''Romeo and Juliet'' is a 1916 American silent

romantic drama film Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their journey ...

directed by

J. Gordon Edwards James Gordon Edwards (June 24, 1867 – December 31, 1925) was a Canadian-born film director, producer, and writer who began his career as a stage (theatre), stage actor and stage director. Biography James Gordon Edwards was born in Montreal ...

and starring

Theda Bara Theda Bara ( ; born Theodosia Burr Goodman; July 29, 1885 – April 7, 1955) was an American silent film and stage actress. Bara was one of the more popular actresses of the silent era and one of cinema's early sex symbols. Her femme fatal ...

. The film was based on Shakespeare's ''Romeo and Juliet'' and was produced by the

Fox Film Corporation The Fox Film Corporation (also known as Fox Studios) was an American Independent film production studio formed by William Fox (1879–1952) in 1915, by combining his earlier Greater New York Film Rental Company and Box Office Attractions Film C ...

. The film was shot at the Fox Studio in

Fort Lee, New Jersey Fort Lee is a borough at the eastern border of Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, situated along the Hudson River atop the Palisades. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the borough's population was 40,191. As of the 2010 U.S. census, t ...

, and is now considered to be

lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography * Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland *Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

.Romeo and Juliet (1916 Fox) at TheGreatStars.com; Lost Films Wanted
(Wayback Machine)

Competing versions of Shakespeare

This film and other Shakespeare-oriented pictures were released in 1916, the 300th anniversary 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 death. This film went up against direct competition from another feature-length ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a 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 lifetime and, along with ''Ham ...

'' film from

Metro Pictures Metro Pictures Corporation was a motion picture production company founded in early 1915 in Jacksonville, Florida. It was a forerunner of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The company produced its films in New York, Los Angeles, and sometimes at leased f ...

starring Francis X. Bushman and

Beverly Bayne Beverly Bayne (born Pearl Beverly Van Name; November 11, 1894 – August 18, 1982) was an American actress who appeared in silent films beginning in 1910 in Chicago, Illinois, where she worked for Essanay Studios. Early life Born in Minneapoli ...

. In a recorded interview, Bushman states that William Fox had spies working for Metro, and stole some of the intertitles from the Metro version. Fox rushed his version into the theatres in order to capitalize on exhibiting his film first. Bushman recalled going to see Fox's ''Romeo and Juliet'' and was startled to see the intertitles from his film flash on the screen.

Plot summary

Cast

as Juliet * Harry Hilliard as Romeo * Glen White as Mercutio * Walter Law as Friar Laurence *

John Webb Dillion John Webb Dillion (6 February 1877 – 20 December 1949) was an English actor. He appeared in more than 80 films between 1911 and 1947. He was born in London and died in Hollywood, California, USA. He was married to Catherine Urlau. Selected fi ...

as Tybalt * Einar Linden as Paris * Elwin Eaton as Montague *

Alice Gale Alice Gale (5 December 1858 – 27 March 1941) was an American actress. Biography Working with stock theater troupes such as the Grand Stock Company, the Girard Stock Company, and Creston Clarke's company, Gale performed on stage for four ...

as Nurse *

Helen Tracy Helen Tracy (May 7, 1850 – September 5, 1924) was an American stage and silent film actress. Tracy was born in Jacksonville, Florida, and grew up in San Francisco. Tracy's stage career began there in stock theater at the California Theatre. ...

as Lady Capulet *

Victory Bateman Victory Bateman (April 6, 1865 in Philadelphia – March 2, 1926 in Los Angeles) was an American silent film actress. Her father, Thomas Creese, and her mother, Elizabeth "Lizzie" Creese, were both actors. On stage, Ms. Bateman appeared in the ...

as Lady Montague * Jane Lee * Katherine Lee * May De Lacy * Edward Holt as Capulet

References

External links

* * * * {{J. Gordon Edwards 1916 films 1916 romantic drama films 1916 lost films Fox Film films American black-and-white films American romantic drama films American silent feature films Films based on Romeo and Juliet Films directed by J. Gordon Edwards Films shot in Fort Lee, New Jersey Lost American films Lost romantic drama films 1910s American films Silent romantic drama films Silent horror films Silent American drama films 1910s English-language films

Competing versions of Shakespeare

Plot summary

Cast

See also

References

External links