sandra small The Barrets Of Wimpole Street is a film based on rumours of poet Elizabeth Barrett's relationship with her father who allegedly abused her. As such the film makes for an interesting 'gossip column' type of story found in celebrity magazines. This of course does not trivialise the serious nature of abuse.What is most interesting in The Barretts Of Wimpole Street is that the nature of abuse -which takes on an incestuous form, - and the fact that it is conveyed through the image of the great Charles Laughton who is far from abundant in classic film star good looks. Therefore, in this instance abusive parents are depicted with a certain image which lacks favourable features. If a more glamorous cinema idol had played the part of Edward Moulton-Browing, perceptions of abuse could become distorted even though looks are irrelevant to abusive behaviour.It is also ironic that the abused Elizabeth Barrett's only opportunity to escape (at least it would appear that way) is via another controlling man. The difference is that Robert Browning wants (not totally motivated by altruistic reasons because he needs to fulfil his own emotional needs) the best for Elizabeth, whereas her completely selfish father only wants what's best for himself.The acting in this version of the Barretts Of Wimpole Street is of the highest calibre. This is especially for the three leads. While Laughton conveys his character Edward Moulton-Barret's abuse with a malicious menace that is extremely frightening, Norma Sheara is amazing as the abused Elizabeth Barret. Her face conveys such helplessness of a woman trapped, not only by her physical condition and environment, but by the psychological anguish of a woman torn between her abusive father and the importance of her own well being. Indeed Edward Moulton-Barrett's children have learnt to receive their Father's approval via abuse. In addition to conveying her anguish, Shearer illustrates that she is adept at illustrating the poetic Elizabeth when she interacts with Fredric March through her delivery of lines. This is reciprocated by March's efforts who is equally poetic in his highly animated delivery of lines.The supporting cast all give tremendous performances, especially that of Maureen O'Sullivan. She plays the naive, younger sister Henrietta to her stolid older sibling Elizabeth. Comic relief comes from Una O'Conner as Elizabeth's loyal maid Wilson, and Marion Clayton Anderson as the scatty cousin Bella. Also good is canine acting from Flush the dog, who slinks into his basket right on cue at the mere sight of Charles Laughton's character Edward Moulton-Barrett. This film adaptation of The Barrets Of Wimpole Street is cleverly adapted from the stage, and is one of the best of its era.

MartinHafer This film was later remade by the same director twenty-three years later using nearly the same script. In fact, they are so similar that I definitely would NOT recommend you watch both--it would be way too repetitive. So, instead, I think you should watch this one. My biggest reason is I rarely like remakes unless there was something wrong with the original film and I know it takes little energy or talent to just remake an idea and script that already exist. Plus, in a case like this where two of the stars do such a great job compared to those in the remake (Charles Laughton as the over-controlling patriarch of the family instead of John Gielgud, and Frederic March as the love-struck Robert Browning instead of the totally unknown Bill Travers in the remake). I think that Jennifer Jones might have done a marginally better job than Norma Shearer in the original, but it's awfully close to tell. There have also been two made for TV versions, though I have never seen them and unless the story is much different, I have no desire to see them.Once again, why see a re-tread when the original is a very, very good film.

bkoganbing The Barretts of Wimpole Street was the most successful play written by Rudolph Besier and ran almost an entire year on Broadway in 1931. It starred Katherine Cornell as Elizabeth Barrett and featured Brian Aherne as Robert Browning and Charles Waldron as Edward Moulton Barrett. Though Norma Shearer gives one of her best performances as Elizabeth Barrett it might have been nice to see Kit Cornell do this. But as we well know, she like the Lunts disdained film for the legitimate stage.Elizabeth Barrett was indeed a woman of poor health though it surely did not impair her literary output. In 1845 Robert Browning after corresponding with her for some time did on impulse come to meet her and eventually they did run off to Italy and marry. Much to the considerable objection of her father.Whether Edward Moulton Barrett was as tyrannical and lascivious as Charles Laughton portrays him is open to debate and interpretation. Laughton plays him in much the same way he played Inspector Javert a year later in Les Miserables. Firm and unbending and inhuman with only a book of rules to guide his conduct. It may have been the author's dramatic license, but it surely does explain his opposition.On the other hand, he might have thought Robert Browning a deadbeat who couldn't make a living at the poetry gig. But the former makes a more interesting story.Fredric March is fine as the dashing literate Victorian gentleman that was Robert Browning. In the rest of the cast I did particularly like Marie Clayton as Laughton's dizzy niece with a lisp who Elizabeth for all her literary accomplishments envies.The Barretts of Wimpole Street is one classic piece of cinema from MGM during the height of their Tiffany period.

johno-21 This film is adapted from the 1931 Rudolf Besier Broadway play that starred Katherine Cornell and Brian Aherne in the roles of poets Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning. For the MGM film version Norma shearer and Fredrick March take over the roles. No one from the stage version that briefly returned to Broadway in a revival after this film's success, was cast for the film. Charles Laughton plays the tyrannical, repressive, domineering and possessive father of Elizabeth Edward Moulton-Barrett, Maureen O'Sullivan is Elizabeth's sister Henrietta. Una O'Conner provides comic relief as the maid Wilson in a role where she glides into each room feet unseen under her long Victorian skirts which show not a ruffle or indication of movement of legs or feet to stir the skirts material so the film makers must have had her on some type of platform on wheels to achieve the effect. Leo g. Carroll is also among the cast. Flush the dog is here to and it's possible it may have been the same dog used in the Broadway play. Veteran cinematographer William H. Daniels photographed the film. His career would take him into the 1970's and he did several Frank Sinatra films like Von Ryan's Express and Ocean's Eleven in the 1960's. Daniels was also Greta Garbo's cinematographer and he photographed 20 of her films. He also photographed 10 films in the career of Norma Shearer and is with her again here in the Barretts of Wimpole Street, the story of two poets falling in love and their fight to break the chains of her father's suppression and her own invalidism. Norma Shearer is always great to watch on screen. She came out of the silent film era and uses such facial expression and hand movements that were necessary in silents. Many actors couldn't drop their stage theatrics in the transition to talking pictures and they faded from overacting. Shearer keeps her theatrics and pulls it off. She's also one of my favorite screen beauties. Another of my favorites is Maureen O'Sullivan and she is beautiful here and handles her comedic moments with skill. The part where she's secretly meeting her boyfriend across the street from her house and she keeps telling not to look at the house is a riot. Sidney Franklin who had directed Shearer in a couple of her previous films is the film's director. Shearer received her fourth Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for 1934 and the movie was nominated for the Best Picture Oscar in a field that had 11 pictures nominated for Best Picture that year. Claudet Colbert appeared in three of those nominated Best Picture films including It Happened One Night which won Best Picture and gave Colbert Best Actress. The Barrets of Wimpole Street is a little too stagy but it has a lot going for it and I would give it an 8.0 out of 10.