Orlando (Laurence Olivier), kept from the life he should have as a gentleman by his cruel older brother (John Laurie), leaves town for the forest of Ardenne, where the usurped duke (Henry Ainley) lives with a merry band of exiles. At the same time, the new duke, Frederick (Felix Aylmer), banishes his niece, Rosalind (Elisabeth Bergner), the old duke’s daughter. As she has seen Orlando and fallen in love with him, she disguises herself as a boy and, with the Duke’s daughter, Celia (Sophie Stewart), heads to the forest as well. The forest, which has near-magical restorative properties on all, is soon filled with confused lovers, misunderstandings, and reconciliations.
A mannered and stage-like adaptation that displays a more than average collection of talent, As You Like It stands as an encyclopedia of the wrong choices available in putting Shakespeare on the silver screen. For much of its ninety-six minute running time (the play is trimmed, but I could find no additions), no one connected to the production seems to realize it’s a comedy. Considering this is a story where life-and-death struggles and hatreds are resolved in seconds, and with no “on-stage” action from the protagonists (Orlando’s brother changes his behavior between scenes and Frederick is converted and abdicates after a brief chat with a holy man), it is pivotal to play up the humor. The fault lies with producer-director Paul Czinner, but it is most noticeable in Olivier. This was his first appearance in a Shakespearian film, and it would be ten years before he made another. He went on to become the most important figure in cinematic Shakespeare, for good or ill. Here, he makes Orlando a lackluster dramatic figure.
Poorly paced, with attractive but obviously fake backdrops, and artificial enunciation, it is hard to find anything done completely right. But as most elements aren’t done completely wrong either, it might have been of minor scholastic interest except for Elisabeth Bergner. She was a German stage and screen actress who moved to England in 1933 with her husband, Paul Czinner. While she had played Rosalind on the German stage, it is hard to fathom what Czinner and Bergner thought they were doing placing her in the lead. Either she had no idea that a stage play and a movie were different things, or Czinner was so confused. Whatever the case, she overacts with glee, throwing her arms about like she’s waving to someone leaving on a train. But far worse than her ill-conceived interpretation of Rosalind is her accent. With everyone else speaking as if they take tea daily with the Queen, Bergner’s thick Teutonic speech patterns are a distraction. It would be as fitting to stick Arnold Schwarzenegger as Prince Hal in Henry IV or have an overweight white guy play Othello—wait, they did that. Hmm.