British Universities Film & Video Council

moving image and sound, knowledge and access

Romeo and Juliet

Synopsis
Fiction film. A version of Romeo and Juliet in 8 reels. Directed by John W. Noble (with likely assistance from Francis X. Bushman) with Bushman as Romeo and Beverly Bayne as Juliet.
Country
United States
Medium
Film
Technical information
Black-and-white / Silent
Year of release
1916
Recording date
19 Oct 1916
Duration
c89; c8000 feet
Availability
No archive copy found.

Credits

Director
John W. Noble
Cinematographer
R.J. Bergquist
Screenplay
John Arthur; John W. Noble; Rudolph de Cordova
Cast
Francis X. BushmanRomeo
Beverly BayneJuliet
Fritz LeiberMercutio
Robert CummingsFriar Laurence
Adela BarkerNurse
A.J. HerbertFriar John
Barry MaxwellApothecary
Edmund EltonCapulet
Edwin BoringBalthasar
Eric HudsonMontague
Ethel MantellRosaline
Genevieve ReynoldsLady Montague
Harry SothernAbram
Helen DunbarLady Capulet
Horace VintonEscalus, Prince of Verona
John DavidsonParis
Joseph DaileyPeter
Olaf SkavlanBenvolio
W. Lawson ButtTybalt

Additional Details

Production type
Fiction Films
Historical period
Renaissance Italy
Plays
Romeo and Juliet
Subjects
Drama
Keywords
Shakespeare, William (1564-1616)

Notes

Notes
Estimated budget $250,000.
General
Ball (p. 364) notes that there is a rumour that a negative rests with MGM but is damaged beyond redemption.
History
The film was released the same week as Fox’s ROMEO AND JULIET; Ball writes about the intense studio rivalry in detail (p. 236). On its release in the US a score for theatre orchestras was compiled by Irene Berge and Samuel Berg from music by Gounod and Tchaikovsky.
Reviews
Ball, Robert Hamilton. Shakespeare on Silent Film: A Strange Eventful History. London: George Allen and Unwin, 1968 (p.235-39, 363-4, 365).

George F. Blaisdell, Moving Picture World (4 November 1916) writes ‘Elaborate use has been made of the text. Artistically and clearly presented are these gems of the world’s literature; there is no possibility that their majesty will be marred by those who are "capable of nothing but inexplicable dumb-shows and noise".

Production Company

Name

Metro

Record Stats

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