Romeo and Juliet

[K.D. Lightner]

Thanks CharlieH for the site. That was interesting.

I guess my favorite R&J was the 1968 Zefrelli, it was full of life, well acted, beautifully filmed, and I liked it that the leading characters were actually quite young -- I believe Ms. Hussey was only 15 at the time, which is probably the age (or younger) that Juliet actually would have been.

Oddly, I have never seen it on the stage.


karol

 

[Feraud]

Admittedly, this particular adaption is unique, but I thought
the overall production superb.

Oddly enough, I agree on both counts! I appreciate unique adaptations and productions. I loved Baz's Moulin Rouge! and thought Julie Taymor's adaptation of Titus Andronicus was great! [huh]
Let us not forget Richard III with Ian McKellan as another good one.

 

[Harp]

Let us not forget Richard III with Ian McKellan as another good one.

...still have not seen McKellan's Richard III portrayal... Thought the trailer
and advertisement impressive; also 'cause Annette Benning is in this.

 

[Benny Holiday]

I enjoyed both those versions

I thought it clever that Lurhmann picked up on the youth gang element of Shakespeare's play, in his day guised as clan rivalry - it appears some things never change! The Zeferelli version was shown to my class in high school and really brought the story to life for us, especially the humour and the attraction between Romeo and Juliet. As I've matured and re-read the play, I've been astonished at how much of the sexual puns and word play I missed as an innocent teenager, a device Shakespeare used to mark the purity of Romeo's love as opposed to the bawdiness of Mercutio and his other young kinsmen.