“Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.”
(Romeo & Juliet, William Shakespeare)

Date and time: Thursday 21 April 2016, 8.00PM
Venue: Cinema (St James Cavalier)

Romeo and Juliet has been filmed countless of times and in many different ways too. Filmed on location in Italy, and owing to the modernised interpretation of Franco Zeffirelli, the film was a huge commercial success and received critical acclaim and  platea of awards including two oscars.

Although much of Shakespeare’s dialogue was cut down in size to suit a two-hour film, it appealed to the youthful, rebellious generation of the late 60s with its realism, the passion of the lovers, the brief nudity of the couple on their wedding night/morning, and its contemporary feel.

Notwithstanding all this, however, Shakespeare’s romantic tale of two ‘star-crossed’ lovers  ultimately remains true to its roots: that love is at the mercy of the mighty – of those who permit it and those who don’t.