Romeo and Juliet

Overview

Director George Cukor and producer Irving G. Thalberg's adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, a lavish production of Shakespeare's tale about two star-crossed lovers, is extremely well-produced and acted. In fact, it is so well-done, that it is easy to forget that Leslie Howard and Norma Shearer are too old to be playing the title characters.

Product Details

Release Date:	01/30/2018
UPC:	0888574621643
Original Release:	1936
Rating:	NR
Source:	Warner Archives
Presentation:	[B&W]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	2:05:00
Sales rank:	27,039

Special Features

Vintage Short Master Will Shakespeare; Classic Cartoon Little Cheeser; Theatrical Trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Leslie Howard	Romeo
Norma Shearer	Juliet
John Barrymore	Mercutio
Basil Rathbone	Tybalt
Edna May Oliver	Nurse to Juliet
C. Aubrey Smith	Lord Capulet
Andy Devine	Peter
Henry Kolker	Friar Lawrence
Violet Kemble-Cooper	Lady Capulet,Gregory Capulet
Ralph Forbes	Paris
Reginald Denny	Benvolio
Maurice Murphy	Balthasar
Conway Tearle	Prince of Verona
Virginia Hammond	Lady Montague
Robert Warwick	Lord Montague
Vernon Downing	Samson Capulet
Ian Wolfe	Apothecary
Carlyle Blackwell	Tybalt's Page
Anthony Marsh	Mercutio's Page
Howard Wilson	Abraham Montague
Carlyle Blackwell Jr.	Tybalt's Page
John Bryan	Friar John
Katherine DeMille	Rosalind
Wallis Clark	Town Watch
Dean Richmond Bentor	Bit
Lita Chevret	Bit
Jeanne Hart	Bit
Dorothy Granger	Bit
Harold Entwistle	Nobleman
Charles Bancroft	Nobleman
Lon McCallister	Choir member
Jose Rubio	Nobleman

Technical Credits

Talbot Jennings

George Cukor	Director
Talbot Jennings	Screenwriter
Irving Thalberg	Producer

Editorial Reviews

William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, the classic story of two doomed lovers from rival clans, was a favorite subject of filmmakers throughout the 20th century, with more than a dozen different feature versions. One of the best was MGM's big-budget, glossy production of 1936, overseen by George Cukor, one of Hollywood's most respected directors. It was a pet project of producer Irving Thalberg, who cast his wife, Norma Shearer, as Juliet. Shearer, then 32, was too old for the part, as was 43-year-old Leslie Howard as Romeo (just two years later, he would play a crusty middle-aged professor in Pygmalion). Fredric March, Robert Donat, and Robert Montgomery reportedly all turned down the starring role before it was offered to Howard. But Howard and Shearer used mesmerizing acting to try to overcome the age problem, and Shearer was nominated for an Oscar, as was Basil Rathbone as Tybalt. John Barrymore also steals scenes with a riveting performance as Mercutio. Romeo and Juliet was also nominated for an Oscar as Best Picture, losing to The Great Ziegfeld.