''Roméo et Juliette'' is a 1900 French film adaptation of the classic and famous William Shakespeare play, ''

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 ...

''.

Production

This film version was directed by Clément Maurice and featured

Emilio Cossira Emilio may refer to: * Emilio Navaira, a Mexican-American singer often called "Emilio" * Emilio Piazza Memorial School, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State * Emilio (given name) * Emilio (film), ''Emilio'' (film), a 2008 film by Kim Jorgensen See also< ...

singing a tenor aria from Charles Gounod's '' Roméo et Juliette''. It is believed to be the earliest film adaptation of the Shakespeare classic. The film was produced by " Phono-Cinéma-Théâtre", which premiered one of the first synchronized sound film systems at the Paris exhibition of 1900, with this film being one of the earliest to use the sound technique. The sound was recorded first using a Lioretograph onto a cellophane cylinder. This was then played back, and the actors filmed lip-syncing to the recording. To view the film, the sound was played back and the projectionist altered the speed of the hand-cranked projector to try to match the playback. Cossira was among 18 celebrities featured in Phono-Cinéma-Théâtre works at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1900. Another Shakespearean adaptation was

Sarah Bernhardt Sarah Bernhardt (; born Henriette-Rosine Bernard; 22 or 23 October 1844 – 26 March 1923) was a French stage actress who starred in some of the most popular French plays of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including '' La Dame Aux Camel ...

as Hamlet in '' Le Duel d'Hamlet'', the earliest film adaptation of '' Hamlet''. Among the better known of these is a film adaptation of

Edmond Rostand Edmond Eugène Alexis Rostand (, , ; 1 April 1868 – 2 December 1918) was a French poet and dramatist. He is associated with neo-romanticism and is known best for his 1897 play ''Cyrano de Bergerac''. Rostand's romantic plays contrasted with t ...

's play '' Cyrano de Bergerac'', also directed by Maurice.

References

Sources

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External links

* {{Romeo and Juliet 1900 films Films based on Romeo and Juliet Lost French films 1900 drama films French silent short films Films directed by Clément Maurice French black-and-white films French drama films 1900s lost films Lost drama films Silent drama films Silent horror films