In honor of the late great Olivia Hussy. I was SIX freaking years old when my sister took me to see this the year it came out! She was supposed to take me to see "The One and Only Genuine Family Band". A G rated Disney picture. Instead, I'm subjected to young nubile love and Shakespeare at the incomprehensible age of six. Thankfully, I have no actual memories of the traumatic event. The story is one that's passed around the dinner table whenever my family gets together. Supposedly I giggled hysterically when a very naked Juliet dashed from her bed which she was sharing with her forbidden love, Romeo. My sis says the audience roared with laughter at the sound of my shrill giggles. We don't find it quite so funny anymore, now that we know Olivia Hussy was not only underage, but assured no nudity would be shown in the final edit. Years later I saw it on my own when auditioning for the role of Tybalt at a summer stock theater. But honestly, Shakespeare was never my thing (maybe that's why I didn't land the role). The movie itself is sumptuous and the casting perfect, but for me it's the music that sets it apart from all the other renditions. Olivia Hussy does make for the perfect Juliet I must say. A beauty so rare and pure that she was a few years later even more perfectly cast as Mother Mary in Jesus of Nazareth. An historic miniseries from the 70s that followed the life of Christ. Also, directed by that rascal Franko Zefferelli. In both instances, Olivia Hussy's face seems to glow with an ethereal light onscreen. Mere words do not do her beauty justice. But she was much more than a pretty face. She had an honesty about her that helped assure audiences would always believe her in any role she chose to play. Strangely enough, her career wasn't filled with too many memorable roles. Mary, Juliet, and the damsel in distress in Black Christmas are the only ones to spring to my mind. There's a story there I'm sure but I just don't know what it is. If you've never seen her preform, I strongly suggest this movie first. It's much less passive than those other two roles I mentioned. A beautiful young and talented actress at the start of her career. May she shine on in our movie memories evermore.