In November 2006, Letters to Juliet, written by Lise and Ceil Friedman, was published. It told the story of a wall covered with letters in a courtyard near the tomb of Shakespeare’s Juliet in Verona, sometimes addressed simply to “Juliet, Verona.” The writers pour out their hearts and seek romantic advice from the fictional character. (Actually, her romance ended badly, but the letters pour in nonetheless.)
The day after George Cukor’s 1937 film Romeo and Juliet was released, the wall filled with new letters. The custom had actually started at the turn of the 20th century. There actually is a “Juliet club” with a group of volunteers who have answered letters since the 1980s. The volunteers rely on several translators, since letters arrive from all over the globe. The authors published 75 letters in the book, changing the names. The club receives money for stationery and postage from the city of Verona.
In 2010 the movie Letters to Juliet was released in theaters, directed by Gary Winick (13 Going on 30, Charlotte’s Web, Bride Wars) and starred Amanda Seyfried, Vanessa Redgrave, Chris Egan, Gael García Bernal and Franco Nero.
Sophie (Seyfried) is engaged to chef Victor (Bernal). They will be so busy after the wedding that they embark on a “pre-honeymoon” in Verona. When they arrive, Victor is not interested in Sophie’s desire to sightsee in the gorgeous city. He is in meetings to finalize arrangements for the restaurant he’s about to open. Left to her own devices in Verona, Sophie discovers a wall of letters near Juliet’s tomb. One letter to Juliet is hidden behind a loose brick. It’s from 1957 and describes the heartbreaking breakup of a romance between Claire (the beautiful Redgrave) and Lorenzo Bartolini, who lived in the area. And Claire has provided a return address.
Sophie discovers there is a large group of secretaries who collect the letters and answer every one. Moved by Claire’s plight, Sophie answers her letter, and Claire arrives in Verona with her prickly grandson Charlie (Egan). He’s a nonbeliever, but both Claire and Sophie are caught up with the romance and remote possibility of finding Leonardo. This quest takes several days, as it’s a common name, and they encounter several Mr. Wrongs. Finally they meet the Leonardo from Claire’s past (Nero).
Redgrave and Nero played the forbidden lovers Guinevere and Lancelot in 1967’s Camelot, and the actors fell in love. They’ve been married since 2006. Nero has aged as beautifully as Redgrave.
