Romeo and Juliet (1936)

A Jewelry Box Treasure of The Bard's Classic Romance

Very few people are familiar with this lavish, Old Hollywood production of Shakespeare's ROMEO & JULIET, but it is a gem of a movie. It has, in my opinion, the finest cast ever assembled in the history of Shakespeare on film. Norma Shearer and Leslie Howard are both far over the usual age limit for Romeo and Juliet respectively, but they give such beautiful performances that one doesn't notice. In fact, if I hadn't known the ages of the stars (Howard was in his early 40s and Shearer in her mid 30s) I wouldn't have thought either of them to be out of their 20s, so young do their faces look and how vivacious and youthful their performances are. Norma Shearer is my favorite Juliet on film because her tears over Romeo are so genuine and so moving and she perfectly portrays youthful vigor and womanly grace. Leslie Howard, likewise, is probably my favorite Romeo - no other Romeo is so sure of his words or as much of a true gentleman as Howard's Romeo. Edna May Oliver as the Nurse is simply a delight through and through and is easily the best actress on film to play the role, and Basil Rathbone is a wonderful Tybalt in that he portrays him as a bold nobleman with a fierce devotion to family and its honor rather than a hot-headed conventional jerk as the character tends to be portrayed. John Barrymore as Mercutio is also smashing, lending the character a sarcastic, joking energy that I had never seen before. Barrymore also plays Mercutio as a womanizing flirt, which I found refreshing because so many directors lend an unnecessary homosexual undercurrent to Romeo and Mercutio's friendship.
Probably the greatest asset of this production, however, is that director George Cukor and his cast all rely on Shakespeare's language to tell the story, whereas other adaptations, namely Baz Luhrmann's version of the tale, don't, and overcompensate for their butchering of the text with post-modern agendas that do not fit Shakespeare well at all. This version contains more of the original text than both the 1968 version (which is good but falters slightly given that the two lovers, although young, don't always understand what they are saying) and the Baz Luhrmann version (MTV's Diet Shakespeare). Also, the film is lavish without being gaudy or garrish, the costumes, although not exactly historically accurate all the time, are still beautiful to behold, Norma Shearer's Juliet gowns moving gracefully about her as she frolicks in her garden. The meeting of Romeo and Juliet is also the most beautiful on film, complete with an Elizabethan dance to highlight the arrival of Juliet to what is essentially her introduction to Verona society.
All in all, my FAVORITE film version of ROMEO & JULIET, but if you tend to dislike the films of the 1930s, I would still watch this version but remember what age and studio system it is a product of. Enjoy! August 29, 2008

Hooray For Norma

While this movie does require a certain suspension of belief (Norma Shearer and Leslie Howard cast as teenagers?), the general glossiness of the end-product compensates for the slight tweaking regarding casting. This film reflects MGM at its best doing what the studio was noted for: mounting a production with the grandeur expected for a writer no-less than the great Shakespeare.

Actually, Norma Shearer was effective playing the giddy and girlish Juliet and conveyed an incandescent loveliness. Howard's Romeo was seemingly a much harder sell as no amount of tricky make-up could make him appear adequately youthful, yet he managed to do a credible job. The rest of the cast was perfection......esp. Edna Mae Oliver as Juliet's nurse. The sets were lush and realistic looking. October 30, 2007

Exquisite Despite the Flaws

This 1936 production of "Romeo and Juliet" was the last that Irving Thalberg saw to completion. It is certainly replete with what has become known as the "prestige" details MGM was bent on in the 30s and 40s. However, there is much more here than may meet the initial eye. Yes, John Barrymore is too old (visually) and so over-the-top that he seems to be performing in a another film (or universe). It's hedgehog acting with no subtleties whatsoever. And the production values, while grandly luxurious, represent the generic and implausible MGM splendor in all its redolence.

Still, there is much to recommend this film. Rare in early Shakespeare films the dialogue, while truncated, is exacting and emotively driven. And director George Cukor makes this potentially sloggish material move quickly and energetically. Most of all, there are the major performances. Edna May Oliver may be doing her quintessential EMO shtick for all time, and Andy Devine is anything but. Still, the intensely menacing Basil Rathbone deserved his Oscar nomination for his predatorily mercurial performance. Much has been made of the age of the two lead actors but, as they say, to play these roles convincingly an actor has to be too old for the part. After disbending disbelief, Leslie Howard becomes the quintessential Romeo, all temperate romanticism and emphatic longing...his slim waist belies his age and lends to the acceptance of him in the role. And finally, the glorious Norma Shearer. As in many of her performances, she vacillates between mannered presentation and emotional resonance. Here, her weakest scenes are as the youngish Juliet (too coquettish and coy) but all of her Shakesperian speeches are delivered resolutely and convincingly. In particular, her discovery of Romeo's violence and the potion speech are perfection itself. It's so unfortunate that this incomparably gifted actress never had the unencumbered opportunities beyond MGM to expand and express her artistry (though this and "Marie Antoinette" are the very testaments to that artistry). Shearer, a talented and versatile actress, deserves to be remembered for many multi-layered performances, and her Juliet is one of the jewels in her well deserved crown - Joan Crawford be damned! September 25, 2007

Opulent Production

Visually - this is one of the best looking black and white period films I've ever seen. The photography, costumes and sets are spectacular. Norma Shearer and Leslie Howard are too old for their roles and were not Shakespearean actors, but are better than most Hollywood actors in classical parts. It was common during this era for older actors to play these roles on stage. John Barrymore stands out from the rest. I've only seen this on VHS, but the DVD transfer should be sharp and clear. August 14, 2007

pimple-free and genuinely moving

One of my favorite teaching units over the years has been comparing film versions of Shakespeare. My adult students preferred the "active gore" in Polanski's MACBETH over what I found to be the riches of the Densch/McKellan version, and similarly preferred the panting adolescents of Zeffirelli's version to the double-aged Cukor film. Eros by any other name....

My bias for the Cukor version is based on impact. Zeffirelli's adaptations of Shakespeare never trusted the language, and therefore resorted to near slapstick antics to keep the audience awake. That director's "appreciation" of Leonard Whiting's beauty shortchanged subtleties in Olivia Hussey's performance right up to her abrupt "real" death scene. I don't dislike the teener version, I enjoy the song, and I do recall that teenaged girls in my home town literally swooned in the aisles of the theater at the tragedy's climax. But the Cukor film provides no less resonance--on its own terms and without the breathless mugging.

The greatest satisfaction for me is that Cukor and his actors trust the dialogue. This is an excellent assemblage of truly accomplished actors, who plumb the depths of their speeches magnificently. Granted, Reginald Denny bravely paunches through a role he was not born to play. (Denny's most startling starring role was in DeMille's supreme "camp musical" MADAM SATAN in 1930.) But Barrymore's Mercutio does nicely with Queen Mab and is compelling in his "plague" speech. If nothing else, it's interesting to contrast Zeffirelli's earthy Nurse and Edna Mae Oliver playing Edna Mae Oliver.

Shakespeare's language is the star of this production, and its timelessness shines! September 30, 2006

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