Apparently, before the American Civil War, the denizens of small cities, towns and even mining camps in The Old West had a taste for the plays of William Shakespeare.
When you see Raymond Massey as Junius Brutus Booth and Richard Burton as his son Edwin delivering the Bard's lines with their forceful personalities and mellifluous voices one can sense the appeal. The elevated language and the larger than life theatrical flourishes were a contrast to the ordinary, rough-hewn lives of their audiences.
Admittedly, I did not know much about the Booth acting dynasty other than that John Wilkes Booth, younger son of Junius, assassinated Abraham Lincoln. This film fills in some gaps even if John Wilkes (John Derek) emerges as little more than a cypher.
Richard Burton as Edwin gives the film a burst of energy, or is it more a charge from a defibrillator; this film would be hard to save without the power he and Massey brought to it.
Maggie McNamara plays Mary Devlin, the young actress who falls for Edwin. 60 years later, this film is tinged with sadness. All the players have exited this earthly stage and we know how their stories ended. This is especially so for Maggie whose lightness is almost overwhelmed by Burton's raw power in a scene from "Romeo and Juliet". She didn't make many movies and died tragically, like Juliet, ending her own life.
It's as well that Massey and Burton produced fireworks because the film is photographed in a rather artless manner. It was shot in Cinemascope but the few exteriors hardly do the process justice. Towards the end, the film gives little feeling that a momentous war is raging, "Gone with the Wind" it is not.
However, Bernard Herrmann contributed an impressive score with a powerful main title track; it helps give the film size.
Although some felt too much Shakespeare dulled the movie, it actually gives it a positive difference. The speeches are well chosen and spoken "trippingly on the tongue" as the Bard decreed it should be done in "Hamlet".
This is Burton at his best. The actor later accused of wasting his talents is not present here. This is Burton more than delivering on his early promise.
When you see Raymond Massey as Junius Brutus Booth and Richard Burton as his son Edwin delivering the Bard's lines with their forceful personalities and mellifluous voices one can sense the appeal. The elevated language and the larger than life theatrical flourishes were a contrast to the ordinary, rough-hewn lives of their audiences.
Admittedly, I did not know much about the Booth acting dynasty other than that John Wilkes Booth, younger son of Junius, assassinated Abraham Lincoln. This film fills in some gaps even if John Wilkes (John Derek) emerges as little more than a cypher.
Richard Burton as Edwin gives the film a burst of energy, or is it more a charge from a defibrillator; this film would be hard to save without the power he and Massey brought to it.
Maggie McNamara plays Mary Devlin, the young actress who falls for Edwin. 60 years later, this film is tinged with sadness. All the players have exited this earthly stage and we know how their stories ended. This is especially so for Maggie whose lightness is almost overwhelmed by Burton's raw power in a scene from "Romeo and Juliet". She didn't make many movies and died tragically, like Juliet, ending her own life.
It's as well that Massey and Burton produced fireworks because the film is photographed in a rather artless manner. It was shot in Cinemascope but the few exteriors hardly do the process justice. Towards the end, the film gives little feeling that a momentous war is raging, "Gone with the Wind" it is not.
However, Bernard Herrmann contributed an impressive score with a powerful main title track; it helps give the film size.
Although some felt too much Shakespeare dulled the movie, it actually gives it a positive difference. The speeches are well chosen and spoken "trippingly on the tongue" as the Bard decreed it should be done in "Hamlet".
This is Burton at his best. The actor later accused of wasting his talents is not present here. This is Burton more than delivering on his early promise.