“For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo.”

This was the best film adaptation of Romeo and Juliet that I’ve seen so far. Of course, it must be said that Shakespeare’s immortal words are the real star of the show. I won’t go on here about the amazing, lyrical dialogue because I’m sure it’s all been said before and by far better writers than myself. As a film though, I found it to be beautiful with a sweet, daydreamy quality to it that was reminiscent of the feelings between the two young lovers. The famous score by Nino Rota was stirring, melodic, and sad. There was also some nice cinematography, lush costumes, and good performances throughout. The two leads were purposely played by young, inexperienced actors and I thought they did a good job in the roles. The fact that each actually looked like they were fourteen years old added a bit of realism to the production.

I guess I’m a romantic at heart that also happens to love Shakespeare but I was completely swept up in this film. I loved it.

This is the definitive Romeo and Juliet.