Both versions of William Shakespeare's play were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar. (SPOILERS)
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| Romeo and Juliet (1936) |
The rap sheet.
The 1936 version has a 75% rating on RottenTomatoes.com. It received Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Actress (Norma Shearer), Best Supporting Actor (Basil Rathbone), and Best Art Direction. The 1968 version has a 97% rating on RottenTomatoes.com. It received Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Director, while it won Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design.
Winner: 1968 version
The setup.
In the 1936 version, young Romeo (Leslie Howard) and Juliet (Norma Shearer) meet and instantly fall in love, despite being from rival families. In the 1968 version, the setup is the same, except Romeo (Leonard Witing) and Juliet (Olivia Hussey) are played by younger actors.
Winner: 1968 version
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| Romeo and Juliet (1968) |
The execution.
Both films rely on the dramatic structure and rich dialogue of Shakespeare. They both have elegant costumes, nice production design, and decent sword fights. Though, the casting is much better in the 1968 version, as the actors in the 1936 version were too old to play teenagers. Howard was 43 and Shearer was 34, and it shows in the film. Plus, Witing and Hussey simply give better performances.
Winner: 1968 version
The ending.
Both films end with the star-crossed lovers killing themselves and their families making amends. However, I was more invested with the characters in the 1968 version. Since I wasn't distracted by the actors in the newer version, I was far more engrossed in the story.
Winner: 1968 version
The wild card.
The 1936 version features John Barrymore, Basil Rathbone and Edna May Oliver in supporting roles, but none of them give impressive performances. On the other hand, Michael York, John McEnery and Pat Heywood deliver good performances in a much better film.
Winner: 1968 version
Winner: The 1968 version beats the 1936 version 5-0
Ratings, by the way:
Romeo and Juliet (1936) - **
Romeo and Juliet (1968) - ****
Romeo and Juliet (1936) - **
Romeo and Juliet (1968) - ****
I only wish that Baz's 1996 version had swept the Oscars. It's still in my top ten films of the 90's and I would, in a heartbeat, give Leo the Fisti for his BRILLIANT performance (spoilers, but it also walks away with Picture, Director, Editing, Costume Design, Art Direction, Cinematography & Sound Fistis).
ReplyDeleteI like that film a lot, but I really need to rewatch it. My current '96 lineup is Breaking the Waves, Fargo, La Promesse, Secrets & Lies, and Trainspotting. I'm not sure what I'd take out. I'll definitely rewatch R&J before I do my '96 ballot, though. :)
DeleteI'm not that interested in the Leslie Howard version, I just don't see him as Romeo, ahah. I did see the Franco Zeffirelli and it's beautiful. I think Romeo & Juliet should be played by young actors as they're in their early teens. Leonard Witing and Olivia Hussey are both gorgeous and have the innocent look that's perfect for the role. It's quite risque for those days, esp. for such young actors.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I only watched the '36 version because of its Oscar nominations. Otherwise, I'd say skip it. I love the Zeffirelli version. Whiting and Hussey were good casting decisions, indeed.
DeleteI haven't seen the 1936 version but I have seen the 1968 version. That was a long, long time ago and it was in high school. I don't remember what year it was though it was sort of a big deal for my classmates as the ladies enjoyed seeing a guy's butt and us guys got a chance to see Olivia Hussey's breast.
ReplyDeleteHaha, I had a similar situation when my high school Spanish class watched Like Water for Chocolate.
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