Romeo and Juliet (1968) | Rotten Tomatoes (2025)

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95%

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43 Reviews

74%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

In the Italian city of Verona, the Montague and the Capulet families are perpetually feuding. When Romeo (Leonard Whiting), a handsome young Montague, disregards convention by attending a Capulet ball, he falls in love with the beautiful Juliet (Olivia Hussey), a Capulet. After a brief courtship, the two elope, creating even greater tension between their families. Italian director Franco Zeffirelli's film is considered one of the best screen versions of Shakespeare's classic love story.

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Romeo and Juliet

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Critics Consensus

The solid leads and arresting visuals make a case for Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet as the definitive cinematic adaptation of the play.

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Critics Reviews

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Romeo and Juliet (1968) | Rotten Tomatoes (1)

Derek Smith

Slant Magazine

As Romeo and Juliet, Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting exhibit an innocence, naïveté, and verve that enlivens their characters, making them feel startlingly modern even as they’re reciting Shakespearean verse.

Mar 7, 2023

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Romeo and Juliet (1968) | Rotten Tomatoes (2)

Alex Chambers

Little White Lies

The sets are tight and stagey, every corner is decorated with baroque lushness, every shot framed by a velvet curtain or silvery branch. And the dialogue isn't caged in by any attempts at naturalism.

Rated: 3/5

May 20, 2016

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Romeo and Juliet (1968) | Rotten Tomatoes (3)

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

High-minded and lively, with heartbreakingly beautiful actors on show, and all shot in a kind of honeycomb-sunglow light.

Rated: 4/5

May 19, 2016

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Romeo and Juliet (1968) | Rotten Tomatoes (4)

James Kendrick

Q Network Film Desk

Whiting and Hussey have a powerful screen chemistry, and the way they exchange glances, especially when they first spy each other across the dance floor in the film’s most captivating sequence, is electric.

Rated: 3.5/4

Mar 27, 2023

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Romeo and Juliet (1968) | Rotten Tomatoes (5)

Roger Moore

Movie Nation

A movie whose luster grows with the passage of time.

Rated: 4/4

Feb 26, 2023

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Romeo and Juliet (1968) | Rotten Tomatoes (6)

Rudie Obias

Battleship Pretension

There’s elements of subversion, violence, and sex that you’d see in other envelope-pushing movies from that time, such as Barbarella, The Graduate, Bonnie and Clyde, Rosemary’s Baby, and others.

Feb 16, 2023

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Audience Reviews

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Tomato S follows REALLY closely with the book but perhaps TOO realistic at some parts 😬 Rated 2.5/5 Stars • Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 07/07/24 Full Review annette Z i like this one the most - so far I also enjoy a opera of Romeo and Juliet - jus tout of this world Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/07/24 Full Review Audience Member Stunning movie and probably the best filmed version of Romeo and Juliet. Beautiful photographed in Italy with Oscar winning costumes and Cinematography, this movie has the benefit of a good cast and a beautiful score by Rota. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/19/24 Full Review Chris H A classic romance starring the truly gorgeous Olivia Hussey. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/09/24 Full Review Anthony E I couldn't think of any other movie adaptation of this work of Shakespeare that's not only treated the source material very well, but has also left a lasting impact for a long time. Rated 4.5/5 Stars • Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/10/24 Full Review MasterCrista WTF is this cringy ass movie? Rated 0.5/5 Stars • Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/08/24 Full Review Read all reviews

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Cast & Crew

Franco Zeffirelli Director Leonard Whiting Romeo Olivia Hussey Juliet Milo O'Shea Friar Laurence Michael York Tybalt John McEnery Mercutio

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Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet: Official Clip - Romeo Kills Tybalt