As You Like It (1936 film)

As You Like It
Directed by	Paul Czinner
Produced by	Paul Czinner
Written by	William Shakespeare J. M. Barrie (treatment) R. J. Cullen (scenario)
Starring	Laurence Olivier Elisabeth Bergner Felix Aylmer Henry Ainley Sophie Stewart
Music by	William Walton
Cinematography	Harold Rosson
Editing by	David Lean
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date(s)	United Kingdom: September 3, 1936 (1936-09-03)
Running time	96 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

As You Like It is a 1936 film, directed by Paul Czinner and starring Laurence Olivier as Orlando and Elisabeth Bergner as Rosalind. It is based on William Shakespeare's play of the same name. It was Laurence Olivier's first performance of Shakespeare on screen.

It was the final film of stage actors Leon Quartermaine and Henry Ainley, and featured an early screen role for Ainley's son Richard as Sylvius, as well as for John Laurie, who played Orlando's brother Oliver. (Laurie would go on to co-star with Olivier in the three Shakespeare films that Olivier directed.)

Bergner had previously played the role of Rosalind in her native Germany and her German accent is apparent in most of her scenes.

Synopsis

Duke Frederick (Felix Aylmer) has usurped and deposed his older brother, Duke Senior (Henry Ainley). Frederick allows the exiled Duke's daughter, Rosalind (Elisabeth Bergner), however, to stay, as she is the closest friend of his daughter, Celia (Sophie Stewart). Orlando (Laurence Olivier), who has been forced to flee his home due to the oppression from his brother, Oliver (John Laurie), comes to the Frederick's Duchy, and enters a wrestling tournament. On leaving the Duchy, Orlando encounters Rosalind, and it is love at first sight. Frederick then becomes angry, and banishes Rosalind. Celia decides to accompany her, along with a jester, Touchstone (Mackenzie Ward).

Rosalind and Celia disguise themselves as "Ganymede", a boy, and "Aliena", respectively, and venture into the Forest of Arden, where they eventually encounter the exiled Duke. Orlando, who discovers that Rosalind is now living with the Duke, posts love poems on the trees for her. Orlando manages to come across Ganymede, who proceeds to teach Orlando how to cure love. At the same time, Phoebe (Joan White), a shepherdess, falls in love with Ganymede, though he (she) continually rejects her. Sylvius (Richard Ainley), a shepherd, is in love with Phoebe, which complicates the matter. Meanwhile, Touchstone attempts to marry the simple farmgirl, Audrey (Dorice Fordred), before he can be stopped by Jaques (Leon Quartermaine), a Lord who lives with the exiled Duke.

Eventually, Ganymede, Orlando, Phoebe, and Silvius are brought together to sort out who marries whom. Ganymede proposes that Orlando promise to marry Rosalind, and Phoebe promise to marry Silvius if she cannot marry Ganymede. The next day, Rosalind reveals herself, and Phoebe is married to Silvius. Orlando then rescues Oliver from a lioness in the forest, causing Oliver to repent and re-embrace his brother. Orlando and Rosalind, Oliver and Celia, Silvius and Phoebe, and Touchstone and Audrey are all then married, and they learn that Frederick has also repented and decided to reinstate his brother as the Duke.

Cast

• Elisabeth Bergner as Rosalind. Rosalind is the daughter of the senior Duke. Bergner was an Austrian actress who had played Rosalind back in Germany before moving to the US.
• Laurence Olivier as Orlando. Orlando is the youngest son of Sir Rowland de Boys. This film marked the first time Olivier had played a Shakespeare character on film; among Olivier's onscreen Shakespeare performances, it was the only one not nominated for an Academy Award.
• Sophie Stewart as Celia. Celia is the daughter of Duke Frederick.
• Henry Ainley as Duke Senior, who has been banished.
• Leon Quatermaine as Jacques. Jacques is an inquisitive and melancholy Lord attending Duke Senior.
• Felix Aylmer as Duke Frederick, who has banished his brother.

Music

The film is notable for being scored by William Walton, who was to become Olivier's longtime musical collaborator, scoring his films of Henry V,Hamlet and Richard III, and defending his score for the film Battle of Britain against its replacement by Ron Goodwin's.

Notes and references

External links

• As You Like It at the Internet Movie Database
• As You Like It is available for free download at the Internet Archive [more]