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Romeo and Juliet (1936) review

Posted : 8 months, 4 weeks ago on 2 July 2023 02:08

(OK) Cukor just dances with his camera around stars ego, amd MGM elegant, loyal incursion in a classic. The introduction of characters and and of the love affair are loyal to Hollywood screenwriting, the language is yeah, hard to get, and even harder in funny support form John Barrymore and Edna May Oliver


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Romeo & Juliet

Posted : 10 years, 2 months ago on 7 January 2014 10:41

Irving G. Thalberg produced numerous lavish features to showcase his wife’s talents, everyone knows this. One cannot read a biography or trivia notes about Norma Shearer without coming across this factoid. These films were of varying degrees of success, and smack dab in the middle is this version of Romeo & Juliet.

Far too old for both of their roles, Shearer and Leslie Howard look a bit goofy playing these parts and trying to recite these lines. Hollywood actors frequently don’t have any training with Shakespearean language and it can sound awkward coming out of their mouths. Such is the case here. So our leads both look too old and sound awkward, so the central conceit of the work is already jeopardized. They also can’t seem to generate any chemistry between them, with Howard falling back on his old tricks of staring off with a furrowed brow and Shearer trying valiantly to appear as girlish as possible.

But Thalberg was a bit of a showman, and he wrapped these two into glossy and polished production values and surrounded them with supporting actors with varying degrees of success. John Barrymore is way too old for Mercutio, but he plays the part as a bit of a party-boy gigolo and steals scenes from the bland leads. Basil Rathbone, once more too old for the part, as Tybalt and Edna May Oliver as the nurse deliver hammy and fun supporting turns.

But the real highlight of the film is the production design and costuming. But what else would one expect from a George Cukor film? The costumes are gorgeous and ornate things, filling the screen with ruffles, frills and sparkles. And the sets are like fairy tale castle and towns plucked from illustrations and given life by the MGM crew. But you can only put so much gloss on an imperfect film to try and mask these flaws. This Romeo & Juliet cannot possibly hold a candle to the dewy, romanticism of Franco Zeffirelli’s masterful 1968 version. It’s a hit-and-miss affair for sure, but I suppose it’s worth a look if you’re a big fan of Shearer or Barrymore, he gives the best performance in the entire film. Or you’re just a fan of filmed version of Shakespeare’s work. Or you’re just a big fan of George Cukor’s work. I fell into all three categories, but I won’t be watching this film again anytime soon.


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