The Barretts of Wimpole Street with Norma Shearer: VHS Cover

    The Barretts of Wimpole Street
    a.k.a. Forbidden Alliance Director: Sidney Franklin, Sidney Franklin Cast: Norma Shearer, Fredric March, Charles Laughton, Maureen O'Sullivan

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    • VHS Release Date: 09/01/1998
    • Original Release: 1934
    • Rating: Not Rated

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    Editorial Reviews

    Based on a successful stage drama, this historical romance stars Norma Shearer as Elizabeth Barrett, an invalid largely confined to her bed. Elizabeth has little company beyond her dog and her obsessively protective father, Edward Moulton Barrett (Charles Laughton). Her one great passion and means of emotional escape is writing poetry, to which she devotes a large part of her days. She makes the acquaintance of fellow poet Robert Browning (Fredric March), who pays her a visit. They respect each others' literary abilities and become romantically attracted to each other. Robert asks for Elizabeth's hand in marriage, but Edward refuses to allow it. Elizabeth must battle her father for the right to live her own life, but eventually she is able to wed Robert and bring herself back to health. Director Sidney A. Franklin also helmed a remake of The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1957); it was his last film. Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

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    Barretts of Wimpole Streetby Anonymous

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    June 19, 2002: I recently have discovered the wonderful actor, Fredric March, and so I watched this movie. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was really good, just wonderful! Fredric March was perfect as the jovial, jaunty Robert Browning. And Norma Shearer was equally perfect as the invalid Elizabeth Barrett. They made a wonderful couple. You could tell they enjoyed playing opposite each other. At times their dialog was a bit dramatic and campy, but hey, that was the 30's, and it adds to the fun of the film. There was humor, romance, sadness, evil...all in this movie. Elizabeth's father was a horrible man, and was portrayed so well you could really feel his meanness toward his children.Elizabeth has a very strange cousin who talks baby talk, and she has a nurse who walks as if she's on wheels or something! It is a nice happy ending for Robert and Elizabeth. Watching this movie made my daughter and I study up on these 2 real live poets, and we have read Barrett's ''Sonnets of the Portuguese''. They are lovely poems penned by Barrett when falling in love with Browning. I highly recommend you read this little volume, and watch this enjoyable movie.