Romeo and Juliet (1936)
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Romeo and Juliet Movie Review
Romeo and Juliet is a 1936 romantic melodrama film directed by George Cukor and starring Leslie Howard and Norma Shearer. It’s actually a pretty solid adaptation in its own right.
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“Tis but thy name that is my enemy.
What’s in a name?
That which we call a rose,
By any other word would smell as sweet“
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First and foremost, let’s get this one first out of the way. It’s never as good as the fellow Oscar nominee from 1968 which is the ultimate adaptation of this famous play. It’s solid, but that movie is pretty great so it fares poorly in comparison.
However, watching it on its own terms, it’s rather solid actually. My main problem with it is its lack of originality as it is overly faithful, maybe to a fault. It needed a bit less dialogue and a bit more of the cinematic action or situations, but still the dialogue works.
Actually, the balcony scene is phenomenal. It’s faithful, it’s stupendously well shot and so well acted while also being sweet and elegant. I also really liked the ending which is heightened in emotion and overall very tragic as it should be. But the movie is very long and there are many stretches that simply aren’t as interesting when all is said and done.
Yes, Leslie Howard and Norma Shearer were simply too old to play this eponymous couple. There is no doubt about it. Howard especially looks ridiculously old for this role meant for a young man, but he does give a reliably good performance and overall I liked him here.
But Shearer is actually the best player here. She gave such an emotive, powerful performance that was rightfully nominated for an Oscar. She’s also too old for the role, but at least she’s effective at both emotion and dialogue. I loved her here.
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Basil Rathbone is also reliably memorable in a villainous role and he was a solid pick for the supporting acting category. The Best Picture nod was undeserved, but the Art Direction nomination is very much deserved as the production design is top-notch in this feature.
Overall, Romeo and Juliet looks amazing. It’s very cinematic in quality owing to its impressive sets, great cinematography, good score and a lot of memorable imagery at display. It also has good action and it is never stagy in quality which many other adaptations from this period are.
The 1936 adaptation of Romeo and Juliet is obviously never as great as the 1968 ultimate version, but it’s still a pretty solid flick in its own right. Yes, it has long, slow stretches in the middle act, and yes, Leslie Howard and Norma Shearer were simply too old to play these roles. However, they are both very good, especially Shearer who steals the show. The movie is also faithfully adapted, very strong in emotion and particularly cinematic in cinematography and production design.
