<Tr> <Th> Box office </Th> <Td> $38.9 million </Td> </Tr> <P> Romeo and Juliet is a 1968 British - Italian romance film based on the tragic play of the same name (1591--1595) by William Shakespeare . </P> <P> The film was directed and co-written by Franco Zeffirelli, and stars Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey . It won Academy Awards for Best Cinematography (Pasqualino De Santis) and Best Costume Design (Danilo Donati); it was also nominated for Best Director and Best Picture, making it the last Shakespearean film to be nominated for Best Picture to date . Sir Laurence Olivier spoke the film's prologue and epilogue and reportedly dubbed the voice of the Italian actor playing Lord Montague, but was not credited in the film . </P> <P> Being the most financially successful film adaptation of a Shakespeare play at the time of its release, it was popular among teenagers partly because it was the first film to use actors who were close to the age of the characters from the original play . Several critics also welcomed the film enthusiastically . </P>

Who directed the 1968 version of romeo and juliet