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| Romeo And Juliet - 1936 |
Coming up next we have 1936's "Romeo And Juliet", William Shakespeare's classic tale of two young people who should have been mortal enemies, but had the misfortune of falling in love.
The film's cast includes Norma Shearer, Leslie Howard, John Barrymore, Edna May Oliver, Basil Rathbone, C. Aubrey Smith, Andy Devine, Henry Kolker, Reginald Denny, Violet Kemble Cooper, and Katherine DeMille.
As the story begins, the Prince of Verona gives us a brief introduction. You know the story warring families in fair Verona ("where we lay our scene") and their offspring who became famous for their unhappy love story. "From forth the fatal loins of these two foes, a pair of star-crossed lovers take their life," says the Prince.
The two families are the Capulets and the Montagues, very rich families living within the borders of Verona. The servants of both are quick to defend their masters' honor and won't hesitate to start a brawl.
Their children are the lovely Juliet and the handsome Romeo. Both are searching for love.
Sparks fly instantly as soon as they lay eyes on one another at a party thrown by Juliet's father. Both Juliet and Romeo are disappointed to learn that they must dislike each other based solely upon their family names.
They decide to purse love instead of hate. Romeo sneaks into the Capulet household and listens to Juliet pour out her heart on her balcony. "What light through yonder window breaks?" asks Romeo. Juliet speaks into the night, "Romeo, Romeo, where for art thou, Romeo?" After making his presence known, Romeo finds himself falling for Juliet even harder. And the feeling is entirely mutual.
They decide to get married in a secret ceremony the next day. The officiant is a trusted priest, Friar Laurence.
Well, you know what happens next. Romeo kills Juliet's cousin Tybalt in revenge for killing his good friend Mercutio. Romeo is banished from Verona, and Juliet is beside herself with grief, both for her cousin and her husband.
The newlyweds spend one night together, before bidding each other farewell.
After an arranged marriage threatens to see her wed to another, Juliet devises a plan with Friar Laurence. She will take a potion which will cause her to sleep as though she were dead. When she awakens, she and Romeo will be together and can leave Verona as a couple.
Everything goes according to plan, except for one thing. Romeo is never given the message and he assumes Juliet is really dead when he hears of her demise from a servant.
Romeo goes to Juliet's resting place and takes some poison, dying right next to her. Juliet awakens and sees her husband dead. She takes his dagger and stabs herself.
After the demise of their children, Capulet and Montague shake hands in friendship and reconciliation, "for never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo".
Cast rundown:
Norma Shearer...................................Juliet
Leslie Howard.....................................Romeo
John Barrymore..................................Mercutio
Edna May Oliver..................................Nurse
Basil Rathbone....................................Tybalt
C. Aubrey Smith.................................Lord Capulet
Andy Devine.......................................Peter
Henry Kolker.......................................Friar Laurence
Reginald Denny...................................Benvolio
Violet Kemble Cooper...........................Lady Capulet
Katherine DeMille................................Rosaline
And that's it for Romeo And Juliet. At the time of filming, Leslie Howard was 43 and Norma Shearer was 34. One of the complaints made by fans of the play was that they were too old to play teenage lovers. However, according to Leonard Maltin, they are "so good that one can forget they are too old for the roles". This is definitely my favorite adaptation of the story, and the casting was perfect.
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