ROMEO AND JULIET

Directed by George Cukor. Personally supervised by Irving Thalberg, MGM’s 1936 Romeo and Juliet is both faithfully rendered Shakespeare and a fascinating piece of film history. Though far beyond their teen years, Norma Shearer and Leslie Howard excel in the title roles, appearing with venerables like John Barrymore (Mercutio), Basil Rathbone (Tybalt), Edna May Oliver (nurse to Juliet), and Andy Devine as the comic Peter. Superb acting, the technical resources of Hollywood’s premier studio, and a script entirely Shakespeare’s combine to make this well-honed production eminently watchable and a good introduction to the play. Black-and-white. 126 minutes. MGM.

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