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Romeo and Juliet

Play trailer Poster for Romeo and Juliet Released Sep 3, 1936 2h 6m Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
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75% Tomatometer 8 Reviews 50% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
In this classic Hollywood take on Shakespeare's tragic romance, dashing young Romeo (Leslie Howard), a Montague, falls in love with the radiant Juliet (Norma Shearer), a member of the Capulet family, the Montagues' sworn enemies. Willing to defy the families' feud, the two secretly get married, however their happy day turns tragic when Juliet's cousin, Tybalt (Basil Rathbone) kills Romeo's best friend, Mercutio (John Barrymore), prompting Romeo to retaliate.
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Romeo and Juliet

Critics Reviews

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Ann Ross Maclean's Magazine It's a beautiful show and a beautiful story; so dramatic and so overwhelmingly right in every detail that it will carry you right back into the Renaissance. Aug 14, 2019 Full Review John J. Puccio Movie Metropolis The problem lies in the casting. Rated: 6/10 Aug 20, 2007 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com The film has some merits, though Norma Shearer and Leslie Howard were simply too old to play Shakespeare's juvenile lovers. Rated: C+ Oct 20, 2006 Full Review Michael W. Phillips, Jr. Goatdog's Movies [It] doesn't hold a candle to Franco Zeffirelli's nearly flawless 1968 version, but it [is] the best Shakespeare film before Laurence Olivier started making them. Rated: 3/5 Oct 15, 2005 Full Review Thomas Delapa Boulder Weekly Rated: 2/5 Apr 13, 2005 Full Review Ken Hanke Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) The stars are too old, but it's a handsome film with a great John Barrymore performance. Rated: 4/5 Oct 31, 2004 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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steve d Norma Shearer and Leslie Howard are always worth a watch. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member I do love Shakespeare, as I do Romeo and Juliet. Of the other three versions I loved Zeffirelli's but was underwhelmed by Luhrmann's. This version is good and in between the two for me. It boasts handsome costumes and sets, the cinematography is gorgeous and the whole film is beautifully directed by George Cukor. The story is compelling and moving still, and the writing likewise, though one or two speeches could have been delivered a little slower. The music also is charming and wonderfully romantic in places. Of the cast I did get more pleasure of the supporting turns more than the leads. Though the leads certainly weren't bad. Leslie Howard is perhaps too mature and lacks Romeo's boyish passion but he does at least have a grasp of the style. Norma Shearer starts off a little shaky, coming across as too "giddy" on her first appearance(was it an attempt to show some girlish naivety?) but she is very moving from that point on and exudes good chemistry with Howard. John Barrymore also was a point of controversy, true he is a little too insidycratic in places but as Mercutio overall he is delicious and steals his scenes. The best turns though come from Edna May Oliver as a warm and humorous Nurse and the wonderfully oily Tybalt of Basil Rathbone. Ralph Forbes does what he can, though the role of Paris is rather thankless. All in all, a good version. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review jordan m This was quite a lot better than Warner's Midsummer Night's Dream from the year prior. The source material in this case was inherently better suited for a cinematic interpretation but the acting was also better, with the Nurse and Rathbone being particular highlights. The negative things I would say about the movie would be better directed toward the source material as I don't like Romeo as a character and it took them quite a long time to chew through the necessary scenes to get to the end of the plot. Outside of the acting I was very impressed by/appreciative of the obviously high production values with fancy armor on even the extras, quality swordfighting thanks to Rathbone and very good set decoration. I worry that watching this quality version will make the 1968 edition I intend to watch feel redundant, but watch it I shall. Kudos! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member The best romance movie ever made! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Romeo and Juliet

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Movie Info

Synopsis In this classic Hollywood take on Shakespeare's tragic romance, dashing young Romeo (Leslie Howard), a Montague, falls in love with the radiant Juliet (Norma Shearer), a member of the Capulet family, the Montagues' sworn enemies. Willing to defy the families' feud, the two secretly get married, however their happy day turns tragic when Juliet's cousin, Tybalt (Basil Rathbone) kills Romeo's best friend, Mercutio (John Barrymore), prompting Romeo to retaliate.
Director
George Cukor
Distributor
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Genre
Romance
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 3, 1936, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 21, 2016
Runtime
2h 6m
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