Blu-ray Review A Few Words About A few words about…™ Romeo and Juliet (1968) – in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Robert Harris]

But, but, I want the Technicolor pop. I need it.

It’s almost there. Did you have a print back in the day?

 

[Chelsearicky]

Like I said the image on the poster in 1968 should have been the time to sue not 50 years later





https://www.mondaq.com/unitedstates...bout-nudity-in-zeffirellis-1968-romeo--juliet Is this the one? Will be interesting to see if Criterion sells more than they would have!

That's an interesting site, but not the same one. The post I found was written in narrative form and focused more on the liability of both sets of parents. Apparently they (parents) were fully onboard and gave consent for Olivia and Leonard to do whatever was asked of them. It also explained that Paramount, being an American company, was subject to California age of consent laws.

 

[JoshZ]

That's an interesting site, but not the same one. The post I found was written in narrative form and focused more on the liability of both sets of parents. Apparently they (parents) were fully onboard and gave consent for Olivia and Leonard to do whatever was asked of them.

In the prior Romeo and Juliet thread, I said the following, which I think is still relevant:

I have no insight into what happened on this production, except to say that having a parent on set would not necessarily guarantee that nothing inappropriate occurred. A parent who is not part of the movie industry can feel a lot of pressure to go along with whatever the director wants, if assured that, "No no, this is fine. It's not a big deal at all for your underage daughter to take her clothes off. Just look at all these people standing around. We're all professionals here. What could happen?"

 

[Stephen_J_H]

In the prior Romeo and Juliet thread, I said the following, which I think is still relevant:

I have no insight into what happened on this production, except to say that having a parent on set would not necessarily guarantee that nothing inappropriate occurred. A parent who is not part of the movie industry can feel a lot of pressure to go along with whatever the director wants, if assured that, "No no, this is fine. It's not a big deal at all for your underage daughter to take her clothes off. Just look at all these people standing around. We're all professionals here. What could happen?"

Exhibit A: Terri Shields.

 

[DanH1972]

I'm just upset it didn't receive a 4k Blu-ray release from the 4k restoration master.

 

[DarkVader]

Well no matter what the results of this lawsuit is one thing is for sure: Hussey and Whiting have succeeded in forever tarnishing the very film that launched their careers.

 

[Sultanofcinema]

Stephen JH: I was a cameraman for a television studio in NY/NJ and went out on a lot of shoots with the news people. I agree with you that when you are facing a camera, you do and/or say things you normally would not. Have seen it many times.

 

[ptb2017fr]

The legal maneuverings are theoretically about the trauma that may have been inflicted on the then-underaged actors by an allegedly abusive director: nothing to do with audience prudery.

The interesting thing is that Franco had an assistant called Dyson Lovell who was predatory. A lot of nasty stories flew around about him at the time, and later when making the film about Francis of Asissi.
If Franco was involved we may never know, but it all sounded unpleasant to put it mildly.
But Romeo and Juliet is a beautifully crafted film and was well played by all the young actors. Great music score too.

 

[Will Krupp]

A parent who is not part of the movie industry can feel a lot of pressure to go along with whatever the director wants, if assured that, "No no, this is fine. It's not a big deal at all for your underage daughter to take her clothes off. Just look at all these people standing around. We're all professionals here. What could happen?"

Not to beat a dead horse, but Joy Hussey (Olivia's mother) was English and Olivia herself had been raised in England since age 7. Neither Joy nor Olivia would have considered 16 to be underage as the age of consent in the UK was (and is) 16.

 

[SD_Brian]

it all sounded unpleasant to put it mildly.

Brooke Shields also had some unpleasant experiences with Zeffirelli on the set of Endless Love.

 

[RobertMG]

Brooke Shields also had some unpleasant experiences with Zeffirelli on the set of Endless Love.

Her mom she should have been arrested - Pretty Baby and Blue Lagoon YIKES - - wonder when it goes to court ----- soon - thankfully the film was released by Criterion today!

 

[mark brown]

Parents don’t think things through this way! I know we didn’t with our three daughters!

 

[GerardoHP]

I thought the nudity as well as the "conspicuous" flies in the boy's costumes in R&J appropriately suggested the heat in the adolescent sexuality that was absent in previous versions of the story.

 

[Will Krupp]

If Franco was involved we may never know, but it all sounded unpleasant to put it mildly.

Brooke Shields also had some unpleasant experiences with Zeffirelli on the set of Endless Love.

I thought the nudity as well as the "conspicuous" flies in the boy's costumes in R&J appropriately suggested the heat in the adolescent sexuality that was absent in previous versions of the story.

I didn't think we still had any doubts that Zeffirelli was a lecherous predator. Bruce "Benvolio" Robinson has been telling the story of how hard Zeffirelli went for him during production of R&J for at least the past 40 years. If anyone connected with Romeo & Juliet has a legitimate case to make, it's Robinson.

In the Endless Love commentary, Jeffrey Marcus tells of Zeffirelli promising Marcus he'd make him a star if he'd go to Europe with him, only to have him go cold on him once Zeffirelli became besotted with Martin Hewitt.

Jonathan Schaech's heartbreaking story of sexual abuse at Zeffirelli's hands is impossible to ignore.

The issue at hand is not that Franco was or wasn't very continental (shall we say) about sex and sexual consent, but that nothing listed in this particular filing has anything to do with that.

Both things can be true at the same time.

 

[Denham]

But, but, I want the Technicolor pop. I need it.

How would this Technicolor pop manifest itself? More saturation to the colors? A shift in their hues?

I guess ignorance is truly bliss, because in not knowing what I'm missing, I can simply enjoy what IS there.
And from the various screencaps I've seen of this, it sure looks like the wonderful upgrade of the old RB Bd I've been craving for years now.

 

[Mark B]

Lovely day
Digging into the supplements before the feature

 

[Robert Harris]

How would this Technicolor pop manifest itself? More saturation to the colors? A shift in their hues?

I guess ignorance is truly bliss, because in not knowing what I'm missing, I can simply enjoy what IS there.
And from the various screencaps I've seen of this, it sure looks like the wonderful upgrade of the old RB Bd I've been craving for years now.

Ignorance (innocence) is bliss. One can never go back.

 

[bujaki]

Ignorance (innocence) is bliss. One can never go back.

Ignorance can be remedied; innocence, once lost, can never be regained.

 

[roxy1927]

I prefer the adolescent heat generated by Shearer and Howard in the MGM film.

 

[Mark Toscani]

Well fresh off the heels of Henry 8 chopping wives heads off for something that was his fault..not sure there was a concept that women had the right to consent for anything. Let's time travel some of you back to 1590 (or 1968) as a very attractive 15 yr old girl and you can let us know how it went. (Good luck coming back unscathed).