You know there have been hundreds, if not thousands of movies based on the play, and we all know that we've seen them, admit it. Now it's time to pick your favs.
Personally, I'm going with Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet and Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet, he's the only one who had the guts to do the entire play as is, not dialogue added or taken out.
I didn't like Branagh's Hamlet....
I'm a stickler for historical accuracy in films and that movie was the worst hodgepodge of historical periods I've ever seen. Right down to the pump action muskets.
but you have to admit that the acting was so much better than say, Mel Gibson
Di Caprio as Romeo was the worst choice any director could make...Hope i'm not offending anyone...
Despite the fact that it had very little in common with the real play, i really liked Michael Almereyda's adaptation of Hamlet...
As I mentioned in another thread, I'm quite fond of the modern version of "Titus" starring Anthony Hopkins.
Yeah, I'm giving the 'wink' and the 'gun' like Ponch from Chips, big whoop wanna fight about it?
Don't miss Franco Zefirelli's "Taming Of The Shrew" (great fun) and "Romeo and Juliet". Roman Polanski's "Macbeth" not bad though lead actor a dud- Branagh's "Much Ado About Nothing" also great fun- "Twelfth Night" with Helena Bonham Carter very good (though again leading actress (Viola) a dud (everyone's a critic)- and absolutely DO NOT MISS Laurence Olivier's "King Lear"- So good you'll watch it thrice!
The best are definitely Branaugh's Henry V (why didn't Branaugh just make all of Shakespeare's plays) Branaugh's Much Ado about Nothing and King Lear with Laurence Olivier
"Good bye, master, my dear! Forgive your Sam. He'll come back to this spot when the job's done - if he manages it." ...He fancied there was a glimmer on the ground as he peered out at that high stony place where all his life had fallen into ruin. -TTT
King Lear has the two best Shakespeare's cinematic adaptations I have seen. Tell me what you think.
First, there is Peter Brook's King Lear, of 1971, which uses faithfully almost the entire text of the play.
And then Akira Kurosawa's Kaguemusha, which is adapted to medieval Japan (King Lear having sons instead of daughters).
:o
Heh, I like Hopkins as well.Originally Posted by Eric, son of Chuck
Not to be juvenile, but "The Lion King" comes second only to KB's Hamlet. Of course leave it to Disney to ruin a perfect ending. But we do need our blue skies.
"We wake, if ever we wake at all, to mystery." Annie Dillard
Branaugh's Henry V is one of my favorite movies of all time. Everything about it was gripping, the acting was superb, and the scenes were awesome(i loved when they were gathering the dead after the battle; the music and cinematography...happy sigh), I had read Henry the V earlier and found it somewhat unremarkable, then i saw the movie and happiness. I'm a loser i know.
all that is left are the photographs and an empty feeling brought on by a certain Canon in D.
I loved Branaugh's Henry V and really WANTED to like his Hamlet but didn't. His Much Ado was really good (even could stand Keanu!). Loved (and love) Zeffirelli's R&J - first saw it was back in Ms. Stout's 7th grade english class!
Orson Wells' Othello is AWESOME, prob my fav - made over 10 years in any location he could find around the world betwwen other movies. Great scene in the "baths" - visually very striking - everyone wears towels because they lost/couldn't get the costumes! Check it out...
I think Kirasawa's Ran was his adaptation of Lear (not Kagemusha) - and it was awesome too.
The best way to be boring is to leave nothing out.
Voltaire (1694-1778)
I would like to see Orson Welles "Othello", and also his "Macbeth", thanks for the recommendation.
For Macbeth's adaptations see Kurosawa's 'Throne of Blood', which is like Ran, adapted to medieval Japan. The three witches from the play are turned into one spirit of the forest, that sings a monotonous Zen chant: one of the scariest scenes I have seen, set in foggy woods.
The final scene has Macbeth alone against the invading army, reached by a rain of arrows, it is unforgettable.
Even though this movie has not the language of Shakespeare, it captures the violent spirit of the situations and the vehemence of the characters; better that many 'faithful' and boring adaptations, like Branagh's Hamlet, or Mel Gibson's.
Speaking of Hamlet, did you like Ethan Hawke's, I thought it was great...
also remember the up to date simplified versions of his works like "O"(Othello obviously) and "10 Things I Hate About You"(Taming of the shrew) definitely geared towards smaller minds but pretty efficient
"God is a concept by which we measure our pain." - John Lennon
But they're still lame and pointless.
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