Romanoff and Juliet

Wonderful and sweet, this film is a true classic. A tiny country initially overlooked by all the bigger nations until it suddenly holds the important vote in a UN initiative, now finds itself wooed by both the US and Russia with promises of aid the little country neither needs nor wants. Peter Ustinov, as the country's leader, is delightfully adept at walking the political tightrope with much good humor. The funny subplot of the romance between the US ambassador's daughter and the Russian ambassador's son is what gives the film its title. The plot is in many ways a nostalgic look at a simpler, more peaceful time.

While tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union rise, in the small European republic of Concordia, its President (Peter Ustinov) decides to play matchmaker to the American ambassador's daughter (Sandra Dee) and the Russian ambassador's son (John Gavin). Written and directed by Ustinov from his 1956 play, this is yet another film that shows nothing dates faster than topicality. While all the U.S. vs. Russians humor was very current and newsworthy at the time, today the jokes have all the relevance of a Bob Hope monologue on one of his 1960s TV specials. Take away the jokes and you're left with an anemic loose updating of Shakespeare's tale of two young lovers from opposing families. There are still sporadic moments like a family dinner in the Soviet ambassador's home where everyone is paranoid about spying on each other that bring a few chuckles but mostly it just fizzles. In a bit of irony, Gavin who plays the Russian ambassador's son eventually became the U.S. ambassador to Mexico during the Reagan administration. With Akim Tamiroff, Alix Talton, Tamara Shayne, Rik Van Nutter (THUNDERBALL) and Suzanne Cloutier (Mrs. Ustinov at the time). Unfortunately the Universal DVD-r MOD is presented in a full frame transfer rather than its original wide screen aspect ratio. The transfer is a bit on the soft side.

This is a must see gem of a Cold War Comedy. Peter Ustinov shows his delightful side in every word of the script. It took a long time for this to come out on DVD and it was so worth the wait. If you enjoyed other Cold War Comedies (One, Two, Three; Dr. Strangelove; The Mouse that Roared), you'll love this one as well.

I went into this viewing expecting to see more Sandra Dee( she’s the reason I bought this dvd) and a little John Gavin( his acting range isn’t that great , and his accent here was awful) … I’m not a Peter Ustinov ( he was a very talented actor) fan.. Peter is 85% of this film because of that .. overall the film was such a bore and chore to watch from start to finish.

I have been looking for ROMANOFF and JULIET since it came out; I have a VHS broadcast copy, but I really wanted a DVD of this (dated) but marvelous movie. Peter Ustinov was a genius and the cast is marvelous.

Tried to play the video--didn't work. Discovered that Windows 10 WON'T play DVD's without buying add-on software. Bought (no money back) the MS product--still did not work. Installed VLC, didn't work. Called repairman, he could not make it work, finally he took it to the shop--two days and a hundred and two dollars later I have a computer that will play DVD's, but not this one--it goes to an empty-disc sounding error. And I am now two weeks past the return date.

This was a fun little movie that my husband wanted and it had been difficult for him to find. It's one of those old movies that is enjoyable to watch every once in a while. So I was happy to find it for him here on Amazon. Thanks!

A treat for Sandra Dee fans. The only problem with this print is that it appears to be missing a scene at the end where the two lovers meet in the garden. I remember seeing this scene in a Canadian broadcast of the movie. It would be nice if this missing footage could be restored to the American version.

Consigliata a tutti i cinefili, da avere.

Love it. As good as when it came out.

excellent

I am a great fan of the late Mr Ustinov so even his more obscure back catalogue is worth a perusal .Romanoff and Juliet is a curious addition to my collection and sadly I think time has made some of Mr Ustinov's observations of foreign cultural differences seem unfathomable to a young chap as myself ,the context to some of the situations of the characters is now too vague to fully grasp the comic situation.The casting of the young leads is not to helpful and the story seems to splutter at intervals despite the talented writing skill of Ustinov .The story only really picks up when the author is on screen.I would certainly suggest seeing this film once but I don't think it will be out of it's case much after alas. The title tells you what to expect( two households against each other the feud disrupted by the attraction and love of the children from each house etc....)