This well-written adaptation of Shakespeare's play features performances by Norma Shearer and Leslie Howard as the star-crossed lovers. Shearer owns her role, while Howard is more than adequate in his. And they maintain the focus of the film while surrounded by massive talents at every turn, like John Barrymore, Basil Rathbone, and Edna May Oliver.
The sets are wonderful, as are the costumes, and the viewer is transported to Verona, where forbidden love cannot be denied.
One of the challenges, of course, is to deliver the dense and flowery dialogue in a way that modern audiences can embracet. Director Cukor may deserve some of the credit for the way this production invites the viewer into the story through its dialogue.
It would have been a real task to cast the two leads with actors age twenty or younger. Judy Garland might have fit the bill, but could she have delivered a performance equal to Norma Shearer's? Perhaps. Montgomery Clift might have been a solid choice for Romeo, but he was not "discovered" until years later. Regardless, this is a fine production worthy of Shakespeare's talents.
The sets are wonderful, as are the costumes, and the viewer is transported to Verona, where forbidden love cannot be denied.
One of the challenges, of course, is to deliver the dense and flowery dialogue in a way that modern audiences can embracet. Director Cukor may deserve some of the credit for the way this production invites the viewer into the story through its dialogue.
It would have been a real task to cast the two leads with actors age twenty or younger. Judy Garland might have fit the bill, but could she have delivered a performance equal to Norma Shearer's? Perhaps. Montgomery Clift might have been a solid choice for Romeo, but he was not "discovered" until years later. Regardless, this is a fine production worthy of Shakespeare's talents.