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MOVIE REVIEW

Romeo and Juliet

MPA Rating: G-Rating (MPA) in 1968, re-edited and re-rated PG-Rating (MPA) in 1973.

Reviewed by: Shannon Hammell
CONTRIBUTOR

Moral Rating: Average
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience: Teens Adults
Genre: Romance Drama Adaptation
Length: 2 hr. 18 min.
Year of Release: 1968 and 1973
USA Release:
Box art for “Romeo and Juliet”
Featuring Olivia Hussey, Leonard Whiting, Milo O'Shea, Michael York
Director Franco Zeffirelli
Producer John Bradbourne, Richard B. Goodwin, Anthony Havelock-Allan
Distributor Distributor: Paramount Pictures Corporation. Trademark logo.Paramount Pictures Corporation, a subsidiary of ViacomCBS

I am a fan of William Shakespeare’s works and his play, “Romeo and Juliet” is not an exception. This film conveys the human nature behind Shakespeare’s much-loved tragedy. It is one of my favorite films and I have seen it more times than I can count. It’s a great film but it does have its share of brief nudity, references to sex, violence, and some profanity.

We all know the story. We’ve been forced to read the play in our freshman year of high school. And yes, this film has been shown in high school as a learning tool. The play unfolds as two rival, upper-class families, the Capulets and the Montagues, get into a public brawl, again (according to the Prince that’s in charge, it’s been the third time they’ve been fighting in public).

Like the Hatfields and the McCoys, the Capulets and the Montagues have been in a family feud longer than Richard Dawson hosted the game show with the same name. Romeo and Juliet, the offspring of the rivaling families, meet at a party, fall in love, get engaged, marry, and consummate the marriage all in one week. Of course, it’s a secret to everyone except Juliet’s nurse (Shakespearean equivalent of a nanny) and Friar Laurence, the man who weds the two star-crossed lovers.

The film is full of spirituality, mainly of the Catholic worldview, which might be offensive to some Christians that view this denomination as an un-Biblical perspective. People make mention of “going to shrift,” or meeting with a cleric for confession of sins. Characters like Friar Laurence and Juliet’s nurse “cross” themselves as a way of prayer.

What’s good about this film is that Romeo and Juliet don’t go to bed together until after they have been married. Friar Laurence explains to Romeo that marriage is more than just making love, kissing, and whispering sweet nothings and that marriage takes work, but his words fall upon deaf ears.

It also might be questionable to some due to the brief nudity in the film, which is a brief shot of Romeo and Juliet in bed after their wedding night. There is no actual sex in the film and the nudity in that scene implies what happened the night before. Sexual comments are made by Juliet’s nurse and Romeo’s crude-minded friend, Mercutio. During the famous balcony scene, Romeo and Juliet engage in some rather passionate kissing. In the same scene, Juliet dons a dress that reveals quite a lot of cleavage. Violence is not as rampant but not appropriate for kids under 13. Profanity is rare and people use what we would call “Shakespearean insults.”

Don’t be fooled by the MPA rating on the video cover. It is rated “PG” (by the standards of the late 60’s) but is more like a “PG-13” by today’s standards. This film is great for Shakespeare fans and appropriate for anyone aged 13 and over but some Christians might find offensive for the reasons mentioned above. It’s a great film and a wonderful adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic play that leaves the 1996 MTV version out in the dust. Listen for Laurence Olivier as the narrator of the story (it’s a speaking cameo appearance and we don’t actually see him).


Viewer CommentsSend your comments
Positive—The 1968 version of “Romeo And Juliet” is one of the finest adaptations of William Shakespeare’s classic play of “a pair of star-crossed lovers take their life.” The acting is great, and the setting of the play is retained. The screenplay, however, is somewhat butchered in places, but it’s a much better film version than the 1996 MTV trash with DiCaprio.

I also recommend the 1934 version starring Leslie Howard, Norma Shearer, John Barrymore, Edna May Oliver and Basil Rathbone. There is some violence and sexual innuendo (that’s consistent with the play), along with brief nudity in a post-sex scene. Profanity is non-existent here. (There are several appropriate references to Hell).
My Ratings: Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 5
D, age 27 (USA)
Positive—I have viewed this film numerous times, and this is one of the most beautiful films ever made. It is a performance of William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” put to some of the most beautiful cinematography, excellent acting, and perhaps the most beautiful film score of all time.

This is Shakespeare’s tragic love story about two young lovers from feuding families. The story is one of the most famous of all time, and this film (unlike many later ones) captures the play as perfectly as possible.

Morally, the film is good. There is some violence in brawls between the feuding families, but this is entirely consistent with the play itself and is not graphic in any way. The story does not endorse violence, but rather condemns it and depicts what hatred and revenge will ultimately lead to. The young lovers, in choosing to love each other despite the hatred of their families, end up coming to their death. However, as Shakespeare himself writes, they “do with their death, bury their parents” strife.” After seeing what hatred leads to (after tragically losing so many loved ones), the feud is ended. This film depicts the erewhile bitter rivaling families now clasping hands and embracing one another.

The dialog of this film is taken verbatim from Shakespeare’s play, so there is no profanity of any kind. As for morality, this story is 100% perfect, and there is nothing a Christian would find offensive, Shakespeare himself having been a very strong and devout Christian.

The only moral objection mentioned by some is the very brief nudity seen in the bedroom scene between Romeo and Juliet. However, this is done in an obscured and tasteful way. Most importantly, it must be mentioned that at this point in the film Romeo and Juliet have been lawfully married in their church by the priest.

According to the Christian worldview, this is the proper and God-ordained context in which marriage ought to take place. This is not something for a Christian to object to. Juliet had even said earlier that there can be no “satisfaction” without the vow of love and the sacrament of marriage. This corresponds perfectly with what the Christian Faith believes God intended and designed sexuality to be.

The film’s depiction of this, furthermore, is not graphic in any way, and none of the nudity would in any way cause anyone to fall into sinful or unwholesome thoughts.

Overall, the film is one of the best you could ever see, both in respect to filmmaking quality and morality. The film initially, upon its release, was rated G. A few years later, it was re-rated to PG. This review suggests it might be raised even higher to PG-13 today, but I do not believe that is necessary. PG is the proper rating. This film is not for very young children but overall is a very beautiful and wholesome performance of one of the greatest works of literature of all time.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 5
Nathan (a Catholic), age 25 (USA)