The stars of the 1968 “Romeo and Juliet” film revived a lawsuit against Paramount Pictures and home-distribution company Criterion Collections Wednesday over the distribution of a nude scene the pair filmed more than 55 years ago.
Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting lodged the legal action, arguing the two movie companies, through the redistribution of the Oscar-winning flick, have unlawfully spread their naked images featured in a bedroom scene.
The actors, now both in their 70s, have said they were teens when they were allegedly misled by the now-late director Franco Zeffirelli about appearing naked in the movie.
“Nothing in the agreement” for the original release allowed Paramount the right to recreate photographs of their work in any other medium than 35 mm analogue cinematographic photographs, according to Entertainment Weekly.
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But the digital release from last February defies that alleged deal because it has “digitally enhanced photographs,” of the two naked in bed together and other parts that are in “extremely high definition,” the lawsuit states. Hussey’s naked breasts and Whiting’s naked butt are both exposed, according to the suit.
“Hussy’s and Whiting’s private areas shown in those photographs were arguably obscured by their extremely low resolution of that presentation in the Original Work,” the lawsuit argues.
“Hussey and Whiting acquiesced in the inclusion of the Original Photos in the Original Work … because [the two] did not feel that the presentation … so far exceeded Zeffirelli’s undertaking as to be actionable as breach of that undertaking,” the suit states.
The pair told EW in a statement they extended an “olive branch” to Paramount in hopes of settling the case, but claim that effort was rejected.
“Our fight for accountability will now involve a new lawsuit and a more rigorous effort in the media, which up until this time we had sought to avoid,” they said. “The facts, evidence, and law are all crystal clear in this matter, and we believe that over half a century of mental incarceration for this traumatic event has been quite enough.”
The actors previously sued Paramount last year, alleging sexual exploitation and distribution of nude imagery of children, but the suit was reportedly tossed by a judge who said the movie’s nude scene could not be classified as child pornography and the claim they filed missed a deadline, USA Today reported.
The Post has sought comment from Paramount and Criterion over Wednesday’s filing.
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