Romeo and Juliet (1954) (Blu-ray Review)
Directed By: Renato Castellani
Starring: aurence Harvey, Susan Shentall, Flora Robson
Rated: UR/Region A/1:38/1080P/Number of Discs 1
Available from VCI Entertainment
A wonderful film translation of the magic of Shakespeare’s verse into the language of cinema. Shot on location in Italy, the film stars Laurence Harvey, beautiful newcomer’ Susan Shantell and features the voice of John Gielgud as the chorus . In the renaissance city of Verona, the Montagues and the Capulets are two rival families carrying on a decades long feud. Love blossoms between Romeo and Juliet, each from one of the rival families sworn to hatred. With the help of Franciscan friar Laurence, an elaborate plan to repatriate the families through the secret marriage of their children turns the circumstances of Romeo and Juliet from unbridled love to tragedy.
As everyone knows, there is a million different versions of Romeo and Juliet. Here we have one of the few English versions of the timeless story of tragedy and all that mushy stuff. Renato Castellani certainly knows how to shoot a scene. There is a style here that helps with the overall film. You can add some very good acting on top of that. You know how the film will end, so it is always good to have good actors here to get us from point A to point B and still be entertaining. The movie does have some dragging moments and that could be an issue for some, so it makes it a film that isn’t near perfect, but I did find it very watchable.
The location of the film was in Italy and that does a lot for the environment of the movie. The locations are very cool to see, even if we have a transfer that seems a little soft and washed out in spots. While in English the movie and what we see more than fits the part. There are moments in this movie that comes across as a bit cheesy, but what more could one expect from a film with this type of subject matter? I think if you do want to see the story of Romeo and Juliet this is as good a version as any to watch.
– Trailer
– Photo Gallery
