06-12-2010, 01:14 AM | #1 |
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Shakespeare on film
I've recently re-taken up Shakespeare (voluntarily, as opposed to forced in school) and am awed ... what a way with words that man has! I've been really enjoying Hamlet - reading and highlighting my way through it, and watching the David Tennant/Patrick Steward RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company) version of it - excellent!
I'm trying to get the kids a little into it this summer, and so am looking for the best film adaptations of his works - any suggestions?
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. I should be doing the laundry, but this is MUCH more fun! Ñá ë?* óú éä ïöü Öñ É Þ ð ß ® ç Ã¥ â„¢ æ ♪ ?* "How lovely are Thy dwelling places, O Lord of hosts! ... For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand outside." (from Psalm 84) * * * God rocks! Entmoot : Veni, vidi, velcro - I came, I saw, I got hooked! Ego numquam pronunciare mendacium, sed ego sum homo indomitus! Run the earth and watch the sky ... Auta i lómë! Aurë entuluva! |
06-12-2010, 05:57 AM | #2 |
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I don't know about best adaptations, because I haven't seen many - but I've very much enjoyed Kenneth Branagh's versions of Henry V and Much Ado about Nothing (and bought the DVDs). He's also done Hamlet, in an uncut version running almost 4 hours. I saw it at the cinema - with an interval! I think the length rather than the quality is the reason why I haven't bought the DVD.
Another that I enjoyed, is Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet. Especially for the beauty of the filming, and the excellent swordplay. There was one scene especially, with the two opponents fighting each other running up and down the streets. I went back to the text to look for descriptions of the scene, and there was one stage direction: "They fight. Tybalt falls." I've seen a BBC version later with better acting, probably because Zeffirelli chose then unexperienced actors for the main parts (Olivia Hussey plays Juliet). But still very much worth seeing.
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06-12-2010, 06:31 AM | #3 |
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I'm very disappointed with myself of having missed the latest production with Tennant and Steward. The trailer looked so awesome.
Kenneth's Branagh's version of Hamlet is also pretty good. I adored the music so much that for years I've been scouring the CD shops for the soundtrack, never did find it until last year. (Hello, Ebay!) I can echo Varna's recommendation of Henry V but I haven't seen Much To Do About Nothing. EDIT: I wonder, was it the Doctor Who episode "The Shakespeare Code" that started this?
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06-12-2010, 09:03 AM | #4 |
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I was like that for the soundtrack of Henry V, but I was able to pick it up (on a trip to London) only a few weeks after having seen the movie. For some reason the song Non Nobis hit me emotionally to an unusual degree. I went to see the movie a second time, partly in order to learn the tune. I went out of the theatre, humming it, never stopping humming it until I could sit down by a piano and play the tune and write it down
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06-12-2010, 10:12 AM | #5 |
Dread Mothy Lord and Halfwitted Apprentice Loremaster
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I very much enjoyed the old Derek Jacobi version; for my money, he's a fabulous actor. If you're looking for something to get kid's interested, though, the Zeffirelli/Gibson/Close would probably be more approachable.
I've downloaded the Tennant version, and am very much looking forward to watching it! What I would also be very interested in, is a top notch filmed Lear. My favourite of his plays. Earn: I hope not; I thought that was a major low point of the series!
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06-12-2010, 06:16 PM | #6 | |
Half-Elven Princess of Rabbit Trails and Harp-Wielding Administrator (beware the Rubber Chicken of Doom!)
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Quote:
I'm not wild about Patrick Stewart in general (I thought him a bit pompous in Star Trek - "Make it so" or whatever he said) but I gotta say, the man can do Shakespeare! It just rolls off his tongue so smoothly and naturally. And Tennant's Hamlet is wonderful!
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. I should be doing the laundry, but this is MUCH more fun! Ñá ë?* óú éä ïöü Öñ É Þ ð ß ® ç Ã¥ â„¢ æ ♪ ?* "How lovely are Thy dwelling places, O Lord of hosts! ... For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand outside." (from Psalm 84) * * * God rocks! Entmoot : Veni, vidi, velcro - I came, I saw, I got hooked! Ego numquam pronunciare mendacium, sed ego sum homo indomitus! Run the earth and watch the sky ... Auta i lómë! Aurë entuluva! |
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06-12-2010, 06:54 PM | #7 | ||
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Quote:
Quote:
That's mostly what I like about him. He has a lot of stage presence.
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06-12-2010, 09:46 PM | #8 | |
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On another Shakespeare note, just gotta say it: Romeo + Juliet was SO much better than I expected.
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06-12-2010, 11:17 PM | #9 | |
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The idea of updating the setting seems most shocking to them. "Are you allowed to do that?!?"
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06-14-2010, 07:16 AM | #10 |
The Chocoholic Sea Elf Administrator
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Oooh, I should check that out. *makes notes* Cheesy and low-budget staging can be very fun.
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06-14-2010, 09:28 PM | #11 |
Advocatus Diaboli
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Great suggestions!
I loved the 1967 version of Taming of the Shrew with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton... http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061407/ I also enjoyed this Othello (with Branagh as well)... http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114057/
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06-14-2010, 09:36 PM | #12 | ||
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Of course, as far as updating Romeo and Juliet goes, nothing beats West Side Story. Quote:
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06-15-2010, 01:18 AM | #13 | |
Half-Elven Princess of Rabbit Trails and Harp-Wielding Administrator (beware the Rubber Chicken of Doom!)
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Quote:
I saw a wild but marvelous re-staging of the Magic Flute once on tv - it actually held the kids' attention! Thanks for all of the suggestions, people - keep 'em coming!
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. I should be doing the laundry, but this is MUCH more fun! Ñá ë?* óú éä ïöü Öñ É Þ ð ß ® ç Ã¥ â„¢ æ ♪ ?* "How lovely are Thy dwelling places, O Lord of hosts! ... For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand outside." (from Psalm 84) * * * God rocks! Entmoot : Veni, vidi, velcro - I came, I saw, I got hooked! Ego numquam pronunciare mendacium, sed ego sum homo indomitus! Run the earth and watch the sky ... Auta i lómë! Aurë entuluva! |
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06-15-2010, 01:20 AM | #14 | |
Half-Elven Princess of Rabbit Trails and Harp-Wielding Administrator (beware the Rubber Chicken of Doom!)
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Quote:
__________________
. I should be doing the laundry, but this is MUCH more fun! Ñá ë?* óú éä ïöü Öñ É Þ ð ß ® ç Ã¥ â„¢ æ ♪ ?* "How lovely are Thy dwelling places, O Lord of hosts! ... For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand outside." (from Psalm 84) * * * God rocks! Entmoot : Veni, vidi, velcro - I came, I saw, I got hooked! Ego numquam pronunciare mendacium, sed ego sum homo indomitus! Run the earth and watch the sky ... Auta i lómë! Aurë entuluva! |
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06-15-2010, 01:30 AM | #15 |
Dread Mothy Lord and Halfwitted Apprentice Loremaster
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Just saw the Tennant/Stewart Hamlet; top notch. Of course, they were both grand, as was Penny Downie, as Gertrude. I was also very impressed with the fellow who played Polonius; his half-senile portrayal was excellent.
EDIT: No one has said it yet, so I ought to: Merchant of Venice with Jeremy Irons and (especially!) Al Pacino was excellent, as well.
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Crux fidelis, inter omnes arbor una nobilis. Nulla talem silva profert, fronde, flore, germine. Dulce lignum, dulce clavo, dulce pondus sustinens. 'With a melon?' - Eric Idle Last edited by Gwaimir Windgem : 06-15-2010 at 01:48 AM. |
06-15-2010, 02:49 AM | #16 | |
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Liz actually did a good job as Kate, much better as before than after, of course- meek and mild doesn't really suit her.
Richard Burton note: He played Angelo in a performance of "Measure for Measure" while he was at at Oxford, with one of the guests of honour being C.S. Lewis. Read that in Wilson's biography of Lewis, and while trying to track it down, came across this tidbit- possibly already known to frequenters of the Harry Potter Forum- Richard Hardy, who plays the Minister of Magic, was a good friend of Burton and also a student of both Tolkien and Lewis. Quote:
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Glendower: I can call spirits from the vasty deep. Hotspur: Why, so can I, or so can any man; But will they come when you do call for them? "I like pigs. Dogs look up to us, cats look down on us, but pigs treat us as equals."- Winston Churchill Last edited by GrayMouser : 06-15-2010 at 02:57 AM. |
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06-15-2010, 10:06 PM | #17 |
Advocatus Diaboli
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It's an adaptation, but one very well done. With Shakespeare, it's all about the enthusiasm, and they got it in this one.
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07-11-2010, 11:47 PM | #18 |
Dread Mothy Lord and Halfwitted Apprentice Loremaster
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Since I mentioned Derek Jacobi's Hamlet before, here's a taste of the glory. It can be a bit overwrought in places, but he still brings out more of the nuance in the role than I've seen anyone do.
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Crux fidelis, inter omnes arbor una nobilis. Nulla talem silva profert, fronde, flore, germine. Dulce lignum, dulce clavo, dulce pondus sustinens. 'With a melon?' - Eric Idle |
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