The Lovers of Verona

Angelo, a Murano glass-blower, is hired as a stand-in on a film adaptation of Romeo and Juliet being shot in Venice and Verona. Georgia Maglia, the pretty daughter of a disgraced fascist magistrate, becomes his on-set counterpart. As rehearsals and scenes bring them closer, their off-camera attraction begins to mirror Shakespeare's lovers, and local tensions start to complicate their relationship. Raffaele, a family fixer with unclear motives, maneuvers to protect his interests, raising obstacles that echo the play's rivalries. The film traces their romance alongside the production, keeping the outcome aligned with the drama's tragic tone. Their romance unfolds amid cities bearing wartime scars, and the camera's presence often turns private exchanges into public spectacle, reinforcing dramatic echoes and tension.

Released in 1949, the film was directed by André Cayatte, with a screenplay credit to Jacques Prévert adapting William Shakespeare, and stars Serge Reggiani and Anouk Aimée among others. The cast features Pierre Brasseur and Martine Carol, filmed on location.

It found niche audiences in art house circuits but didn't reach mainstream popularity, so contemporary box office returns were limited and the movie remained more of a footnote outside specialist film circles.

Though not widely known today, the film's on-location shooting in Venice and Verona and its use of a film-within-film structure have drawn attention from scholars interested in postwar Italian cinema and adaptations of Shakespeare. Its blending of Shakespearean plot with contemporary Italian settings offers a window into postwar cultural tensions.

Critical reception has been mixed to negative, reflected in a modest user rating of 4.8/10 from a small sample. The story highlights art imitating life, class tensions and the lingering effects of fascism amid a romantic frame. Viewers mention its melancholic tone and use of location to underline social divides.