Romeo.Juliet
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''Romeo.Juliet'' is a 1990 film-in-concert adaptation of
William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
's tragedy ''
Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...
''. The motion picture is an original creation by American director, producer, writer and cinematographer Armando Acosta (also credited as
Armondo Linus Acosta Armondo Linus Acosta, also known as Armand Acosta and Armando Acosta (born September 23, 1938), is an American-born award-winning film director, screenwriter, cinematographer, producer and designer. He is best known for his motion picture film-in ...
and Armand Acosta). With a cast of
feral cats A feral cat or a stray cat is an unowned domestic cat (''Felis catus'') that lives outdoors and avoids human contact: it does not allow itself to be handled or touched, and usually remains hidden from humans. Feral cats may breed over dozens ...
from
Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400  ...
,
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
,
Verona Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Northern Italy, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and the ...
and
Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...
, the dialogue is vocalized by award-winning British film and theater talent. The soundtrack features Sergei Prokofiev's ''
Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...
'' ballet music.


Plot

'La Dame aux Chats,' the only human character in ''Romeo.Juliet'', is an eccentric Venetian bag lady who lives with her pet rat on a houseboat named Fellini. She saves the lives of Juliet (a magnificent cloud-white Turkish Angora) and her feline family by smuggling them onto a ship bound for the New World. Soon after arriving in the docks of New York, Juliet meets her Romeo – a smokey long-haired gray feral.


Inspiration

While working in
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...
in the early 1960s, Acosta observed feral cats who made their home on the backlot of
Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...
. Fascinated by their habits, patterns and innate, meditative nature, he wanted to film cats in their own environment and edit the footage to music. It was not until 1964, armed with an
Arriflex The Arri Group () is a German manufacturer of motion picture film equipment. Based in Munich, the company was founded in 1917. It produces professional motion picture cameras, lenses, lighting and post-production equipment. Hermann Simon menti ...
camera that Acosta began filming the street cats of
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. Wanting to capture the authentic choreographic movements, grace, and elegance of cats, he used slow-motion techniques that were available at that time. Acosta wanted to add to the footage and soundtrack, the essence of the classic story of starry-eyed lovers – not just Shakespeare's version, or the
Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first America ...
,
Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...
,
Arthur Laurents Arthur Laurents (July 14, 1917 – May 5, 2011) was an American playwright, theatre director, film producer and screenwriter. After writing scripts for radio shows after college and then training films for the U.S. Army during World War II, ...
,
Jerome Robbins Jerome Robbins (born Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz; October 11, 1918 – July 29, 1998) was an American dancer, choreographer, film director, theatre director and producer who worked in classical ballet, on stage, film, and television. Among his nu ...
adaptation, but the ancient tale of
Layla and Majnun ''Layla & Majnun'' ( ar, مجنون ليلى ; Layla's Mad Lover) is an old story of Arab origin, about the 7th-century Bedouin poet Qays ibn al-Mulawwah and his ladylove Layla bint Mahdi (later known as Layla al-Aamiriya). "The Layla ...
. According to Acosta, "These stories suggest a hidden truth that the highest love is beyond the body. Cat lovers, animal lovers understand this 'higher love' – a love of devotion, responsibility and respect." In 1964, neither the technology nor the finances were readily available for Acosta to seriously pursue his dream. It took almost 25 years before Acosta would be able to put together all the necessary ingredients – the most important being technology – to create as director, producer, cinematographer and writer his first full-length motion picture.


Script

An original screenplay containing what Acosta describes as "carefully chosen Shakespearean nuggets of gold" was written by Koen Vanbrabant with Acosta. British actor and theater personality
Victor Spinetti Vittorio Giorgio Andre "Victor" Spinetti (2 September 1929 – 19 June 2012) was a Welsh actor, author, poet, and raconteur. He appeared in dozens of films and stage plays throughout his 50-year career, including the three 1960s Beatles films ' ...
served as the script consultant.


Cast

* Romeo –
Robert Powell Robert Powell (; born 1 June 1944) is an English actor who is known for the title roles in ''Mahler'' (1974) and '' Jesus of Nazareth'' (1977), and for his portrayal of secret agent Richard Hannay in '' The Thirty Nine Steps'' (1978) and its ...
* Juliet –
Francesca Annis Francesca Annis (born 14 May 1945) is an English actress. She is known for television roles in '' Reckless'' (1998), ''Wives and Daughters'' (1999), ''Deceit'' (2000), and '' Cranford'' (2007). A six-time BAFTA TV Award nominee, she won the 1979 ...
* Mother Capulet –
Vanessa Redgrave Dame Vanessa Redgrave (born 30 January 1937) is an English actress and activist. Throughout her career spanning over seven decades, Redgrave has garnered numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Television Award, two ...
CBE * Father Capulet – Sir
Ben Kingsley Sir Ben Kingsley (born Krishna Pandit Bhanji; 31 December 1943) is an English actor. He has received various accolades throughout his career spanning five decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Grammy Award, and two ...
* Mercutio – Sir
John Hurt Sir John Vincent Hurt (22 January 1940 – 25 January 2017) was an English actor whose career spanned over five decades. Hurt was regarded as one of Britain's finest actors. Director David Lynch described him as "simply the greatest actor in t ...
* Rozaline – Dame
Maggie Smith Dame Margaret Natalie Smith (born 28 December 1934) is an English actress. With an extensive career on screen and stage beginning in the mid-1950s, Smith has appeared in more than sixty films and seventy plays. She is one of the few performer ...
* Tybalt –
Victor Spinetti Vittorio Giorgio Andre "Victor" Spinetti (2 September 1929 – 19 June 2012) was a Welsh actor, author, poet, and raconteur. He appeared in dozens of films and stage plays throughout his 50-year career, including the three 1960s Beatles films ' ...
* Benvolio –
Quentin Crisp Quentin Crisp (born Denis Charles Pratt;  – ) was an English raconteur, whose work in the public eye included a memoir of his life and various media appearances. Before becoming well-known, he was an artist's model, hence the title of ...
* Prince – John Haggart * Friar Lawrence – Theo Cowan


La Dame aux Chats

'La Dame aux Chats' is performed in a cameo appearance by British actor,
John Hurt Sir John Vincent Hurt (22 January 1940 – 25 January 2017) was an English actor whose career spanned over five decades. Hurt was regarded as one of Britain's finest actors. Director David Lynch described him as "simply the greatest actor in t ...
. When interviewed by the BBC Hurt explained, "...and he needed a cat lady who lives on a barge who collects the cats of Venice together and takes them to the New World where the story begins. A cat lady, a bag lady in fact, who lives on a barge and I'm the only human being in it" When Hurt was asked why he accepted the strange role of a Venetian bag lady, he replied, “I’m sort of used to transformations, that’s my living. But I haven’t very often gone this far. Hurt also explained, "The whole idea is unique as far as I know. I've never heard of such a thing, and I thought indeed, it would make a fascinating film." Later he jokingly added, "It's very much a supporting role." Acosta explained, "I wanted 'La Dame' to have that neutral quality, this sort of male-female never knowing quality. John was not only an actor of great ingenuity and power of invention, he understood transformation."


Music

The soundtrack features
Serge Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, p ...
's ballet music ''
Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...
'' performed by the
London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...
and conducted by
André Previn André George Previn (; born Andreas Ludwig Priwin; April 6, 1929 – February 28, 2019) was a German-American pianist, composer, and conductor. His career had three major genres: Hollywood films, jazz, and classical music. In each he achieved ...
. Acosta chose Previn for his 'swan-like' conductor's quality. In fact, Previn's interpretation of the Prokofiev score runs 7-10% slower than most other recorded performances. The original ''Romeo.Juliet Theme,'' composed by Emanuel Vardi and Armando Acosta, is performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by
Barry Wordsworth Barry Wordsworth (born 20 February 1948, Worcester Park, Surrey, U.K.) is a British conductor. Wordsworth is Principal Guest Conductor of the Royal Ballet and has had a long relationship with company. He was first appointed as Assistant Condu ...
.


Locations

The film was shot on location in
Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...
,
Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
,
Coney Island Coney Island is a peninsular neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, Manhattan Beach to its east, L ...
,
Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400  ...
and
Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to ...
with many interiors filmed in the huge Roncalli Circus warehouse in
Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...
.


Technical

''Romeo.Juliet'' is the first full-length motion picture to be filmed exclusively on video and successfully transferred onto 35mm. To allow the natural choreography and movement of the cats to be synchronized with the soundtrack, 99% of the film was shot in digital slow motion. Over 400 feet of video footage was shot with an editing process that took over 4000 hours. ''Romeo.Juliet'' has been acknowledged as a pioneering technical achievement by
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
winning
cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...
,
Linwood Dunn Linwood G. Dunn, A.S.C. (December 27, 1904 in Brooklyn, New York – May 20, 1998 in Los Angeles, California) was an American pioneer of visual special effects in motion pictures and an inventor of related technology. Dunn worked on many fi ...
and other motion picture specialists.


World premiere

The World Premiere was held on September 6, 1990 at the
47th Venice International Film Festival The 47th annual Venice International Film Festival was held from 4 to 14 September 1990. Jury The following people comprised the 1990 jury: *Gore Vidal: head of jury *María Luisa Bemberg *Edoardo Bruno *Gilles Jacob * Kira Muratova *Omar Shari ...
. The late festival director,
Guglielmo Biraghi Guglielmo Biraghi (1 September 1927 – 23 April 2001) was an Italian critic and film festival director. He was the director of the Taormina Film Fest in the 1970s and became the 14th director of the Venice Film Festival in 1987. In 1970, h ...
, a cat lover and colleague of Acosta, invited the film to be screened out of competition. Film critics and journalists across Europe covered the World Premiere of ''Romeo.Juliet''. Henri Chapier from the French television network, Antenne 2, reported, "A baroque film of art almost crazy with an enormous budget, ''Romeo.Juliet'' by Armando Acosta tells Shakespeare's play through the confrontation of two rival tribes of cats. A sophisticated achievement, full of originalities, the film enchants even those that refuse to be dazzled." Isabella Stasi of BBC Channel Four reported, "Away from the awards, among the 32 films at Venice there have been the good, the bad and the bizarre. The most extraordinary is ''Romeo.Juliet''."
The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...
wrote, "The strangest film on show was ''Romeo.Juliet'', directed by Armando Acosta, in which Prokofiev's music and the voices of Robert Powell, Ben Kingsley, Vanessa Redgrave and Maggie Smith are accompanied by onscreen performances delivered by cats, photographed sumptuously in Venice, Ghent and Coney Island. John Hurt as a sort of Venetian bag lady is the only human to be seen."


Additional screenings

''Romeo.Juliet'' was screened at the 1990
Flanders International Film Festival Ghent Film Fest Ghent, spelt Film Fest Gent in Flemish and also known as International Film Fest Gent, is an annual international film festival in Ghent, Belgium. The festival held its first edition in 1974, under the name Internationaal Filmgebeuren ...
and the 1990 Cologne Film Festival. In January 1992, the film was screened in Los Angeles at the Directors Guild Theater, Writers Guild Theater and at
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...
studio. In June 1994, ''Romeo.Juliet'' returned to Venice for three screenings, upon an invitation, by Ms. Constanza Farinelli, organizer of the Cat Congress and Symposium.


Film concerts

The motion picture was conceived and created as a film-in-concert with a live orchestra performing the soundtrack with the projection of the movie. The ''Romeo.Juliet Film-in-Concert World Premiere'' was held at the Palais des Beaux Arts
Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels The Centre for Fine Arts (french: Palais des Beaux-Arts, nl, Paleis voor Schone Kunsten) is a multi-purpose cultural venue in Brussels, Belgium. It is often referred to as BOZAR (a homophone of ''Beaux-arts'') in French or PSK in Dutch. The b ...
in June 1992. British-born conductor
Nicholas Cleobury Nicholas Cleobury (born 23 June 1950) is an English conductor. Cleobury was organ scholar at Worcester College, Oxford, conductor of Schola Cantorum of Oxford and held assistant organist posts at Chichester Cathedral and Christ Church, Oxford be ...
led the
National Orchestra of Belgium The Belgian National Orchestra ( nl, Nationaal Orkest van België, french: Orchestre National de Belgique) is a Belgian orchestra, based in Brussels. Its principal concert venue is the Brussels Centre for Fine Arts (Bozar). The orchestra also gi ...
in three performances. Upon an invitation by Armando Acosta, John Hurt and
Oleg Prokofiev Oleg Sergeyevich Prokofiev (russian: link=no, Оле́г Серге́евич Проко́фьев; 14 December 1928, Paris – 20 August 1998, Alderney) was an artist, sculptor and poet, and the son of composer Sergei Prokofiev. Artistic lif ...
, son of the composer,
Serge Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, p ...
attended the premiere. Oleg Prokovfiev stated in an interview, ''"...it's not simply a film, it's a poem. It's a higher art than cinema, it's super cinema. A special cinema which does not follow a classical story line, but harmoniously blends my father's ballet music, Shakespeare's text and the magical images of the film.''" In February 1993, a second series of sold-out film concert performances was held in
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
at the NHK Hall. Yoko Matsuo conducted the
New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra The is a symphony orchestra based in Tokyo, Japan. It was founded in 1972 with Seiji Ozawa as honorary conductor laureate. The Philharmonic's primary concert venue is the Sumida Triphony Hall. From 2003 to 2013 its music director was Chr ...
with Armondo Linus Acosta in attendance.


References

* Andrew, Geoff
"John Hurt interviewed by Geoff Andrew", The Guardian Unlimited

''Romeo.Juliet'' on Yahoo! Movies


External links

* * * * Vimeo Romeo.Juliet Trailer https://vimeo.com/116844501 * Vimeo Romeo.Juliet Presentation Trailer https://vimeo.com/88595328 * Vimeo Romeo.Juliet Film Concert Trailer https://vimeo.com/88595327 {{Romeo and Juliet film adaptations 1990 films Belgian musical films Films about cats Films based on Romeo and Juliet 1990s English-language films