| Romeo and Juliet | |
|---|---|
_-_A_Pictorial_History_of_the_Movies.jpg) Tybalt and Mercutio duel | |
| Directed by | J. Stuart Blackton |
| Based on | Romeo and Juliet 1597 play byWilliam Shakespeare |
| Produced by | J. Stuart Blackton |
| Starring | Paul Panzer Florence Lawrence |
| Distributed by | Vitagraph Studios |
Release date |
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Running time | 15 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Silent film |
Romeo and Juliet is asilent filmshort made in 1908 made byVitagraph Studios.[1] It was the firstAmerican film version of the play. Directed byJ. Stuart Blackton, it was filmed atBethesda Terrace inManhattan, New York.
The film starredPaul Panzer asRomeo andFlorence Lawrence asJuliet.
According to the Silent Era Company, a complete print of the film survives.[2]
The 1908 Vitagraph short condensesShakespeare’s five‑act tragedy into a single reel. The action opens inRenaissance Verona, where the noble houses ofMontague andCapulet are locked in a bitter feud.
At a masked ball hosted by the Capulets, young Romeo Montague (Paul Panzer) first catches sight of Juliet Capulet (Florence Lawrence).[3] Although they learn afterward that they belong to rival families, their instant attraction leads Friar Laurence to secretly marry them the next day, hoping to reconcile the households.[4]
Tybalt, Juliet’s hot‑headed cousin, challenges Romeo to a duel. When Romeo refuses,Mercutio steps in but is slain by Tybalt.[5] Enraged, Romeo avenges his friend by killing Tybalt and subsequently flees Verona under the Friar’s counsel.[6]
Meanwhile, Juliet’s parents arrange her marriage toCount Paris. To avoid this, she takes a potion supplied byFriar Laurence that induces a death‑like coma. The Friar’s letter explaining the scheme fails to reach Romeo, who returns to the Capulet tomb believing Juliet truly dead.[7]
In grief, Romeo takes poison and dies beside Juliet. Awakening moments later, Juliet finds Romeo lifeless and kills herself with his dagger. The film closes with Friar Laurence discovering the lovers, lamenting their fate but not depicting the families’ reconciliation.
Most of the narrative relies onexpressive pantomime and a handful ofintertitles, with critical scenes—meeting at the ball, the secret wedding, Mercutio’s death—communicated through gesture and staging rather than text.[8]
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