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.

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.