As You Like It
by Paul Czinner
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Product details
Actor: Elisabeth Bergner, Felix Aylmer, Henry Ainley, Laurence Olivier, Stuart RobertsonDirector: Paul Czinner
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: English (Original Language), Analog
Format: Black & White, NTSC
Release Date: 1998-07-16
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Publisher: United American Video
Studio: United American Video
VHS Movie Reviews of As You Like It
Movie Review: This is the version of AS YOU LIKE IT to own
Summary: 4 Stars
I had recently purchased the Alpha Video version of this 1937 classic and
when I viewed it I just died. Beat up, cut up, scratched up copy of this timeless classic. Lousy sound quality to boot. The Alpha Video film didn't even feature the Twentieth Century fanfare opening ("Da da da da - da da da da DA..." you know it) which is included on the superior Blackhawk Films collection transfer.
The long and short is this is the best DVD of AS YOU LIKE IT on the market. Yes, you'll pay a premium for it, but I was thrilled by the quality of the film and the superb performances of Olivier and Elisabeth Bergner shine through. This was the first Olivier Shakespeare production, and from a historic perspective it demonstrates the genesis of his craft. Elisabeth Bergner's rendition is nothing short of ethereal and can never be duplicated. If you are a fan of this age old classic do your self a favor and buy this version. Although not perfect, I consider it to be one of Shakespeare's best film adaptations ever and, by gosh, shouldn't you be able to enjoy the play without having to be distracted by poor technical considerations? Enough said.
Movie Review: Sir Laurence Olivier's first film
Summary: 2 Stars
Elisabeth Bergner as Rosalind gets top billing in this 1936 B&W film. I love William Shakespeare. His mastery of language and plot is always (so far) a joy. When I bought this, I had just seen my son as Amiens, Lord Attending Exiled Duke, and the character of Rosalind played by a very pretty, perky and sassy young actress. After that performance, this DVD version was painful to watch and I never got through it. Sir Laurence is good, if not entirely believable as Orlando, but the film appears to be cast as a vehicle for Elisabeth Bergner though for the life of me I can't imagine why. Born in the Ukraine, and having first appeared in the Berlin silent film "Der Evangelimann" in 1923, Elisabeth Bergner acts like a silent actress, and "As You Like It" appears to be her first English-speaking role. Still, as Shakespeare goes, this is a funny and thoroughly enjoyable story with several clever twists. It's a Shakespeare play that cries out for Kenneth Branagh.Movie Review: A Knowing Orlando Courts a Deranged Rosalind
Summary: 3 Stars
A charming, if prudish, version of "As You Like It". In this adaptation, Celia is taller than Rosalind (abiding by Le Beau's lines in I, ii of the First Folio and disregarding Rosalind's line in I, iii about being "more than common tall" - which is cut here). Felix Ayimer is excellent as Duke Frederick but many other characters are marginalized as the script, reduced to about half its full length, focuses on Orlando and Rosalind. I miss some of the racy passages and rants of Jacques and Touchstone that have been excised. Elisabeth Bergner's performance is affected and histrionic but an interesting dynamic develops (whether intentionally or unintentionally) between her Ganymede and Olivier's Orlando. I suspect that Olivier's Orlando knows from the moment he meets Ganymede that he is, indeed, Rosalind. He plays it with such subtlety, though, as if the director wasn't in on the choice. Bergner's Rosalind seems to be mentally unstable, just a bit off. Olivier's Orlando is attracted to her capriciousness and exuberance. Overall, I enjoyed the film more than I enjoyed Sir Peter Hall's puzzling production (2005 at BAM) with his daughter Rebecca as Rosalind (she was the weak link in a superb cast). I viewed the film on VHS and the sound quality was awful. Maybe they improved it for the DVD.Movie Review: Old-fashioned, but fun
Summary: 4 Stars
This version of "As You Like It" has not aged well. The modern approach to Shakespeare, with more natural dialog and realistic costuming, has left the tight-wearing overly theatrical players of old looking a bit foolish. They strut around the stage with obvious gusto and verve, but they just never connect.With that in mind, "As You Like It" can be fun. The play itself is a bit silly, and the actors even sillier. The director made no attempt to disguise the feminine status of Elizabeth Bergener. She remains a pretty girl in boys clothes with a screeching soprano voice. To his credit, Olivier plays it as straight as an oak, and never for a minute doubts her ill-conceived charade. Jacques is in full motley, making his presence in Arden forest even more absurd.
Lacking any other version on DVD, "As You Like It" contains a certain charm. Just be prepared. Your "willful suspension of disbelief" has never been so sorely tested.
Movie Review: Try the 1978 version with Helen Mirren
Summary: 2 Stars
This is not a bad play, but it feels tight. I wanted to see it to compare with the 1978 version with Helen Mirren (just about impossible to find - try Ambrose Video and sit down for the price). The setting is forcefully lush, but feels plastic. My general view is that Shakespeare needs to be "slowed down", performance-wise and most old movies (40-50 years) seem rushed.
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