High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! William Shakespeare`s Romeo and Juliet may be one of the most-screened plays of all time. The most notable theatrical releases were George Cukor`s multi-Oscar-nominated 1936 production, Franco Zeffirelli`s 1968 version, and Baz Luhrmann`s 1996 MTV-inspired Romeo + Juliet. The latter two were both, in their time, the highest-grossing Shakespeare film ever. Cukor featured Norma Shearer and Leslie Howard, with a combined age over 75, as the teenage lovers. Zeffirelli populated his film with beautiful young people, and Baz Luhrmann produced a heavily-cut fast-paced version aimed at teenage audiences.