Romeo And Juliet (1936)

 

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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Holiday (1938)

Holiday - 1938

Coming up next is 1938's Holiday, starring Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant.  The film is about a young man who's become engaged after knowing his betrothed only a short time.  When he meets her family, he discovers they have entirely different ideas about the way to live.  His fiancee's sister, however, gets him completely.

The film supporting cast includes Doris Nolan, Lew Ayres, Edward Everett Horton, Henry Kolker, Binnie Barnes, Jean Dixon, and Henry Daniell.

The film begins when businessman Johnny Case (Grant) comes home from a vacation.  He goes immediately to the house of his friends Nick and Susan Potter.  He tells them he's in love with a girl he met on holiday and is engaged to her.  They want to know all about her.  He says he doesn't know anything other than she's got a father, brother, and sister.  He has an appointment to meet her later that morning.  Nick and Susan tell Johnny that he'll probably wind up supporting all of them.  He isn't worried.  He tells them when he does get worried, he does one thing.

A somersault.  After that, his worries are over.  After they wish him luck, he leaves and goes to meet his fiancee.

His cab pulls up at a large 5th Ave. mansion.  He's confused.  He decides that she's probably a secretary or an old lady's companion, so instead of ringing the bell, he goes around to the servant's entrance.

The servants are shocked when he arrives at the kitchen.  It's the usual custom for Miss Julia's callers to come through the front door, they tell him.  He puts two and two together as the butler leads him to where he's supposed to be.

He's still a bit confused.  He runs into Julia's brother who's on his way to church.  Her brother Ned tells the butler that he'll want a drink in his room as soon as he arrives back.

The butler tells him he's to wait in the upstairs living room.  He takes an elevator and arrives to find an empty room.  He gets worried, and does a quick somersault to calm his nerves.

Julia finally comes into the room, and Johnny tells her he's overcome because of the surroundings, and that she should've told him.  "Would it have made any difference? she asks.  "Certainly!" he exclaims.  "I would've asked you to marry me in two days instead of ten."  She tells him that she expects him to do just as well with his business affairs.  He says he doesn't want to be any wizard of finance.

On their way downstairs, Johnny and Julia run into her sister Linda (Hepburn), who catches them kissing in the elevator.  "Is this any way to spend Sunday morning?" Linda jokes.  Linda and Johnny hit it off instantly.  Julia tells Linda that she's off to church so she can tell their father about the engagement, and he won't be able to do anything about it because of their being in church.  "This modern generation," Linda sighs with a smile.

Johnny arrives at the house before the rest are back from church.  It's only he and Linda.  She has him sent up to the "playroom", a much cozier corner of the house on the fourth floor.  He likes it much better.

It's a room that's filled with things from the siblings' childhood: Julia's doll, Ned's instruments, and Linda's giraffe named Leopold.  "He looks like me," says Linda.  There's also a flying trapeze. 

They sit and chat, talking about each other's lives.  He's been working since he was ten.  She wanted to be an actress, but her father put a stop to it.  She says she's fed up with the life she's been leading.  "Well, maybe you need some time out from what you've been doing," says Johnny, "you know, day in, day out."  Linda smiles and says, "You mean from what I've not been doing, days in, please, years out."  Johnny says he's been working since he was ten, he wants to find out why he's working.  He wants an extended holiday.  He wants it now when he's young, not when he's old.  "I want to save part of my life for myself," he says.  "There's a catch to it, though.  It's got to be part of the young part.  You know, retire young, work old.  Come back and work when I know what I'm working for."  Linda thinks the idea's marvelous.  She asks if he's told Julia his plans.  He says no.  He's waiting 'til he can get the money together.  He doesn't want to be beholden to her money.

Julia's father agrees to their engagement.  Linda says she wants to plan an engagement party up in the playroom with just Julia's friends, as well as Johnny's.  Julia readily and happily agrees.

Unhappily for Linda, their father takes over all the plans for Julia's engagement party.  Instead of an intimate, friendly gathering, it's turned into a white-tie affair on New Year's Eve.  Linda is furious and refuses to attend.

Johnny's friends Nick and Susan Potter arrive at the party, but make their way to the "playroom" by mistake, where they find a sulking Linda.  Linda invites them in and they hit it off.  They love Linda.  She tells them they should go down to the party, but they are much happier where they are.  

Her brother Ned also comes up, and the four of them have a very good time together.  They even sing a rousing chorus of "Camptown Races".  They also put on a puppet show.

Linda's absence is beginning to cause comment at the party.  So, Julia sends Johnny to bring her down.  He walks in right when Nick and Susan are about to begin their puppet show.  He's thrilled to see them.

Nick and Susan remind Johnny of all that he's missed since he took up with Julia.  Unfortunately, Julia and her father walk in just as he and Linda are performing some acrobatics.

Linda has it out with her father once and for all.  She tells him the only place she feels happy in the house is in the "playroom".  He tells her to go take a trip somewhere.  She upsets him, she causes nothing but trouble.  "I can't stand it here any longer.  It's doing terrible things to me," she says sadly.

After Linda leaves the room, Johnny tells Julia and her father his plan for life.  He doesn't want to work at a bank right now.  He wants to do the things he spoke to Linda about earlier.  They can't understand it, and don't support it at all.  Julia tells him to wait a year or two and then they'll revisit the subject.

When Julia leaves the room, Linda and Johnny are left alone.  "You wouldn't care to step into a waltz as the old year dies, would you, Mr. Case?"  They dance.  Linda realizes her feelings for Johnny.  He tells her that Julia and her father may be right.  She tells him not to believe it.  He should be in charge of his own life.  He starts to have feelings for her, but she encourages him to find Julia to see in the New Year.

She watches him go.  Her brother Ned comes into the room and they spend the rest of the evening together.  He tells her that he knows she loves Johnny.

Shortly after midnight, Johnny and Julia's engagement is announced.

Linda decides to come downstairs to put in an appearance.  She asks Julia where Johnny is.  Julia says Johnny disappeared right after the announcement.  Linda goes off in search of him, but finds he's vanished after leaving through the kitchen.

Days later and trying to find Johnny, she goes to see Nick and Susan who are packing for a boat trip to France.  During the course of their conversation, they see that Linda is in love with Johnny.  Nick tells Linda that Johnny will be seeing Julia that afternoon and will ask her to sail with them that very night.  They receive a telegram from Johnny that says Julia won't sail.  Linda runs to try and change her mind.

When she talks with Julia, she finds that she and Julia aren't as close as they were.  Indeed, Julia says she's never been close, but just wanted to placate and soothe so that there wouldn't be any scenes or outbursts.  Linda is devastated.  She tells Julia and her father that Johnny has the right to live his life as he wants to.  "I consider his whole attitude un-American," says her father.  "Well then, he is and he won't go to Heaven when he dies.  Because apparently, he can't quite believe that a life devoted to piling up money is all it's cracked up to be," retorts Linda.

She leaves the room and goes to see her brother Ned.  She tells him how she feels with Johnny.  "I feel alive, and I love it.  I feel at last something's happening to me."  The butler comes in and tells them that Johnny is downstairs and wants to see Linda.

Johnny comes up and Linda sends for Julia.  He says he'll work the bank job, but after a year or two will reevaluate the situation.  Julia's father starts immediately planning their honeymoon, their future home, and their servants.  He starts to see that they'll never let him consider the future his way.  They break the engagement, realizing that their differences are too great.  After he leaves, Linda finds out that Julia doesn't really love him.  She chases after Johnny.  Her father calls out to her, but she exclaims, "Try and stop me, someone!  Oh, please, someone try and stop me!", as she leaves the room triumphantly.

Linda goes to the boat and meets him just as he's trying to do a somersault.  He misses, but he's very happy she's aboard.  They kiss as the film fades out.

Cast rundown:

   Katharine Hepburn................................Linda Seaton

   Cary Grant...........................................Johnny Case

   Doris Nolan..........................................Julia Seaton

   Lew Ayres............................................Ned Seaton

   Edward Everett Horton...........................Professor Nick Potter

   Henry Kolker.........................................Edward Seaton

   Binnie Barnes.......................................Laura Cram

   Jean Dixon...........................................Susan Elliott Potter

   Henry Daniell.......................................Seaton Cram

And that's all for Holiday.  It's a wonderful film.  There's tons of good lines in the script.  The interactions between Nick and Susan Potter and Linda Seaton are all great fun to watch.  The character of Linda Seaton went through several actresses before Katharine Hepburn was decided upon.  Joan Bennett and Ginger Rogers were suggestions.  Rita Hayworth was thought of for Julia.  I think the choices they made were right.  The film works completely the way it is.

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