skinner as Balthasar * Laurence Olivier as Narrator Soundtrack Two releases of the score of the film, composed by Nino Rota, have been released. "Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet" The film's love theme is used in popular culture, as in "Our Tune" by disc jockey Simon Bates. In addition to this, various versions of the theme have been recorded and released, including the most successful by Henry Mancini, whose instrumental rendition was a number-one success in the United States during June, 1969. There are two different sets of English lyrics to the song. "What Is a Youth?" The film's version is called "What Is a Youth?", featuring lyrics by Eugene Walter. This version has been released on the complete-score soundtrack release. "A Time for Us" An alternate version, called "A Time for Us", featuring lyrics by Larry Kusik and Eddie Snyder. This version it has been recorded by Johnny Mathis and Andy Williams among others. Josh Groban performed "Un Giorno Per Noi", an Italian version of "A Time for Us". "Ai Giochi Addio" A third version is called "Ai Giochi Addio", featuring lyrics by Elsa Morante, and has been performed by opera singers such as Luciano Pavarotti and Natasha Marsh. Nino Rota wrote scores to more than 150 films.

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