Customer Reviews

Romeo & Juliet

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This Romeo and Juliet has always been one of my favourite movies, so I was thrilled when I found this CD. But, upon playing it I came to find that there is very few songs on the CD that are not covered up by dialogue- good if you want to hear the movie recited to you, not so good if you got the CD simply for thw music- it's usually covered up. Neat to listen to but don't buy it for the music!

(There is another soundtrack CD listed by Amazon. I guess that Amazon doesn't want links in here, so do a search on "Nino Rota romeo juliet". There will be several listed. Find the one that has Label: Silva). It has no dialog from the film. It's also conducted by Nino Rota. Two or three of the tracks are sung by various people.

Amazon does not stock it, although they list it. It seems to be "out of print". However there are various ways that people have been able to 'share' theirs. You may also be able to find one for sale by searching on the internet. It's worth trying to find.

...the problem is that 95% of this "soundtrack" is Shakespearian dialogue from the film - with the actual music playing subtly in the background.

I bought the CD presuming it was like virtually all other movie soundtracks - the original music from the film WITHOUT any dialogue, so I was disappointed. If I'd wanted the dialogue with the music as a mere backdrop, I'd have bought the DVD of the film.

This soundtrack is a classic. Granted, it is mostly dialogue from the movie that is very well done. The score is beautiful and timeless and supports and punctuates the dialogue perfectly. I wore out my original LP of the soundtrack and now I'm glad to find it on CD to enjoy again. This soundtrack is not for everyone, but I think the dialogue is Romeo and Juliet the way Shakespeare meant it to be enhanced by a hauntingly beautiful score.

This beautiful soundtrack to the original movie from the 1960's features not just the beautiful music but choice dialogue lifted from the movie as well. The centerpiece here is the tragic "What is a Youth?" sung heartachingly by Glen Weston. If you like a soundtrack that is just more than beautiful music then watch this movie and buy this CD!

Let me begin by saying that most of the previous reviews were negative because they simply failed to read the lable where it clearly states "Dialogue Highlights with Original Score." It's visible right there on the cover illustration.

The original LP was a relic of it's time, where Shakespearean films and faux-Shakespearean films (like Beckett) often spawned albums which showcased dramatic scenes and dialogue highlights, backed by the score.

The liner notes for this CD even say that it was a phenomenon when teenagers of the 60's would put aside their pop albums and devote 45 minutes in rapt attention listening to actors their own age performing Shakespeare (BTW: There was another pressing issued at the time -a deluxe four LP set with illustrated booklet in a box featuring the entire film's audio track, issued to schools and libraries).

My only gripe (and it's barely even that) is that the music used is often not that which accompanied the scene. There are moments where music from another scene has been repositioned to bridge the edited dialogue sequences. It makes for a better "flow" but I miss some of the familiar "hits" that Rota worked into his score to accompany certain lines (like the discordant squeal when Lady Capulet appears).

Summing up, this is an excellent CD and should actually be in every home library along with the DVD of the film. It is far superior in most respects to the Leo & Claire version under any circumstances. It may come across as 'Shakespeare Lite' to some purists, and it is not the MUSIC soundtrack album, but it stands very well on its own.

The sound is clear and "present" -marred only by the excessive dubbed-in sound of the original film's dialogue tracks. The stereo separation preserves the spread of the music as well as the 60's period left-right channel spread of sound effects, movement and dialogue.

For those who want the music only, there are two CDs out there you can look for (both of which I own).

The actual motion picture soundtrack in stereo is available on the Cloud Nine lable (deep red cover with a still of R&J touching palms at the feast).

A digital re-recording of the complete score was issued by Silva Screen and while it is very nice in that it presents every cue and in very clear sound, it fails to compare to the original in terms of performance (the vocals are awful) and lack of "feeling."

For the serious collector and R&J fan, you can also hunt down the deluxe 4 LP set [SWDR-289] Romeo & Juliet - The Complete Motion Picture Soundtrack Recording (which of course I also own). Transferred to CD it fits nicely on two CDs, so I don't know why some record company hasn't done so already.

The Soundtrack to the 1968's production of Romeo & Juliet was a very beautifully produced CD. Nino Rota's music captured my heart, especially the death scene in the Capulet's tomb. He really expressed the love and sadness of the lovers when seeing eachother laying dead. The music really blared when Romeo & Juliet committed suicide. Even if you haven't seen the movie, but listened to the soundtrack, you can really tell because it goes from being sadly-light to high-pitched sad violins and other instruments. I'd recommend anyone to listen to this CD. It's even better than the 1996 Romeo & Juliet soundtracks put together, and those were really good 90s type songs.

I have the original music soundtrack (music only) on CD! It was a rare find and it took me 25 years to find it. This CD has the music from the lost, original Nina Rota score. I loaded this music into my iTunes library and it is great to listen to it from time to time. Beautiful music soundtrack from the movie. The CD with music and dialog is also very nice, but it is sweet to have the CD with just the music.

Do not buy the CD with Label by SILVA! That is an imitation disc with a horrible vocal by an unknown singer for the song: What is a youth? No one can sing this like Glen Weston!

This soundtack is amazing, it has quotes directly form the movies along with the music which makes it awesome. I love sitting in school and listening to The farewell scene in juliets bedchamber, its so beautiful and sad, and it just makes me want to cry.

this is an awesome soundtrack it is enjoyable and fun to listen to. the best songs on this disc are all of them