A movie version of a play is usually not a good thing. It can be too play-like with no cinematic effort; it can have big stars who "movie" their way through a role they could never pull off on stage; it can move so far away from the play, in an effort to be cinematic, that there is no point to the effort; or, it can expose the fact that play wasn't all that interesting in the first place (this happened a LOT in the studio age.)
This movie manages to succeed as much as possible. First, it's a really good play. It is funny and intriguing. Watching it allows that elitist jerk who lives quietly inside all of every educated adult to laugh knowingly at subtle barbs thrown at long dead people and institutions. (The problem with watching this at home it that there was no audience to hear me laugh - how else would they know how sophisticated I am?)
Next, the cast is remarkable. Yes, it is filled with movie stars of the era but they are really good here, in particular, Claude Rains.
Finally, while this is ultimately a weakness, the play remains largely intact, most likely due to Shaw's adaptation of his own work. There is no effort to visualize a story here, but there is a great deal of effort to present this play with great visuals. This may the be best approach to presenting plays on screen - get them off a stage but stick to the script.
This movie manages to succeed as much as possible. First, it's a really good play. It is funny and intriguing. Watching it allows that elitist jerk who lives quietly inside all of every educated adult to laugh knowingly at subtle barbs thrown at long dead people and institutions. (The problem with watching this at home it that there was no audience to hear me laugh - how else would they know how sophisticated I am?)
Next, the cast is remarkable. Yes, it is filled with movie stars of the era but they are really good here, in particular, Claude Rains.
Finally, while this is ultimately a weakness, the play remains largely intact, most likely due to Shaw's adaptation of his own work. There is no effort to visualize a story here, but there is a great deal of effort to present this play with great visuals. This may the be best approach to presenting plays on screen - get them off a stage but stick to the script.