A handsome costume drama given the famous MGM polish that stars Norma Shearer as sickly Elizabeth Barrett and Fredric March as famous poet Robert Browning whose wooing of Elizabeth gets her out of her sick bed and out from under the thumb of her domineering father (Charles Laughton).
This is a pretty static film; almost the entire thing takes place in one room. But it's got good actors who know how to sell this kind of inconsequential romantic fluff, and Shearer in particular makes any movie more interesting just by being on the screen. She was one of the best actresses of the early sound period in my opinion, and though she's never mentioned with the likes of Bette Davis, Katharine Hepburn, Marlon Brando, and others who revolutionized screen acting, I think she deserves to be in her own way. She brought a naturalistic style to her acting that bridged the gap between the exaggerated mannerisms of the silents and the method acting that would hit the screen many years later.
Margaret O'Sullivan is also a lot of fun as Shearer's feisty sister.
"The Barretts of Wimpole Street" received two Academy Award nominations in 1934: Outstanding Production and Best Actress for Shearer, her third of five ultimate career nominations and a record at the time.
Grade: B+
This is a pretty static film; almost the entire thing takes place in one room. But it's got good actors who know how to sell this kind of inconsequential romantic fluff, and Shearer in particular makes any movie more interesting just by being on the screen. She was one of the best actresses of the early sound period in my opinion, and though she's never mentioned with the likes of Bette Davis, Katharine Hepburn, Marlon Brando, and others who revolutionized screen acting, I think she deserves to be in her own way. She brought a naturalistic style to her acting that bridged the gap between the exaggerated mannerisms of the silents and the method acting that would hit the screen many years later.
Margaret O'Sullivan is also a lot of fun as Shearer's feisty sister.
"The Barretts of Wimpole Street" received two Academy Award nominations in 1934: Outstanding Production and Best Actress for Shearer, her third of five ultimate career nominations and a record at the time.
Grade: B+