Volume II: Filmography

ROMEO AND JULIET .

Part II

September 8, 1911 (Friday)

Length: 1,000 feet

Character: Drama

Director: Barry O'Neil

Scenario: From the play by William Shakespeare

Cast: Julia M. Taylor (Juliet), George A. Lessey (Romeo), Mrs. George Walters (Juliet's nurse), William Garwood

Notes: 1. This reel is a continuation of the story, with the "tragedy" part. 2. Thanhouser placed its trademark on Juliet's tomb, a precaution against unauthorized copying. (See earlier note on this practice, under Silas Marner, March 31, 1911.)

REVIEW, The New York Dramatic Mirror, September 13, 1911:

"The study of Shakespeare's tragedy is concluded in this release. The love of the two young people of Verona, the marriage, the quarrel on the streets, the death of Tybalt, and Romeo's banishment occupy the opening scenes. Juliet's father then attempts to force her marriage to a young nobleman named Paris. To escape this, Juliet takes the sleeping potion given her by the friar, and she is publicly buried in the tomb of her forefathers. The friar has sent a letter to Romeo, but it does not reach him; he learns the news of Juliet's supposed death from a boy, and the tragedy at the tomb follows. The costuming is appropriate, and the poses of the lovers in the death scene are very good. The illusion of moonlight is not fully obtained, however, by simply tinting the films, because the brightness of the sky and clearness of everything give the scenes the opposite of what was intended."

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