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Barretts of Wimpole Street, The

Sidney Franklin (Director) Rated:
NR
Format: DVD
IMDb6.9/10.0
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Genre Drama, Documentary/Biography
Format NTSC
Contributor Sidney Franklin
Language English
Number Of Discs 1
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Product Description

"When poets love heaven and earth, fall back to watch!" exclaimed ads for this prestigious film. The hyperbole was prophetic. So many moviegoers watched The Barretts of Wimpole Street that is became one of 1934's top box-office hits. Based on Rudolf Besier's play, the film features three stars who has already won Academy Awards : Norma Shearer (1929-1930 Best Actress, The Divorcee), Fredric March (1931-1932 Best Actor, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) and Charles Laughton (1932-1933 best Actor, The Private Life of Henry VIII). Shearer -- "The First Lady of the Screen" -- portrays semi-invalid poet Elizabeth Barrett, March is Robert Browning, whose ardent courtship of Elizabeth transforms her life. And Laughton (who shed fifty pounds for the role) plays Edward Moulton-Barrett, the tyrant bent on denying happiness to his nine children. To escape the censor's scissors, the story element involving pere Barrett's unhealthy attraction for Elizabeth was softened but not removed. "They can't censor the glint on the eye," Laughton noted.

Product details

  • Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 1.33:1
  • MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
  • Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches; 2.72 ounces
  • Director ‏ : ‎ Sidney Franklin
  • Media Format ‏ : ‎ NTSC
  • Run time ‏ : ‎ 3 hours and 10 minutes
  • Release date ‏ : ‎ February 8, 2014
  • Studio ‏ : ‎ Warner Archive Collection
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00I9BU49Y
  • Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
  • Customer Reviews:

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
225 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Bobby Underwood
5.0 out of 5 stars "I love you like that..."
Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2007
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This beautiful production from the early 1930's of a dark shadow hanging over the promise of glorious love and happiness is perhaps Norma Shearer's lovliest performance. The romance between poets Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett was filmed with a class and meticulous care only MGM could muster. Under Sidney Franklin's direction, William Daniels' photography, and the period flourish provided by Cedric Gibbons, this became one of the greatest romantic dramas ever to be filmed.

Shearer loses her modern slinky charm and projects a luminous class as Elizabeth Barrett, a shining soul living with illness in a house strangled of love by her cruel and repressed father, played to horrible perfection by Charles Laughton. Her lifeline is her continuing correspondence with fellow poet Robert Browning. He has fallen in love with her through her letters. She is hesitant to meet him, however, because of her health and her father's demeanor.

When he finally calls it is like an infectious hurricane of joy and optimism embracing life which restores her spirits and begins to restore her health. Fredric March is marvelous in a role you would not normally expect from him. Browning's overwhelming lust for life, and love for Elizabeth must battle the cruel oppression of her father, who rules his home and his daughters therein as though love were an evil thing. It is his own unhappiness and repression that is revealed bit by bit until Elizabeth must decide what kind of life she will live, and whether she will repeat the mistakes of her mother.

So lovely and charming is the performance of Maureen O'Sullivan as Elizabeth's younger sister Henrietta, herself trying to find love under a roof full of fear and hatred, that only Shearer's magical presence could shift the focus from her plight. Una O'Connor is also fabulous as Elizabeth's servant, Wilson, whose unquestioned devotion will be needed when Robert decides the two must marry before her father can hide she and her sisters away from the temptation to actually live.

Shearer is simply breathtaking here and gives a restrained yet emotional performance that probably would have garnered her another Academy Award had "It Happened One Night" not been filmed by Frank Capra in the same year. This is a lush and romantic film, beautifully shot and acted. Everything is perfect, right down to Elizabeth's dog, Flush. It takes a little while to develop, but those who keep watching are richly rewarded with one of the great romances of the silver screen. A beautiful film of love really being all.
12 people found this helpful
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Tim Lukeman
5.0 out of 5 stars Poetry & passion given glorious life
Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2015
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Everyone knows the famous lines, "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways." But what about the story behind them? In this excellent adaptation of the successful stage play, we're told that story in the richest poetic style, with outstanding performances & psychological depth. Frederic March & Norma Shearer make an endearing Robert Browning & Elizabeth Barrett, depicting both her reluctance & fear of the love that's offered to her, and his patient, irresistible quest to free her of her emotional bondage to family -- and the illness that's clearly a psychosomatic response to that family.

And by "family" I mean Elizabeth's monstrous father, portrayed with leering, obsessive, shuddery power by Charles Laughton in one of his best screen appearances. While the Hays Code couldn't allow any overt depiction of incestuous desire, that only makes this subtle performance all the more skin-crawling in its pernicious solicitude, hiding behind the mask of paternal "love" & protectiveness. It's clear that Robert perceives much of this early on, which gives his romantic yearning the added impetus of rescuing his beloved from a destructive situation. And just how much does Elizabeth consciously realize herself? Well, she was a poet famous for both the beauty of her verse & its piercing intelligence -- even if she can't let herself put it into words, she knows her peril all too well.

While this is obviously adapted from the play, in that it has a certain stagebound quality, that actually works in its favor. The setting becomes claustrophobic for the viewer as well as the characters, so that any brief moment spent outside the house comes as a life-affirming blaze of freedom. And the sense of freedom afforded by the writing & reading of poetry also comes through strongly, reminding us of the nourishing life of the mind & the secret heart. It's a superb story, well told -- thank you, Warner Archive, for rescuing another classic -- most highly recommended!
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Top reviews from other countries

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Karen Bosch
5.0 out of 5 stars Amor entre poetas
Reviewed in Spain on May 20, 2018
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Está película está inspirada en una etapa en la vida de la poetisa inglesa Elizabeth Barrett y su intercambio epistolar con Browning, otro poeta. Muestra la extraña relación con su padre, un hombre tiránico e intransigente que sólo quiere aislar a sus hijos del mundo.
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Bondi
5.0 out of 5 stars Classic movie
Reviewed in Australia on August 31, 2020
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Great movie to watch again. Very good quality DVD. So glad I can still get this classic movie
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Gerald R. Sables
5.0 out of 5 stars A classic available at last
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 9, 2014
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A true classic Hollywood film although it does look a bit dated today. Norma Shearer's acting is probably the let down, but this is made up for the superb Charles Laughton as her father. There is an obvious inference to Incest between them though as always Hollywood manages to disguise this. This classic film has been unavailable for years and for anyone interested in Hollywood classics it's well worth purchasing.
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Francisca Díaz Espinosa
3.0 out of 5 stars La película no tiene subtítulos y no puedo acceder a la comprensión de los diálogos
Reviewed in Spain on August 22, 2022
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Tenía mucho interés en conocer la relación entre Elizabeth Barretts y Robert Browninc, pero esperaba tener los subtítulos que me ayudarán a comprender los diálogos.Es imposible para mí entender lo que hablan los diferentes personajes de la película. Quiero devolverla cuanto antes. Un saludo.
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ML
5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful film
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 11, 2019
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Wonderful film woth some first rate acting. Very well preserved for its age. Would love to see the 1957 with Jennifer Jones version released - seems impossible to get anywhere!
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