Romeo and Juliet (1968) on Netflix
In Verona, a longstanding feud keeps the Montague and Capulet families at odds. Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet meet at a masked ball and fall in love.
- Netflix4.3/5
- IMDb7.6/1037,810 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes95%
Trailer
Plot summary
Two Verona households, the Montagues and the Capulets, have been enemies for years, and one summer morning a brawl between them in the street is stopped by the Prince, who warns that any future violence will bring harsh consequences. That night Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet, teenagers from the two feuding families, meet at a masked ball at the Capulet house and fall in love. Romeo later comes into the secluded garden below her balcony, and the two exchange impassioned pledges. The next day Friar Laurence, Romeo's confessor and father figure, marries them secretly, with Juliet's nurse helping. Juliet's parents know nothing of the marriage.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Romeo and Juliet (1968)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting sued Paramount Pictures on 3 January 2023 for US$500 million, alleging sexual abuse, sexual harassment and fraud, and that Franco Zeffirelli had filmed them in the nude without their knowledge.
- Hussey and Whiting's suit against Paramount was dismissed on 25 May 2023 by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Alison Mackenzie, who ruled the case did not meet the requirements for suspending the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse.
- Laurence Olivier was in Rome to film The Shoes of the Fisherman when he visited the Romeo and Juliet set, asked Franco Zeffirelli if there was anything he could do, was handed the Prologue to read, and ended up dubbing the voice of Lord Montague and other minor roles.
- Phil Collins was in the running for Romeo and his then-girlfriend Lavinia Lang for Juliet, as was Anjelica Huston, until her father, director John Huston, withdrew her to cast her in his own film, A Walk with Love and Death.
- A scene in which Romeo fights and kills Paris outside Juliet's crypt was filmed but cut from the final print; Leonard Whiting and Roberto Bisacco said Franco Zeffirelli deleted it because it made Romeo less sympathetic.
- Paul McCartney said Franco Zeffirelli considered him for the role of Romeo; he recalled meeting Olivia Hussey and exchanging telegrams with her, a story absent from Zeffirelli's autobiography.
- The "Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet", from Nino Rota's score, was widely used, including on Simon Bates's radio segment "Our Tune", and Henry Mancini's instrumental version of it was a success in the United States in June 1969.
