It Happened on Wimpole Street

If you like poetry, the Victorian period, or romance, I have found a movie for you to watch. The original 1934 film, The Barrett's of Wimpole Street, is a truly classic film made from the play of the same name by Rudolph Besier. The story follows along with the real life romance of Victorian poets, Robert Browning and his later wife, Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

This film verison, directed by Sidney Franklin, stars Norma Shearer in the role the invalid Elizabeth Barrett Browning, who, along with her siblings, is forbidden to marry by their opressive father, played by Charles Laughton. Despite her stern father, Elizabeth falls in love with the dashing poet Robert Browning, played by Frederic March, and the two conspire to marry with the help of Elizabeth's sister Henriette, played by Maureen O'Sullivan. Through the course of the film, Robert's love helps Elizabeth recover from her mysterious illness and stand up to her opressive father. Always at Elizabeth's side is her loving dog Flush, who played himself.

This film truly is a great love story with an amazing cast who portray their characters so well. Whereas a film can never truly recreate the events of history, this film comes pretty close to echoing what really transpired during Brown and Barrett's courtship.The acting and cast work wonderfully as indiviuals and together. In fact, the film was so good it was nominated for Best Picture.

Sidney Franklin later remade the film in 1957, a remake that was nearly identical, word for word and scene by scene. Shearer's husband, Irving Thalberg, was the producer and cast her in the role, angering William Randolph Hearst, who wanted the part to go to his actress mistress, Marion Davies. This action caused a fall-out between Hearst and MGM, as well as Shearer. Marion then went to work for Warner Brothers.

For those of you who want more information, you can go here and get some review and analysis by classicfilmguide.com. The blog Colet and Company also discusses the various stage and film versions of the film, which can be read here. So, for any of you looking for a good romance, I would say The Barretts of Wimpole Street is an excellent pick.

The Women vs. The Women

Diane English has undertaken the remake of “The Women”, a new version of the 1938 version of “The Women” directed by George Cukor and based on the play by Clare Boothe Luce. Like the original, the movie has a cast of entirely women with no men, which was unheard of in the 1938 world of film. Both center around a salon where all the gossip takes place. Both movies feature a wealthy social elite who believes she has the perfect life, only to discover that her husband is cheating on her with a girl at perfume counter. Both films feature a woman who gets back at her cheating husband and simultaneously manages to preserve her dignity among a group of catty social elite acquaintances. The difference between the two films?

In 1939, divorce was unheard of. It was done, but not spoken about in polite company and only hinted around at in film. “The Women” in 1939 has much more impact as a feminist movie, showing women who take matters into their own hands and divorce their husbands rather than remaining perfect but cuckolded housewives. So far, the plots seem the same, though the modern version will definitely be more about career women than the original (since women in the 1939 weren’t really “working mothers” in the modern sense of the term). Another score for the 2008 version is Jada Pinkett Smith in a supporting actress role, since it was virtually unheard of to have a supporting actress of color in the early days of film.

Typically, I don’t like remakes of classic movies. They make me cringe, especially when I remember the famous star who was in the original role and watch modern actors fall short when they try to measure up. Also, modern filmmakers often try to “improve” the film or make it there own in a way that completely insults the memory of the original. They call them classics for a reason. Also, it would be nice if Hollywood took more risks on new, original scripts than keep remaking the same ideas and plots over and over again, as if we don’t notice.

For these reasons and more I could expound upon ad nauseum, I am particularly interested to see the modern interpretation of “The Women” and how Meg Ryan, Annette Benning, Eva Mendes, Debra Messing, and Jada Pinkett Smith reprise the roles held by Norma Shearer, Rosalind Russell, Joan Crawford, Phyllis Povah, and Joan Fontaine. In fact, the 1939 film is basically a Who’s Who of the leading ladies of MGM at the time. These ladies have some pretty big heels to fill, especially since the 1939 version was just added to the National Film Registry in 2007 so that it can be preserved for posterity.

Altogether, “The Women” is an interesting premise from any angle: a movie by women for women. Okay, guys can come too.