Italian director Franco Zeffirelli stunned the screen world when he cast two young unknowns to portray the star-crossed lovers in Romeo & Juliet, but it was a gamble that resulted in one of the most popular motion pictures of all time, winning international acclaim and four Academy Award nominations.

Shakespear's classic romance comes to stunning visual life in a refreshingly modern interpretation, bringing new vitality and insight to the most enduring love story ever written.

Franco Zeffirelli directs this version of Shakespeare's romantic tragedy - breaking with the norm and casting a 17 (Leonard Whiting) and 15-year-old (Olivia Hussey) to play the lead roles. The filming took place in Italy, broke another tradition by having nude love scenes, has a well-known score by Nino Rota (who went on to write the music for 'The Godfather') and is probably still one of the most profitable film adaptations of a Shakespeare play. The film was nominated for 4 Academy Awards and won 2 - for Costumes and Cinematography.

Franco Zeffirelli directs this film of Verdi's classic opera. James Levine conducts the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus and the lead characters are played by Teresa Stratas, Placido Domingo, Cornell MacNeil and Allan Monk.

Performances from Eva Marton, Placido Domingo, Leona Mitchell, Paul Plishka, and The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus. The cruel Princess Turandot, ruler of China, will only wed a prince who can answer correctly her three riddles. Those who fail are executed. Prince Calaf, son of the exiled king of Tartary, falls in love with Turandot as soon as he sets eyes on her, and despite the protestations of his friends and family sets out to pass her test.

Four friends live in poverty in a Parisian garret. Rodolfo is a poet, Marcello a painter, Colline a philospher and Schaunard a musician. They avoid paying rent to their landlord Benoit by getting him drunk. When they go out to eat, Marcello's ex-lover Musetta arrives with an ageing admirer, making him jealous. Rodolfo has meanwhile taken up with his neighbour Mimi, who is very ill. The opera follows the fortunes and fates of the two couples in the face of poverty and death. Performances from Mirella Freni, Adriane Martino, Gianni Raimondi, Rolando Panerai, Gianni Maffeo, Ivo Vinco, and the Coro e Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala.

Well-received drama based on the childhood memories of director Franco Zeffirelli. It is Florence, 1934. A diverse group of women meet each afternoon for tea. There is Lady Hester Ransom (Maggie Smith), widow of the British Ambassador to Italy; Arabella (Judi Dench), a singer and artist; Georgie (Lily Tomlin), an eccentric American archaeologist; Elsa (Cher), also an American, and brash and reckless with it; and finally Mary (Joan Plowright), who has virtually adopted a young Italian boy named Luca. As the political climate shifts towards fascism, the ladies must face some inevitable changes, and Luca must face his own responsibilities.

Mel Gibson is Hamlet, a son who, inspired by his father's ghost, vows to kill his murdering uncle Claudius, who has married his mother and usurped the throne of Denmark.

The Prince of Denmark's story is Shakespeare's most unforgettable tragedy ever told.

Shot on location in the beautiful landscapes of Scotland, Zeffirelli's adaptation brings to life one of the most celebrated plays ever written, which has inspired and changed storytelling forever.

A double-bill of operas filmed by Franco Zeffirelli. 'Cavalleria Rusticana' features performances by Elena Obraztsova, Plácido Domingo, and Renato Bruson, while 'Pagliacci' again features Plácido Domingo, along with Teresa Stratas and Juan Pons. Georges Prêtre conducts the Orchestra e Coro del Teatro alla Scala.

Henrik Nánási conducts the Arena di Verona Orchestra and Chorus in this production of Bizet's opera recorded in June 2014. Ekaterina Semenchuk stars as the titular character with the rest of the cast including Irina Lungu, Carlo Ventre, Carlos Álvarez and Francesca Micarelli.