Romeo and Juliet

As a child I loved this movie! It is a ballet, artfully danced by the lead roles of Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev. Margot Fonteyn especially added character to Juliet with her wonderful acting and one often forgot how old she was at the time she danced this. One of the best parts about the ballet is the score by Prokofiev, which I really adore. The sets are rather abstract and not the most interesting, but they complement the mood of the piece. I think everything is well done, though of course it varies off of the Shakespeare play somewhat to give more dance roles. Obviously, I think this film has a certain audience and those who do not like ballet would probably not enjoy this, however, for those who do, this is a great ballet danced by many great famous dancers.

The miraculous fact about this film is that Margot Fonteyn was actually 47 years old when she made it, which is remarkably old for a ballet dancer, probably the greatest in the world at the time, and although you can see that she is far more experienced as a dancer than her partner Rudolf Nureyev, almost 20 years younger, she is still perfectly convincing in her characterization of a young girl of maybe 17. Nureyev's wonderful expertise in his art makes him an ideal partner for Margot, he was 28 at the time, and together they express absolute ballet poetry. Prokofiev's wonderful music makes the ballet, and the only possible objection you could make would be against the scenery, which is not wholly convincing. The fantastic costumes imbues the ballet with general splendour, and it is a pity that the scenery does not correspond. There are a few unsurpassable highlights, like the balcony scene of course, the great ball scene, and the death struggles of both Mercutio and Tybalt. I would also add the dance of the maids, when they come to prepare Juliet for her wedding and gradually find her dead, as another top notch.

As close to beautiful as any ballet production can get. I love Prokoviev's ballet, and Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn for good reason are considered the quintessential ballet partnership of the 20th century at least. The costumes are colourful, never overdone or ugly, the lighting is wonderfully delicate and while a little more abstract than one would expect for Romeo and Juliet the sets don't detract from the quality of the performance at all. The orchestral playing brings out the humour, tension and pathos of the score and drama wonderfully, matched perfectly by the conducting. The choreography is incredibly intricate and made to look easy when it really isn't.

It is danced impeccably by all involved. Desmond Doyle is evil personified as Tybalt, while David Blair and especially Anthony Dowell are perfect as Mercutio and Benvolio. But what really makes this Romeo and Juliet so watchable and re-watchable is the peerless performances and partnership of Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn. Nureyev's Romeo has sheer magnetism and a huge amount of charisma, dancing-wise not once does he put a foot wrong. Fonteyn gives a youthful and aching vulnerability to Juliet that is just heart-wrenching to watch.

Overall, a stunningly beautiful performance. You'd be hard pressed to find a performance of this ballet better than this one. 10/10 Bethany Cox