Romeo and Juliet (1964 film) harmed Shakespeare more than Zeffirelli". Romeo and Juliet (1964 film) Romeo and Juliet () is a 1964 film directed and written by Riccardo Freda. Riccardo Freda maintained that it was himself who had the idea to adapt "Romeo and Juliet", having been an admirer of William Shakespeare since his youth and that he convinced Goffredo Lombardo who had gone bankrupt after the production of "Sodom and Gomorrah" to create the production company Imprecine and set up a co-production deal with Spain for this film and "Genoveffa di Brabante". Other sources such as Stefano Della Casa state that Freda was commissioned
Romeo and Juliet the play's "twin themes of love and the total breakdown of understanding between two generations" had contemporary relevance. Recent performances often set the play in the contemporary world. For example, in 1986, the Royal Shakespeare Company set the play in modern Verona. Switchblades replaced swords, feasts and balls became drug-laden rock parties, and Romeo committed suicide by hypodermic needle. In 1997, the Folger Shakespeare Theatre produced a version set in a typical suburban world. Romeo sneaks into the Capulet barbecue to meet Juliet, and Juliet discovers Tybalt's death while in class at school. The play is sometimes given a historical