SHAKESPEARE

Synopsis

Fiction film. A version of Romeo and Juliet in five reels directed by J. Gordon Edwards with Theda Bara as Juliet and Harry Hilliard as Romeo.

Country

United States

Medium

Film

Technical information

Black-and-white / Silent

Year of release

1916

Recording date

22 Oct 1916

Duration

c55; c5000 feet

Availability

No archive copy found, presumed a lost film.

Credits

Director

J. Gordon Edwards

Screenplay

Adrian Johnson

Cast

Harry Hilliard	Romeo
Theda Bara	Juliet
Glen White	Mercutio
Walter Law	Friar Laurence
Alice Gale	Nurse
Edwin Holt	Capulet
Einar Linden	Paris
Elwin Eaton	Montague
Helen Tracy	Lady Capulet
Jane Lee	Page
John Webb Dillon	Tybalt
Katherine Lee	Page
Victory Bateman	Lady Montague

Additional Details

Production type

Fiction Films

Plays

Romeo and Juliet

Subjects

Drama

Keywords

Shakespeare, William (1564-1616)

Notes

Notes

The Library of Congress holds a copy of Adrian Johnson’s script.

History

The film was released the same week as Metro’s ROMEO AND JULIET; Ball writes about the intense studio rivalry in detail (p. 236). Ball notes that the film was made in seven reels which was reduced to five to fit regular release on Fox’s programme. Fox announced that ‘the story has not been sacrificed in any attempt to obtain extra-footage’.

Reviews

Ball, Robert Hamilton. Shakespeare on Silent Film: A Strange Eventful History. London: George Allen and Unwin, 1968 (pp235-6, 239-41, 364-5)

Production Company

Name

Fox