As You Like It (1936 film)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| As You Like It | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Directed by | Paul Czinner |
| Produced by | Paul Czinner |
| Written by | William Shakespeare J. M. Barrie (treatment) R. J. Cullen (scenario) |
| Starring | Laurence Olivier Elisabeth Bergner Felix Aylmer Henry Ainley Sophie Stewart |
| Music by | William Walton |
| Cinematography | Harold Rosson |
| Release date(s) | 1936 |
| Running time | 96 mins |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
As You Like It is a 1936 film, directed by Paul Czinner and starring Laurence Olivier as Orlando and Elisabeth Bergner as Rosalind. It is based on William Shakespeare's play of the same name. It was Laurence Olivier's first performance of Shakespeare on screen.
It was the final film of stage actors Leon Quartermaine and Henry Ainley, and featured an early screen role for Ainley's son Richard as Sylvius, and for John Laurie, who played Orlando's brother Oliver. Bergner had previously played the role of Rosalind in her native Germany and her German accent is apparent in most of her scenes.
Contents |
[edit] Production
[edit] Casting and filming
[edit] Cinematography
[edit] Music
 |
Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. |
The film is notable for being scored by William Walton, who was to become Olivier's longtime musical collaborator, scoring his films of Henry V,Hamlet and Richard III, and defending his score for the film Battle of Britain against its replacement by Ron Goodwin's.
[edit] Synopsis
Duke Frederick (Felix Aylmer) has usurped and deposed his older brother, Duke Senior (Henry Ainley). Frederick allows the exiled Duke's daughter, Rosalind (Elisabeth Bergner), however, to stay, as she is the closest friend of his daughter, Celia (Sophie Stewart). Orlando (Laurence Olivier), who has been forced to flee his home due to the oppression from his brother, Oliver (John Laurie), comes to the Frederick's Duchy, and enters a wrestling tournament. On leaving the Duchy, Orlando encounters Rosalind, and it is love at first sight. Frederick then becomes angry, and banishes Rosalind. Celia decides to accompany her, along with a jester, Touchstone (Mackenzie Ward).
Rosalind and Celia disguise themselves as "Ganymede", a boy, and "Aliena", respectively, and venture into the Forest of Arden, where they eventually encounter the exiled Duke. Orlando, who discovers that Rosalind is now living with the Duke, posts love poems on the trees for her. Orlando manages to come across Ganymede, who proceeds to teach Orlando how to cure love. At the same time, Phoebe (Joan White), a shepherdess, falls in love with Ganymede, though he (she) continually rejects her. Sylvius (Richard Ainley), a shepherd, is in love with Phoebe, which complicates the matter. Meanwhile, Touchstone attempts to marry the simple farmgirl, Audrey (Dorice Fordred), before he can be stopped by Jaques (Leon Quartermaine), a Lord who lives with the exiled Duke.
Eventually, Ganymede, Orlando, Phoebe, and Silvius are brought together to sort out whom marries whom. Ganymede proposes that Orlando promise to marry Rosalind, and Phoebe promise to marry Silvius if she cannot marry Ganymede. The next day, Rosalind reveals herself, and Phoebe is married to Silvius. Orlando then rescues Oliver from a lioness in the forest, causing Oliver to repent and re-embrace his brother. Orlando and Rosalind, Oliver and Celia, Silvius and Phoebe, and Touchstone and Audrey are all then married, and they learn that Frederick has also repented and decided to reinstate his brother as the Duke.
[edit] Cast
[edit] Starring
- Elisabeth Bergner as Rosalind. Rosalind is the daughter of the senior Duke. Bernger was an Austrian actress who had played Rosalind back in Germany before moving to the US.
[edit] Co-starring
- Laurence Olivier as Orlando. Orlando is the youngest son of Sir Rowland de Boys. Olivier is widely considered to be among the greatest actors of the 20th Century[1]. As You Like It marked the first time Olivier had played a Shakespeare character on film; among Olivier's onscreen Shakespeare performances, it was the only one not nominated for an Academy Award.
[edit] Also starring
- Sophie Stewart as Celia. Celia is the daughter of Duke Frederick.
- Henry Ainley as Duke Senior, who has been banished. Ainley was a prolific British stage actor.
- Leon Quatermaine as Jacques,. Jacques is an inquisitive and melancholy Lord attending Duke Senior.
- Felix Aylmer as Duke Frederick, who has banished his brother. Aylmer was a prolific actor who portrayed the Archbishop of Canterbury in Olivier's Henry V and Polonius in Olivier's Hamlet, both films also adapted from Shakespeare plays.
[edit] Reception
The film was not notably successful, and did not herald a string of screen versions of Shakespeare plays. Olivier himself despised it, and the experience further convinced him that Shakespeare could not be adapted to the screen successfully. It was not until Olivier starred in and directed Henry V that he at last became persuaded that Shakespeare could convincingly be brought to the screen. As You Like It was the last of his plays to be filmed until 1944.
[edit] Awards
[edit] Influence
The film had no great influence on future Shakespeare adaptations, except, perhaps, in convincing Laurence Olivier that they had to be done differently. It was Olivier's films of Henry V and Hamlet which at last persuaded filmmakers in both the U.S. and Europe to tackle more of the Bard's plays.
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia (online ed.), World Almanac Education Group, Inc, 2002
