I love this movie so much

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

I have avoided this version for a long time. Having been brought up on the Franco Zefferelli version with Whiting and Hussey, I've always rejected one where the characters are much too old. But once one gets past that limitation, this moves quite well. And, there certainly are some spectacular set designs. The lines are delivered in a rather unemotional and mature way. Perhaps that works against the message. But the studio system put these heavyweights in play because of the big contracts. Once thing. Andy Devine! Still, the spectacle works and it is a truly sad ending.

A beautifully filmed and costumed version of the Shakespeare tale of star-crossed lovers.Director George Cukor has made the story thoroughly accessible while retaining the sparkle of the original language, although, clearly, much dialog has been cut.While Norma Shearer and Leslie Howard do well in the central roles, they were far too old -- about 36 and 43, respectively -- to have been cast as teenagers. One is constantly aware that Juliet and her mother appear to be contemporaries! This version of the love-and-hate saga drives home the timeless themes at work in this Renaissance story -- that, try as one might to follow one's dream and be true to oneself, one can be thwarted by the ridiculous vagaries of fate at any moment. In other words, "the best laid plans of mice and men..." We see here a world in which parents profess to love their children but never really listen to them. It is their goals, and not their children's, that count in the end. We also witness the terrible consequences of living in a world in which one person's behavior is rigidly dictated by another's. (Had Romeo not killed Tybalt, how might this have all turned out?) One is left pondering whether times have really changed that much since the days of the Plague. Speaking of which, Cukor injects the disease into this film in the most dramatic of ways, trapping the messenger/monk in a house of pestilent death. An exquisitely heart-rending detail! I'm very glad I saw this. It renews my awe at the talent of the Bard.

This adaptation of Romeo and Juliet has never been highly regarded. Not a great success commercially or critically at the time of its release, even now this version seems hated upon by many, mainly because the leads are much too old to be playing teenagers and the film is so covered in MGM gloss that it occasionally seems almost vulgar. However, I cannot bring myself to disown it entirely, and I do believe it has its merits.What saves this film from total mediocrity are the sets and costumes. The sets are just beautiful and the costumes, while sometimes a little ludicrous and over the top, are pleasing to the eye. The black-and-white cinematography adds a dreamy, romantic touch to the film.The performances are all over the map. Leslie Howard and Norma Shearer are adequate as the titular lovers, however, they lack passion. When Romeo learns he is banished, he does not cry out or moan, but reacts as though he's just lost a game of checkers. Shearer's Juliet is demure and sweet, but only occasionally does she really come alive. Basil Rathbone is excellent as Tybalt. While some find John Barrymore's Mercutio to be the highlight of the movie, he does absolutely nothing for me and gets on my nerves. Everyone else was passable.If you want to watch a great one or try to get students interested, then you're much better off with the 1968 film. Nevertheless, if you're curious, there's still some good things to come away with.

I found the stars too old for their roles. I suppose this started the trend of over agers playing teenagers (remember Grease? or more to the point, west side story?) The only person I found to look close to the age Shakespeare had in mind was Reginald Denny. The acting was OK. I loved Barrymore's Mercutio. Someone asked why he had not played Romeo given his penchant for playing the Lover. Barrymore replied "for two reasons dear boy...Juliet, and Mercutio". Barrymore was correct in that Juliet is the stronger of the two leads, and Mercutio of course is the most colorful of the supporting players. Basil Rathbone plays himself naturally, a calculating villain of course. Norma Shearer gives the strength to Juliet that Leslie Howard Lacks in Romeo.Barrymore was by the time of this movie considered to be washed up in Hollywood. He gave one more creditable performance in 1939 in "the great man votes", and one more comdeic performance in "midnight" after Romeo and Juliet. His role in this film is the standout performance. For the ladies, my nod goes to Edna Mae Oliver, the starchy character actress as Juliet's nurse.the scenery is too gaudy even for Shakespeare's standards. The costumes, however are a delight. This movie, filmed before Irving Thalberg's death was released after he died.