The Barretts Of Wimpole Street

One of the better-known and more typical of MGM's adaptations of famous stage plays, THE BARRETTS OF WIMPOLE STREET is slightly strangled by its own sense of prestige, but proves worthy drama nonetheless. This historical romance tells how the near-invalid Elizabeth Barrett (Shearer) finds happiness and renewed vitality through the love of fellow poet Robert Browning (March), despite the efforts of her dictatorial and overly protective father (played exquisitely by Laughton). Confined to her room with little but her dog and her love of poetry for comfort, Elizabeth cannot even reach out to her brothers and sisters, also under the thumb of their father's tyranny. The...