The Romance of Robert Burns (1937) User Reviews

Campy...

[splait1 · 6/10 · 10 September 2005]

...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.

Despite some of the stilted dialogue, I liked The Romance of Robert Burns

[tavm · 7/10 · 1 February 2014]

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.

Beautiful Pictures

[boblipton · 5/10 · 9 June 2019]

James Fitzpatrick produces a sort subject about Robert Burns, with particular emphasis on his alleged writing of "Auld Lang Syne" in this handsomely produced short subject.

Although Fitzpatrick is better remembered for producing and narrating his "Traveltalks" series for MGM, his earlier short subjects were mostly about composers: a difficult subject to make films about during the silent era. Even some of his early Traveltalks had music-themed titles like IRELAND "THE MELODY ISLE".

The best part of this movie is the beautiful Technicolor camerawork by specialist Ray Rennahan.

Well, at least it looks pretty.

[planktonrules · 2/10 · 28 October 2011]

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.

So So

[Michael_Elliott · 25 February 2008]

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.

For all that. And all that. For all that and all that and all that.

[jamericanbeauty · 5/10 · 17 June 2022]

Technically perfect. Bad Script. Or was the execution the problem? I don't know. What I do know is The Romance of Robert Burns made me fall in, then out of love in under 20 minutes. It looks and sounds great. It's hard to believe this was produced in 1937. The production was impressive. I got lost in the small cottage-looking village in 18th Century Scotland and then in the medieval-looking castle town of Edinburgh. From what I remember about my studies in school, Robert Burns' poetry was blunt. And his poetry is creatively translated to romance his hometown love interest in one scene, while delivering sharp, witty, biting burns to put a room full of pompous, aristocratic Edinburgh natives in their place in another scene. For a film with romance in its title, there is none. Robert leaves his hometown love interest Jeanie to visit Edinburgh for a publishing opportunity. While in Edinburgh, he falls for a high-society hottie. It all falls apart because of his verbal and physical clash with her fancy family and friends. Robert is rejected, returns home dejected, suddenly gets energetic enough to break up Jeanie's wedding to some random dude we barely got to know. In a flash, Jeanie and Robert are set to wed. I'm serious. That's how it ends. Rushed, clumsy and anticlimactic. Why did Robert deserve pretty Jeanie? He left her for greener pastures, loved up a socialite babe and only returned and settled for Jeanie after he was thrown out of Edinburgh like a dog. I hope that's not how Robert and Jeanie's real-life love story played out!

Next time you hear the New Years Song . . .

[oscaralbert · 8/10 · 4 February 2017]

. . . "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 farmer\poet, 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).