Concetti Chiave
- The 1936 Hollywood adaptation of "Romeo and Juliet" featured older actors, with Leslie Howard and Norma Shearer portraying the young lovers.
- "West Side Story" (1961) is a film adaptation of the stage musical set in 1950s New York, featuring gangs with roots in Eastern Europe and Puerto Rico.
- Leonard Bernstein's music for "West Side Story" combines classical and Latin American influences, with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.
- Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 adaptation was filmed in authentic Italian locations and won an Oscar for best costumes.
- Baz Luhrmann's 1997 version features a modern setting in a fictional Californian town while retaining Shakespeare's original text.
Hollywood's take on Romeo and Juliet
There had been some silent films of Shakespear’s plays, but the 1936 film of Romeo and Juliet was a Hollywood blockbuster. Manyy people thought the actors playing the lovers were too old: Leslie Howard as Rosmeo was forty-three and Norma Shearer as Juliet was thirty-four. But a lot of people who never went to the theatre saw Romeo and Juliet for the first time at the cinema.
West Side Story (1961) is a film version of the 1959 stage musical. It won an oscar for the best film. The settino is New york in the 1950s; Tony (Romeo) is a member of the ‘Sharks’, a gang of young people originally from Easter Europe, while Maria (Juliet) if from the ‘Jets’, a gang of young people originally from Puerto Rico. The music, by the American composer Leonard Bernstein, includes classical and latin American styles, and the words by Stephen Sondhein are both funny and moving.
Zeffirelli's authentic Italian setting
The Italian director Franco Zeffirelli set his Romeo and Juliet (1968) in medieval Italy. He filmed in Italian towns and Umbria, and the film won an Oscar for best costumes. Two young actors played the lovers: Leonard Whiting was eighteen and Olivia Hussey was sixteen.
The Australian director Baz Luhrmann used two young accora for his Romeo and Juliet (1997): Leonardo di Caprio was twenty-one and Claire Danes was sixteen. But the setting – Verona Beach - is a fictional Californian town, a swimming pool is used for the ‘balcony scene’, and the actors speak Shakespear’s text with American accents.
Domande da interrogazione
- How did the age of the actors in the 1936 film adaptation of Romeo and Juliet affect its reception?
- What distinguishes West Side Story's adaptation of Romeo and Juliet from other versions?
- How did Franco Zeffirelli and Baz Luhrmann differ in their adaptations of Romeo and Juliet?
The 1936 Hollywood blockbuster faced criticism because the actors, Leslie Howard and Norma Shearer, were considered too old for their roles as Romeo and Juliet, being forty-three and thirty-four respectively. Despite this, the film introduced many people to the story for the first time.
West Side Story, a 1961 film adaptation of the 1959 stage musical, is set in 1950s New York and features rival gangs, the Sharks and the Jets, instead of feuding families. It won an Oscar for best film and is noted for its music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, blending classical and Latin American styles.
Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 adaptation was set in medieval Italy with authentic Italian locations and young actors, winning an Oscar for best costumes. In contrast, Baz Luhrmann's 1997 version was set in a fictional Californian town, Verona Beach, using a modern setting with a swimming pool for the balcony scene, while retaining Shakespeare's text with American accents.
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