Who directed the 1968 film adaptation Romeo and Juliet?

Franco Zeffirelli directed the 1968 film adaptation Romeo and Juliet.

Zeffirelli’s film became one of the best-known screen versions of Shakespeare’s tragedy. It starred Leonard Whiting as Romeo and Olivia Hussey as Juliet, with the young leads helping the production emphasize the characters’ adolescence and emotional intensity. The film was photographed in Italian locations and used an approach that sought a vivid, historically textured setting.

The adaptation was widely recognized for its visual design, youthful casting, and accessible presentation of Shakespeare’s language. It won Academy Awards for cinematography and costume design, and it received additional nominations, including for direction and the performances of the two young leads.

This film is often confused with Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 adaptation, Romeo + Juliet. Luhrmann relocated the story to a modernized fictional setting and used a very different visual style. Zeffirelli’s 1968 version is the earlier of the two famous English-language films.