 Romeo and Juliet may be the most @-@ filmed play 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 . Romeo and Juliet was first filmed in the silent era , by Georges Méliès , although his film is now lost . The play was first heard on film in The Hollywood Revue of 1929 , in which John Gilbert recited the balcony scene opposite Norma Shearer . 
