Comme il vous plaira

Unfortunately, Shakespeare's comedy 'As You Like It' has much of its comic aspects drained in this particular film version of the play, because of the sodden performances of a couple of players, Mackenzie Ward as Touchstone and Elizabeth Bergner as Rosalind.

The part of the Fool was an important part of Shakespearean plays, delivering pointed messages in the guise of witty remarks and jests. In this film, Touchstone's lines are breezed through so quickly and leadenly that the messages are lost. Bergner's Rosalind, was far worse. Rosalind was supposed to be disguised as a youthful man delivering acquired wisdom to men. I would have expected mainly a mock-serious performance, at most. Instead, Bergner performs Rosalind in a kind of giddy glee throughout, which must have marred her delivery of lines through that toothy grin combined with her Austrian accent.

Laurence Olivier, while performing in the more naturalistic way we would expect of a modern film actor, seems at times as if he's trying to get over with the whole thing, as might be expected if the rumors of artistic conflicts are true.

Sophie Stewart as Celia delivers probably the truest performance. Henry Ainley, Felix Aylmer, Leon Quartermain, and Dorice Fordred give nice performances as the two dukes, Jacques, and Audrey in minor parts. Peter Bull (the Russian ambassador from 'Dr. Strangelove') makes a very recognizable appearance in the second half.

I feel I ought to comment on the many complaints about the 'staginess' of the diction. My opinion is that these complaints have mainly to do with a couple of minor characters (e.g., Charles the Wrestler). Keep in mind that this is 1936, when many stage and silent actors were still adapting to the motion picture. Many films based on stage plays at that time appeared stagy, and many did even later (consider 'A Long Day's Journey Into Night' or 'A Streetcar Named Desire'). Few of Shakespeare's plays had been adapted to the sound motion picture by 1936. Cut them a little slack!

This is a decent adaptation of Shakespeare's "As You Like It", with the main reason to watch being a young Laurence Olivier as Orlando. The rest of the production is adequate, although some aspects of it are a bit routine. The story follows the play closely, except that of course a good proportion of the lines, plus occasional scenes, are deleted to bring it down to its movie length of about 90 minutes. You can definitely see its age at times, even more so than with most movies of the era, but it does have some positives too.

Very few performers come near Olivier's standard when it comes to doing Shakespeare, and even though this was one of his earliest efforts, he is still pretty good, delivering the lines well, although perhaps more brooding than necessary. The other lead, Elisabeth Bergner as Rosalind, does give her character a distinctive turn, but it does not always work as well. Still, she has plenty of energy, and that helps a lot. The production actually seems to highlight her performance more so than Olivier's. The rest of the cast is OK, but does not always have a lot to do.

The best productions of Shakespeare enable even those not familiar with the play to appreciate it, and this one probably does not do that. It will be best enjoyed by those who like the play and who also are already used to movies of the era.

Poor Elizabeth Bergner, she's the daughter of a deposed Duke who's now living in the Ardennes forest. She's living in the palace where her father's brother, the new Duke has kept her on as a companion for his daughter.

But one fine day she catches sight of young Laurence Olivier and when he wins a wrestling match with an airplane spin the folks in the WWE would envy, her eyes are for him only. Trouble is, he's the son of a knight the current Duke also didn't like. And Olivier has had a spat with his older brother. Off he goes to the woods. And Bergner follows him.

Pretty soon everybody's hanging out in the Ardennes and it's kind of like Shakespeare's other forest story, A Midsummer Night's Dream with people darting hither, thither and yon, the pursued becoming the pursuers and vice versa.

Elizabeth Bergner who plays Rosalind charmingly albeit her Teutonic accent, requested Olivier to be opposite her as Orlando. What Bergner wanted, Bergner got as her husband Paul Czinner produced the film. According to the book The Films of Laurence Olivier, Bergner and Olivier had some creative differences and relations were a bit chilly on the set.

This was the first time Olivier did Shakespeare for the screen or television and the only time he did not have creative control over what went out. He thought that the part of Orlando was as a dull romantic horse's patoot and not much could be done with it. When it came time to do Shakespeare again for the screen, Olivier would see it done right.

Still and all As You Like It is a charming antique and any time you can see Olivier do Shakespeare is time well spent.

Famous for being the first British film adaptation of a Shakespeare's play, the movie is focused primarily on the tour de force of Elisabeth Bergner, who, German accent aside, succedes to give the character a genuine enthusiasm and lightness. Laurence Olivier is good-looking and elegant, but not yet as captivating as in his future memorable interpretations. Probably, the real interest of the film lies in the impressive technical cast, made up of greats such as David Lean (brilliant editing), Jack Cardiff and Harold Rosson (photography) and William Walton (music). Anyway, with a good cast to watch, the film stands as a valid document of how Shakespare was performed at the time.

The main role, Rosalind, is well-played by the cute, vivacious Bergner. Olivier is good with the physical stuff (very graceful) and the repartee. He tends to fall flat on the soliloquies and extended reveries, though. (And he's wearing way too much makeup, including at times some very crooked lipstick.) The costumes and sets are vivid, probably meant to suggest a fairy-tale, and thus account for the ridiculous plot devices.

And despite the comments of another reviewer, the camera-work is not all "point-and-shoot." It is a bit static by today's standards, but not by those of 1936.

The biggest liability is the muddy, distant sound.

All in all, I liked it more than the average filmed Shakespeare, though it's not great by any means.