How others will see it. Some, of course, will consider this edition of the classic play quaint. It is in black and white, and Juliet is demure to a fault. Others, experienced in the ways of classic film, will appreciate the quality of the cast, which is loaded with famous actors of the era. John Barrymore, Edna May Oliver, Basil Rathbone, C. Aubrey Smith, and Andy Devine form quite a line-up.
How I felt about it. The play itself is nearly above reproach. True, the swordfight between Romeo and Juliet's stood up paramour, Paris (Ralph Forbes) is a needless complication. And Romeo's ability to prowl the grounds of the Capulet estate without detection (except by Juliet) seems unlikely. Also, suspended disbelief is required: mutual true love (but not lust) at first sight. Was ever a conquest so easy?
But the prose is spectacular. To appreciate it requires study of the printed word, for when the lines are delivered verbally, they fly too fast for their import to weigh. When Romeo sees Juliet for the first time, he doesn't exclaim, "Whoa! She's hot!" Instead, he elaborates, "It seems she hangs about the cheek of night like a rich jewel in an Ethiop's ear."
The lines are almost too rich to be spoken. Therein lies the problem with many an adaptation of Shakespeare's work. If the production is mundane, or (in the present case) cumbersome, it can't approach the quality of the play itself. The silk purse becomes a sow's ear.
Then, there are casting issues. It is by no means an original observation that the cast for this 1936 variation is too old. John Barrymore is the most obvious miscast; he's supposed to be a friend of "young" Romeo, but he looks as if he receives literature from the AARP. Progressive intellectual Howard becomes a sissy once he dons Veronian garb and lingo. Shearer was wed to doomed MGM mogul Irving Thalberg; one wonders whether Cukor would have selected a more dynamic actress if the option was viable.
It is impossible not to compare MGM's Romeo and Juliet with the better known 1968 version from Italian director Zeffirelli. The younger cast exudes energy, and let's admit that sometimes color cinematography can add a dimension. MGM gave all it could to the project. Perhaps it gave too much. If each of the parts is the best, that is not the same as what is best for the part. In other words, the film is overproduced, binding the hands of director Cukor.