Romeo and Juliet (1954 film)

Romeo and Juliet is a 1954 film adaptation of William Shakespeares play of the same title. It was directed by Renato Castellani and stars Laurence Harvey as Romeo, Susan Shentall as Juliet, Flora Robson as the Nurse, Mervyn Johns as Friar Laurence, Bill Travers as Benvolio, Sebastian Cabot as Lord Capulet, Ubaldo Zollo as Mercutio, Enzo Fiermonte as Tybalt and John Gielgud as the Chorus.

Renato Castellani won the Grand Prix at the Venice Film Festival for his 1954 film of Romeo and Juliet. His film contains interpolated scenes intended to establish the class system and Catholicism of Renaissance Verona, and the nature of the feud. Some of Castellanis changes have been criticised as ineffective interpolated dialogue is often banal, and the Princes appearances are reimagined as formal hearings, undermining the spontaneity of Benvolios defence of Romeos behaviour in the duel scene.The major supporting roles are vastly reduced, including that of the nurse Mercutio becomes in the words of Daniel Rosenthal the tiniest of cameos, as does Tybalt, and Friar Laurence an irritating ditherer, although Pauline Kael, who admired the film, praised Mervyn Johnss performance, claiming that he transformed the Friar from a tiresome presence to a radiantly silly little man. Castellanis most prominent changes related to Romeos character, cutting back or removing scenes involving his parents, Benvolio and Mercutio in order to highlight Romeos isolation, and inserting a parting scene in which Montague coldly pulls his banished son out of Lady Montagues farewell embrace. ........

Source: Wikipedia