The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934)

Synopsis:

Poetess Elizabeth Barrett (Norma Shearer, A Free Soul) falls in love with fellow poet Robert Browning (Fredric March, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde), causing the ire of her controlling father (Charles Laughton, The Private Life of Henry VIII).

Reaction & Thoughts:

“I find you as I pictured you, full of courage and gaiety.”

This is a fictionalized reenactment of the legendary courtship between two literary giants, British poets Elizabeth “Ba” Barrett and Robert Browning, who unexpectedly fell madly in love with each other after meeting in 1845. The Barretts of Wimpole Street mixes historical facts, fiction and speculation nicely — it’s a fine movie that despite the good work of its elegant stars somehow left me a bit cold and dissatisfied.

The Barretts of Wimpole Street is a straight adaptation of the well-regarded 1930 stage play by Rudolf Besier of the same name. Produced by MGM’s “Boy Wonder” (and star Norma Shearer’s husband), Irving Thalberg (Grand Hotel and Mutiny on the Bounty), this is an entertaining, but colossally unimaginative movie.

The Barretts of Wimpole Street takes place mainly in one room, and there are long stretches where there is nothing but people talking to each other. Director Sidney Franklin (The Good Earth) is essentially preserving a theater piece for posterity — there is no attempt to open up the play. The dialogue is very good, but this film clearly exemplifies the type of “canned theater” I tend to find uninteresting.

The film’s biggest drawback is that the narrative doesn’t do a good job exploring the characters. For example, Browning’s character is underdeveloped. The Barretts of Wimpole Street isn’t as romantic as it could have been, either. Here you have the love story of two great poets, yet there is hardly any poetry in the film, and that’s a shame. Again, this could have been a little more romantic and interesting.

I did enjoy the performances. Shearer and Fredric March are perfect as the “star-crossed lovers.” Charles Laughton plays Shearer’s father with authority, but the character is too one-dimensional. That said, Laughton does a great job suggesting the father’s incestuous feelings towards his daughter. Because of the censors, Laughton is forced to find subtle ways to drop hints to let the audience know what’s going on.

The rest of the actors perform their roles with class and authenticity. Maureen O’Sullivan (Tarzan the Ape Man and The Thin Man), who plays Elizabeth’s younger sister, Henrietta, is a little too theatrical for my taste, though. O’Sullivan succumbs to shrillness during dramatic scenes. The cast also includes British character actors Una O’Connor (Bride of Frankenstein and Witness for the Prosecution) as a servant and Leo G. Carroll (Spellbound and The Bad and the Beautiful) as a physician.

Conclusions & Final Thoughts:

The Barretts of Wimpole Street is a good, but flawed movie, the sort of thing I find compelling and frustrating in equal amounts. While it’s true that I enjoyed watching this prestigious MGM production, I did wish it had been done with a little more creativity. However, I still recommend the film to fans of love stories. Interestingly, director Sidney Franklin remade the film in 1957. B&W, 110 minutes, Not Rated.