Plot
Romeo and Juliet secretly wed despite the sworn contempt their families hold for each another. It is not long, however, before a chain of fateful events changes the lives of both families forever.
Release Year: 2013
Rating: 4.7/10 (523 voted)
Director:Carlo Carlei
Storyline
Romeo and Juliet secretly wed despite the sworn contempt their families hold for each another. It is not long, however, before a chain of fateful events changes the lives of both families forever.
Writers: ,
Taglines:
The most dangerous love story ever told.
Country: , ,
Release Date:
Filming Locations: Verona, Veneto, Italy
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia: Damian Lewis is playing Juliet's father, Capulet in this film version. Claire Danes played the title role of Juliet in the previous film adaptation. Both Lewis and Danes star in Showtime's Homeland. See more »
User Review
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Rating:
"For never was a story of more woe Than this of Juliet and her Romeo."
Count Paris (Tom Wisdom)
The "woe" in this umpteenth adaptation of Romeo and Juliet over the
last 400 years is that the titular lass, as played by Hailee Steinfeld,
is weakly acted with immaturity, poor elocution, and disappointing
physical presence. Add to that another woe: Douglas Booth's Romeo is
prettier than Steinfeld with only slightly better articulation.
So, the outdoor production I saw this summer outflanked director Carlo
Carlei's uneven take. However, for sets and cinematography, his
production is beautiful, having been lovingly filmed in Verona. The
ancient estates are astonishingly effective as horses race past old
bricked walls and lovely ladies act beneath frescoes and columns that
boast of nobility.
Yet the real reason to see this new production is Paul Giamatti's Friar
Laurence, a benign manipulator undone by forces beyond his control.
Giamatti's range from sweet confessor and cupid to perplexed operative
is masterful. Look for his Oscar nomination for best supporting actor.
Lesley Manville as the Nurse is second only to Giamatti, a loving
servant with a twinkle and a deep understanding of the lethal games. In
fact, most of the supporting players such as Damian Lewis's Lord
Capulet are welcome pros next to the amateurish leads.
The film, while featuring the besieged friar, also does a successful
job highlighting the egregiously intense hormonal urges of young men:
Tybalt (Ed Westwick) and Mercutio (Christian Cooke) have the feral
ferocity of doomed warriors. Even the more placid Count Paris is
waiting to let his inner soldier take over in the revenge category.
Writer Julian Fellowes bastardizes some of Shakespeare's glorious
dialogue (why would anyone try to improve on the best?) and even adds
rogue lines, albeit in the Elizabethan mode, such as "The road to hell
is paved with good intentions." Now that is not Shakespeare!
But the basic story is still the essence of intelligent soap opera, and
for its endurance, even with weak leads, I am grateful. And that
cinematography makes me long to return to fair Verona.
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