Romeo and Juliet (1936)

Young love is poisoned by a generations long feud between two noble families.

Director:

George Cukor

Writers:

William Shakespeare (play), Talbot Jennings (adaptation)

Stars:

Norma Shearer, Leslie Howard, John Barrymore

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Norma Shearer	...	Juliet - Daughter to Capulet
Leslie Howard	...	Romeo - Son to Montague
John Barrymore	...	Mercutio - Kinsman to the Prince and Friend to Romeo
Edna May Oliver	...	Nurse to Juliet
Basil Rathbone	...	Tybalt - Nephew to Lady Capulet
C. Aubrey Smith	...	Lord Capulet
Andy Devine	...	Peter - Servant to Juliet's Nurse
Conway Tearle	...	Escalus - Prince of Verona
Ralph Forbes	...	Paris - Young Nobleman Kinsman to the Prince
Henry Kolker	...	Friar Laurence
Robert Warwick	...	Lord Montague
Virginia Hammond	...	Lady Montague - Wife to Montague
Reginald Denny	...	Benvolio - Nephew to Montgue and Friend to Romeo
Violet Kemble Cooper	...	Lady Capulet - Wife to Capulet

Storyline

The Montagues and the Capulets, two powerful families of Verona, hate each other. Romeo, son of Montague, crashes a Capulet party, and there meets Juliet, daughter of Capulet. They fall passionately in love. Since their families would disapprove, they marry in secret. Romeo gets in a fight with Tybalt, nephew of Lady Capulet, and kills him. He is banished from Verona. Capulet, not knowing that his daughter is already married, proceeds with his plans to marry Juliet to Paris, a prince. This puts Juliet in quite a spot, so she goes to the sympathetic Friar Laurence, who married her to Romeo. He suggests a daring plan to extricate her from her fix. Tragedy ensues.

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Plot Keywords:

men in tights | an eye for an eye | fortune's fool | love for cousin | retribution | 

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Taglines:

Scenes of combat that will stir your pulse...tender haunting romance that will stay ever fresh in your memory...spectacular beauty that will set a feast for your eyes...in the greatest melodramatic romance of all time...presented as it has never been before...the final glorious flower of motion picture achievement.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 September 1936 (USA)

Also Known As:

Romeo og Julie

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Irving Thalberg wanted to make the production as authentic as possible, drafting in famous Shakespearean intellectuals John Tucker Murray from Harvard and William Strunk Jr from Cornell. Researchers were also sent to Verona to photograph the city while the art department was instructed to study the paintings of Botticelli, Bellini, Carpaccio and Gozzoli.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life.

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Connections

Version of Romeo and Juliet (1916)

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Soundtracks

'Welcome, Sweet Pleasure
Written by Thomas Weelkes

User Reviews

starry night by mgm

The lavish treatment given to this by MGM and Irving Thalberg (his final production showcasing his wife Norma Shearer as Juliet) does work, as do the mature lovers and their supporting cast (Leslie Howard fitting the part of Romeo perfectly, John Barrymore and Basil Rathbone out-swashing each other as Mercutio and Tybalt), Edna May Oliver as the Nurse, typically loud, and Ralph Forbes as a bizarre Paris (no, I can't see why Juliet would want to marry him either, despite her parents' wishes). The music is lovely, despite being stolen from more classical stuff, the settings are perfectly in tune, the verse is spoken with some feeling and inspiration. Why this version doesn't get seen more often I don't know (not even on video in the UK).