The Romance of Robert Burns (1937) Online

. . . "Auld Lang Syne," just remember that it's time to punch a rich One Per Center Fat Cat in the face. That's the main take-away of this offering from the People's Studio--Warner Bros.--in tribute to that song's lyricist, a Scot farmerpoet, in this live-action short, THE ROMANCE OF ROBERT BURNS. In a moment of weakness, Robbie is about to wed a Rich Witch from the Job-Killing Fox Hunting Set. Fortunately for Humanity, she invites him to a family dinner at her manor. The Thick-Skulled, bloated patronizing toadies enveloping Robbie with their smugly smirking condescension soon snap him awake to the realization that he's on the brink of selling out and signing a Pact with Satan that will cancel out God's Gift of Wit and Discernment. Moments later Robbie smacks the smile off the mug of the nearest young Trumpster, before thoroughly thrashing the Alt.Right miscreant and ditching the siren song of the Kellyanne Conway-type luring him down the Path to Perdition. Robbie then hightails it back to the Union Label Girl Next Door, remembering that the Good Book teaches us that the Love of Money is the Root of all Evil (just ask billionaire Betsy DeVos, whom Rachel Maddow caught last night in a plot to poison every American child with one of her "Amway Calling" lucrative potions formulated to destroy the brain's Critical Thinking and Scot Poetry Appreciation Center).

Romance of Robert Burns, The (1937)

** (out of 4)

Technicolor short from MGM tells the story behind Robert Burns' famous song Auld Lang Syne. It should go without saying that poor Robert wrote the song after a love gone wrong. The film looks terrific and director Wilbur really brings out all he can in the color department but the story is just was too over dramatic. The love story becomes quite laughable after a while. Owen King plays Burns.

You can usually catch this on Turner Classic Movies as part of their Oscar month or Festival of Shorts series.

...but cute.

The plot is obvious, but it's only 16 minutes long! It's the "history" of the song Auld Lang Syne.

It's worth seeing, if only to catch a couple of glimpses of Jean Armour! And it's fun to watch "Robbie" take the upper class of the time to task for being the snobs they are (were.)

The fight scene is staged terribly. The dialog is contrived. (People didn't REALLY talk that way in Ireland {or anywhere else,} did they?), but it was entertaining, nonetheless.

If all you have is 16 minutes to watch a film, and TMC happens to be showing it, watch it.

Let me just say that while I found some of the dialogue limp and static (like the woman asking if you'll say you love me like a poet or a man), for the most part I actually like this short about Robert Burns, the man who wrote that theme of New Year's Day-"Auld Lang Syne". The Technicolor was nice and the music score was beautiful. The story was good enough for the brief running time. This was on the Hollywood Hotel DVD though I have to admit I was a bit puzzled for the inclusion there. Perhaps because of the release date (1937) and also possibly because it was one of the "Selected Short Subjects" shown before that particular feature. Whatever the reason, The Romance of Robert Burns was a nice enough short film to watch.

This is a strange short film from Warner Brothers. It's strange because it's obviously a quality production--filmed with nice sets and beautiful Technicolor (which was still quite rare in 1937). But, on the other hand, the writing is really dreadful. It's supposed to be a biography of the career of Robert Burns but comes off as VERY fake and silly. Too often people will stop to comment that young Burns will one day be a great poet of the ages. No one talks like that...ever. And too often people seem to give expositions about Burns or what the film hasn't covered--it all comes off as very fake and silly. My assumption is that the short was written by penguins...and really untalented ones at that! Rarely will you hear dialog so limp and unconvincing--so bad that you cannot be taken in by the polish of the rest of the film. Pretty dumb.