Romeo and Juliet

US (1936): Romance/Drama

While it's been said that costars Leslie Howard and Norma Shearer are both too old (he was 43; she was 34) and too lethargic to portray Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers in this Irving Thalberg production, one can have a good time with this film by simply basking in their star presence and enjoying the breadth of the play's adaptation. The opportunity for pageantry affords some lavish sets -- typical of Thalberg and director George Cukor -- in this 1936 movie, and the cinematography is sublime. Howard and Shearer are in excellent company with the likes of John Barrymore (at age 54!) as Mercutio, Basil Rathbone, Edna May Oliver, Andy Devine, and Reginald Denny. Cukor brings his usual luster, intelligence, and compassion to characters so familiar in pop culture and the Western canon alike that it is hard to breathe new life into them. Yet that's precisely what he accomplishes with his stellar cast, and he makes each of them look even better because of it. (Amazon.com)

· Best Picture 1936:Irving G. Thalberg, producer (MGM)
· Actress 1936: Norma Shearer
· Supporting Actor 1936: Basil Rathbone
· Interior Decoration 1936: Cedric Gibbons, Frederic Hope & Edwin B. Willis - Art Direction

4 nominations