Take him and cut him out in little stars, and he will make the face of heaven so fine...

As I mentioned below, Franco Zeffirelli is one of my oldest favourite directors. If you have a lazy Sunday afternoon free and feel like watching some real classics then rent a couple of these gems:

Romeo And Juliet (1968). This is the first Zeffirelli film I saw and I think I saw it at school for English class. The wonderful thing about his Romeo and Juliet is that his lead characters were played by actual teenagers. So often Romeo and Juliet are portrayed by adults (Baz Luhrman's amazing adaption hadn't come out yet and he followed suit with Leo and Claire). Olivia Hussey who plays Juliet is the picture of innocence and untouched beauty. It makes the tragedy all the more realistic when it is played by such sweet young things. I remember the Capulet ball scene so well. I always wanted Juliet's orange velvet dress.

Have you seen kenneth Branagh's version of Hamlet? Don't. it's an exercise in vanity that is so exhausting you would have literally wasted about 8 hours of your life. Instead see Zeffirelli's version with the surprisingly good Mel Gibson. Hamlet is such a great play but I almost prefer it as a film as it's not so weighed down with the monologues. Helena Bonham Carter is lovely as poor Ophelia and Glen Close is also great as his Mother. 

And finally a real tear jerker that is just so beautifully told. The Champ with John Voight. Want to see where Angelina gets her looks? The Champ tells the tale of Billy Flynn an ex boxer who makes a comeback in an effort to make a better future for his son T.J. Ahhh I honestly well up thinking about it. Aside from all of Franco Zeffirelli's amazing Opera's- he is one of my favourites. Even in his interviews he brings emotion and joy to every word he speaks. I would love to see the world through his sumptuous eyes.