Romeo and Juliet (1916 Fox film)

Romeo and Juliet is a 1916 American silent romantic drama film directed by J. Gordon Edwards and starring Theda Bara. The film was based on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and was produced by the Fox Film Corporation.^[1] The film was shot at the Fox Studio in Fort Lee, New Jersey,^[2] and is now considered to be lost.^[1][3]

Romeo and Juliet
Film poster
Directed by	J. Gordon Edwards
Written by	Adrian Johnson
Based on	Romeo and Juliet 1597 play by William Shakespeare
Produced by	William Fox
Starring	Theda Bara Harry Hilliard
Cinematography	Phil Rosen
Edited by	Alfred DeGaetano
Distributed by	Fox Film Corporation
Release date	October 22, 1916 (1916-10-22)
Running time	70 minutes
Country	United States
Languages	Silent English intertitles

Bara (center, seated) in a scene from the film

Competing versions of Shakespeare

This film and other Shakespeare-oriented pictures were released in 1916, the 300th anniversary of William Shakespeare's death. This film went up against direct competition from another feature-length Romeo and Juliet film from Metro Pictures starring Francis X. Bushman and Beverly Bayne.

In a recorded interview, Bushman states that William Fox had spies working for Metro, and stole some of the intertitles from the Metro version. Fox rushed his version into the theatres in order to capitalize on exhibiting his film first. Bushman recalled going to see Fox's Romeo and Juliet and was startled to see the intertitles from his film flash on the screen.

Plot summary

Cast

• Theda Bara as Juliet
• Harry Hilliard as Romeo
• Glen White as Mercutio
• Walter Law as Friar Laurence
• John Webb Dillion as Tybalt
• Einar Linden as Paris
• Elwin Eaton as Montague
• Alice Gale as Nurse
• Helen Tracy as Lady Capulet
• Victory Bateman as Lady Montague
• Jane Lee
• Katherine Lee
• May De Lacy
• Edward Holt as Capulet

See also

• Romeo and Juliet on screen
• List of lost films
• 1937 Fox vault fire