Romeo and Juliet

Despite the fact we have a 47 year old Romeo, a 36 year old Juliet, and a 54 year old Mercutio; George Cukor's production for MGM of Romeo and Juliet manages to entertain and well.Of course these protagonists are all... Full review

I am sick and stayed home from work and TCM was having a Shakespeare festival. Having never heard of the 1936 version of this play, I decided to give it a whirl even though I am not a Leslie Howard... Full review

This version of Shakespeare's ROMEO AND JULIET was very famous in its day, and a number of critics that I greatly admire continue to praise it even now. But I must sound a dissenting note: although it has its charms,... Full review

This is quite simply the best version of Shakespeare's beloved tragic drama that has ever hit the screen. A quintessential problem with the play is that its characters are not at all well-suited to film. The stage allows middle-aged experienced... Full review

While I was looking for new materials to help teach "Romeo and Juliet," I found the 1936 version of the play and naturally I was intrigued. I'm assuming that most people know the basic plot and have seen other versions... Full review

ROMEO AND JULIET, the scions of old Verona's two most powerful families, become the playthings of fate & the fools of fortune.This was a Very Big Film for MGM in 1936. No (reasonable) expenses spared. Not only was the Studio... Full review

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,... Full review

This movie, unfortunately, is not one of Norma Shearer's most famous. Even more unfortunately, it is not often given due credit: it is one of her very best. While some tout the film as slow-paced and unfittingly rigid for a... Full review

Unlike so many of the other commentators below, I am not a fan of Ms. Shearer. In her opening scene, she gushily keeps herself wide-eyed and smiling--all the time acting innocent, while Olivia Hussey and other screen Juliets don't have... Full review

This production got glitsy treatment by production head Irving G. Thalberg, who was showcasing his wife, Norma Shearer, playing Juliet: two years of research, a crew sent to Verona to photograph parts of the city; reconstruction of Verona's Church of... Full review

sophomoric and absurdly reductive in performance.... ... Full Review

Henry Kolker is convincing as the well-intended but disastrously meddling priest....his foolishness during the opening fight scene establishes entirely the wrong tone for the film.....Celebrated Shakespearean stage actor John Barrymore is a joy as the unpredictable, bigger-than-life punster, Mercutio....Reginald Denny is properly bland as Romeo's closest friend and confidant, Mr. Nice Guy Benvolio.....the villain is often the best part of any drama as he struts his way through the role of the cocky, hothead ... Full Review

Still, both films were terrific.....Leslie Howard and Norma Shearer are excellent....If any of you nostalgia and history buffs are having an upcoming wedding anniversary, "Romeo and Juliet" would be a great film to watch.....The balcony scene is superb and you can feel the dramatic effect.... ... Full Review

Music has always been a part of movies. Even so-called "silent" films had musical scores, often classical themes to fit a given situation: Tchaikovskys Romeo and Juliet Fantasy-Overture , Chopins "Funeral March," wedding marches by Wagner and Mendelssohn, and Rossinis ... Full Article

We're somewhere in modern Italy, and the gangs (each a mix of black and white) fight with feet, knives, revolvers and Uzis. After one splatter of gunfire nearly kills a baby whose mother is lounging at a cafe table, even... ... Full Article