Romeo and Juliet (George Cukor, 1936)
The 1936 film, with Norma Shearer and Leslie Howard as the lovers.
Give the play a big 1930s cast and costume, and trust the verse to carry it.
You like old films, and you want to see what this play looked like on screen ninety years ago.
What it keeps and what it changes
Keeps: the period setting and the verse, with a cast of the era’s stage and screen names around the lovers.
Changes: the scale, with John Barrymore as Mercutio, Basil Rathbone as Tybalt and Edna May Oliver as the Nurse around the lovers.
Whose story is it?
the stars’. Norma Shearer’s Juliet and Leslie Howard’s Romeo are the centre of every frame.
How much time does it ask?
A feature, 2 hours 5 minutes.
Norma Shearer, Leslie Howard, John Barrymore, Edna May Oliver, Basil Rathbone.
Where to find it
Other ways to get it: Find where it’s streaming — JustWatch · DVD (Warner Archive) — Amazon
More ways into Verona: Romeo and Juliet (Franco Zeffirelli, 1968) · William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet (1996) · Tromeo and Juliet (1996)