ROMEO & JULIET

REVIEWED BY ELIZABETH CHANCELLOR

Our rating: 4 out of 5

Because of: thematic elements

Rated:

He glimpsed her as in a dream. Her radiant beauty filled the room, or so it seemed through his eyes. Fair of face and figure was she, fairer still of spirit. “But too early seen unknown…” for the Montagues and to Capulets are mortal enemies. The feud between their families has raged on for generations. None now live who remember its beginning, nor do they care. Yet an ageless quarrel cannot keep star-crossed lovers apart. The love of Romeo (Leslie Howard), the only son of Montague, and Juliet (Norma Shearer), the fairest of the Capulets, knows no hate.

They met from afar, but a single glance was all it took for them to fall in love. They could not speak, but each one’s eyes read the thoughts buried in the depths of their souls. Under the cloak of darkness, Romeo found his love. The stonewalls surrounding her villa could not hold him back. There he stood, beneath her balcony as she told the night of her newfound love. She spoke unaware that he listened below. The sweet words upon her lips confirming the wish that he dared not dream. A gasp escaped those same lips as he revealed himself to her, but a smile soon softened her worried brow as she recognized her Romeo. Though their acquaintance is new, they pledge eternal devotion to each other. With the promise of marriage, they bid goodnight.

The evening has given birth to Romeo and Juliet’s love, but it has not erased the hate between their families. The union promised must be performed in secret. Separately do they steal away from their dwellings to be joined by Friar Lawrence. His prayer is this: “And this alliance may so happy prove to turn your households rancor to pure love.”

When I was very little, I loved to borrow Romeo and Juliet from my local library. I’m sure I hardly understood it, but I felt so grown up when I asked the librarians for it. The years passed, interests changed and I lost track of this magical film. But after walking different paths and detours, my thoughts swung back to the memories of my childhood. Again I searched my library for this “lost treasure.” I cannot tell you how marvelous it is to find it ever better than I remembered. After seeing it again, I am also astonished to realize how many elements of it have become ingrained in me. The adage rings true: You are what you see.

Fortunately, I saw very little evil in this film. The worst of it is a joke of a séance performed by John Barrymore’s Mercutio. Oftentimes the characters cry the name of God in anguish. There is a single love scene but it is innocent indeed. After they have been wed, Romeo appears beneath Juliet’s balcony. She lets down a ladder; he ascends to her room, then the camera pans to the stars, then a river, then and a garden kissed by the morning light. We return to Juliet’s bedchamber and find the pair bemoaning the fact that they must part. They embrace several times, but the production codes that were in place prevent the scene from being anything less than pure.

Movies set in medieval times almost always have swordfights. Romeo and Juliet is no exception. However, the battle scenes aren’t very gruesome. When an actor is “stabbed,” he thinks about it for a moment, makes a face, clutches his stomach and then collapses. Only once is there any blood, but it’s fairly easy to tell that paint is being added to the actor’s costume each time the camera cuts to a new angle. Basil Rathbone (playing Tybalt) is by far the best swordsman. Although the fights may not be the strongest aspect of the film, it hardly matters. Everything else is marvelous. From the lavish sets to the glorious costumes and carefully constructed script, the best craftsman at MGM has deftly handled each detail. The actors, particularly Leslie Howard and Norma Shearer, turn in top rate performances. They speak their complicated lines exceedingly well. Each word is sweet and lyrical, yet never beyond the reach of understanding. For purists, there will be the slight problem of age. By Shakespeare’s account Juliet was fifteen. Norma Shearer was in her thirties at the time of filming, and Leslie Howard in his forties. Somehow, I like it better this way.

Beautiful beyond description, this 1936 telling of Romeo and Juliet proves that true love is timeless.

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