In April 2020, McCartney referred to his discussions with Zeffirelli on The Howard Stern Show.
Although Zeffirelli does not mention it in his autobiography, McCartney provided details on this account (including meeting with Olivia Hussey and exchanging telegrams with her) in his co-written autobiography. Paul McCartney has said he was considered by Franco Zeffirelli for the role of Romeo. Later, the two families, having ended their feud, attend their joint funeral and are condemned by the Prince.įranco Zeffirelli and Olivia Hussey while filming Romeo and Juliet in 1967 Casting Despite his attempts to persuade her to flee from the crypt, Juliet refuses to leave Romeo, and once the Friar flees, she kills herself by plunging his dagger into her abdomen. Soon afterwards, Friar Laurence arrives as Juliet awakens. In despair, Romeo goes to Juliet's tomb and kills himself by drinking poison. However, when Balthasar, Romeo's servant, sees Juliet being buried under the impression that she is dead, he goes to tell Romeo and reaches him before Friar John. Friar Laurence plans to inform Romeo of the hoax so that Romeo can meet Juliet after her burial and escape with her when she recovers from her swoon, so he sends Friar John to give Romeo a letter describing the plan. On the night before the wedding, Juliet consumes a potion prepared by Friar Laurence intended to make her appear dead for 42 hours. At Friar Laurence's behest, she reconciles with her parents and agrees to their wishes. Juliet seeks out Friar Laurence for help, hoping to escape her arranged marriage to Paris and remain faithful to Romeo. Juliet pleads with her parents to postpone the marriage, but they refuse and threaten to disown her. Juliet's parents, unaware of their daughter's secret marriage, have arranged for Juliet to marry wealthy Count Paris. Romeo then secretly spends his wedding night with Juliet, and the couple consummate their marriage before Romeo flees. Romeo is subsequently punished by the Prince with banishment from Verona, with the threat of death if he ever returns. Enraged over his friend's death, Romeo retaliates by fighting Tybalt and killing him. Despite Romeo's efforts to stop the fight, Tybalt mortally wounds Mercutio, who curses both the Montague and Capulet houses before dying. Romeo now regards Tybalt as family and he refuses to fight him, which leads Romeo's best friend, Mercutio, to fight Tybalt instead. That afternoon, Juliet's cousin Tybalt, furious that Romeo had attended his family's ball, insults him and challenges him to a brawl. They are secretly married the next day by Romeo's confessor and father figure, Friar Laurence, with the assistance of Juliet's nurse. Later, Romeo stumbles into the secluded garden under Juliet's bedroom balcony and the two exchange impassioned pledges. That night, two teenagers of the two families- Romeo and Juliet-meet at a Capulet masked ball and fall in love. The brawl is broken up by the Prince, who warns both families that any future violence between them will result in harsh consequences. One summer morning in Verona, a longstanding feud between the Montague and the Capulet clans breaks out in a street brawl. Whiting and Hussey both won Golden Globe Awards for Most Promising Newcomers.
It won Academy Awards for Best Cinematography ( Pasqualino De Santis) and Best Costume Design ( Danilo Donati) it was also nominated for Best Director and Best Picture, making it the last Shakespearean film to be nominated for Best Picture to date. Several critics also welcomed the film enthusiastically. The most financially successful film adaptation of a Shakespeare play at the time of its release, it was popular among teenagers partly because it was the first film to use actors who were close to the age of the characters from the original play. The cast also stars Milo O'Shea, Michael York, John McEnery, Bruce Robinson, and Robert Stephens.
Laurence Olivier spoke the film's prologue and epilogue and dubs the voice of the actor Antonio Pierfederici, who played Lord Montague, but was not credited on-screen. Directed and co-written by Franco Zeffirelli, the film stars Leonard Whiting as Romeo and Olivia Hussey as Juliet. Romeo and Juliet ( Italian: Romeo e Giulietta) is a 1968 period romantic tragedy film based on the play of the same name by William Shakespeare.