The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1957 film)
| The Barretts of Wimpole Street | |
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| Directed by | Sidney Franklin |
| Produced by | Sam Zimbalist |
| Written by | John Dighton (screenplay) |
| Based on |
The Barretts of Wimpole Street 1930 play by Rudolf Besier |
| Starring |
John Gielgud Jennifer Jones Bill Travers Virginia McKenna |
| Music by | Bronisław Kaper |
| Cinematography | Freddie Young |
| Edited by | Frank Clarke |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
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Release date
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Running time
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105 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2.2 million |
| Box office | $1.1 million |
The Barretts of Wimpole Street is a 1957 Metrocolor CinemaScope film originating from the United Kingdom, and was a re-make of the earlier 1934 version by the same director, Sidney Franklin. Both films are based on the play The Barretts of Wimpole Street by Rudolf Besier. The screenplay for the 1957 film is credited to John Dighton, although Franklin used exactly the same script for the second movie as he did for the first. The film, set in the early 19th century, stars Jennifer Jones, John Gielgud, and Bill Travers.
Elizabeth Barrett (Jennifer Jones) is the disabled grown-up daughter of Edward Moulton-Barrett (John Gielgud) of Wimpole Street, and has an intense interest in poetry. However, she lives under the obsessive rule of her father, and this severely limits her ability to develop her love of rhyme amongst her peers. Edward in fact shows clear incestuous tendencies towards her, and discourages close contact with any males. When the poet Robert Browning (Bill Travers) enters her life, though, matters are brought to a head, through the intervention of Browning. Edward finds that his control over Elizabeth, and her younger sister Henrietta (Virginia McKenna), is far from complete.
To lend the whole project an air of authenticity, producer Sam Zimbalist moved filming from the 1934 location in the USA to the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, using only "fine English actors" with the exception of American actress Jennifer Jones, and as many correct locations as possible, including St Marylebone Parish Church in London. Bill Travers (Browning) and Virginia McKenna (Henrietta), though cast to play future in-laws in the film, were actually husband and wife in real life.
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