The Merchant of Venice

"I am a'weary of this world."

When a merchant's ships are all lost and he forfeits a debt, his debtor Shylock demands exactly what the bond stipulates – a pound of his flesh...

Hamlet (Zeffirelli)

"Angels and ministers of grace defend us!"

You've seen The Lion King, right? It's like that. But with people.

Ran

Did I leave the stove on?

"In a mad world only the mad are sane."

Akira Kurosawa was first inspired to make Ran after reading about the Sengoku-era warlord Mōri Motonari, who was famous for having three loyal sons. Kurosawa wondering what would've happened if Motonari's sons had been bad. This eventually lead him west, to that other famous story about a ruler with three children, King Lear. After ten years in development, the success of Kagemusha in 1980 enabled Kurosawa to secure the funding needed to finally produce the film.

West Side Story

“You kids make this world lousy! When will you stop?”

West Side Story is Romeo and Juliet after too many shots of espresso -- frenetic, jumpy, with an inevitable crash at the end. I'm assuming you know how the story ends. If not, this review contains spoilers.

Throne of Blood

Okay, I'll call it the Scottish Play next time. 

"Ambition is false fame and will fall, death will reign, man falls in vain."

The creative partnership of director Akira Kurosawa and actor Toshiro Mifune is one of the greatest of 20th century cinema. Together they made a total 16 films, including such classics as Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Yjimbo, and Throne of Blood.

Doux News: August 24, 2014

This Week: The Big Damn Heroes of Catan – Play It Again, Dick – Derrick Storm – Fever – The War of the Roses – Muffy the Vampire Slayer – This Week in Casts – This Week in Whedon – The Fault was All His Own… – Community Season Six – Coming Soon to a Screen Near You – This Week in Cats

Romeo + Juliet

“Here’s much to do with hate, but more with love.”

I am rarely a fan of setting a Shakespeare play in modern times. Often, the language sounds so discordant against blue jeans and cars that I find myself longing for men in tights and swords. Occasionally, however, a director is able to find a way to make the thees and thous work with jeans and cars. Baz Luhrmann did just that.

Julius Caesar (1953)

"Friends! Romans! Countrymen! Lend me your ears!"

There aren't all that many big-screen adaptations of Shakespeare's Classically-themed plays, partly because they can be a bit hard to follow if you're not familiar with the historical context. That's a shame, though, because there's some great stuff in these plays, based on various ancient sources but especially on the Lives of Plutarch - in this case, those of Julius Caesar and Brutus (Mark Antony as portrayed in this play is rather more cunning and upstanding that he appears in Antony and Cleopatra, which, thanks to Octavian/Augustus' effective propaganda and Plutarch's Life of Antony, depicts him in the more familiar way, as a womanising alcoholic).

Get Over It

So my contribution to our run of movie reviews based on Shakespeare is this goofy take off of A Midsummer's Night Dream. How closely does it hew to the brilliant comedy? Not at all.

Romeo and Juliet

“For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo.”

The best stories are those in which two people fall in love and live happily ever after. Unless, they don’t. Then, the story is even better.

Henry V

Don't feel sad about getting knocked out of the
World Cup, lads. I put all our money on Germany.

"Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more; or close the wall up with our English dead!"

Kenneth Branagh's Henry V is not only my favourite adaptation of my favourite Shakespeare, it was the film that finally got me into Shakespeare in the first place. I had no interest in Shakespeare at school. No one did. Not even the teachers. They had as much enthusiasm for the subject as the pupils. It wasn't until I was finally free of the British education system that I rediscovered Shakespeare on my own and found I rather liked it. And I owe it all to this film.

As You Like It

“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.”

Shakespeare’s As You Like It is a story of inheritance and disguise, court and country, intellect and emotion. Kenneth Branagh’s 2006 version relocates the play to late-nineteenth-century Japan with (mostly) excellent results.

Much Ado About Nothing (Branagh)

"There exists a kind of merry war betwixt Signor Benedick and her; they never meet but there's a skirmish of wit between them."

Much Ado About Nothing must be one of Shakespeare's best romantic comedies, if not the best. That's down to its two leads, Beatrice and Benedick. Shakespeare wrote plenty of snarky characters and plenty of fiery female characters but this must surely be his most effective blend of two people who profess to hate each other and use wit to cover up their feelings. They feel as if they could have leapt out of almost any romantic comedy of the past 100 years.

Some Like It Hot

[This review includes spoilers.]

"I tell you, it's a whole different sex."

Hamlet

“The play's the thing. Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king.”

Of all the various tragedies, comedies and histories he produced in his lifetime, Hamlet remains one of my absolute favourite William Shakespeare plays. It contains one of his best narratives, some of his most fascinating characters and without doubt his finest dialogue, much of which has now become embedded in the national lexicon. Like many I was unable to acquire tickets to see the RSC production starring David Tennant when it first debuted in Stratford-Upon-Avon. Fortunately the RSC, realising the mass appeal of Tennant, teamed-up with the BBC to adapt the play for television.

Shakespeare in Love

“Comedy, love, and a bit with a dog. That’s what they want.”


This is one of my favorite movies of all time, and probably my favorite movie that’s been made since I’ve been alive. It’s as close to perfect as I can imagine. I love everything about it. I think it’s rarest quality is that it’s equally enjoyable whether you’re a Shakespeare expert or if you don’t know “King Lear” from the broad side of a barn.

10 Things I Hate About You

"Don't let anyone ever make you feel like you don't deserve what you want."

I hate that English teachers don't use this movie as a catalyst to fire people up about Shakespeare.

The Lion King

"Simba, you have forgotten me."

When writer Irene Mecchi joined the production of The Lion King (originally titled King of the Jungle until someone realised that lions don't live in the jungle), she was told that the story pitch was "Bambi in Africa meets Hamlet". She later termed it "Bamlet".

The Hollow Crown

“Let us sit upon the ground and tell sad stories of the death of kings.”

Occasionally, television reminds us that it can be a brilliant medium. It is easy to become cynical, believing that only a show that pretends to be reality or a comedy in which good actors spout terrible dialogue can be aired. Then, just as we despair, along comes something truly genius. The Hollow Crown is truly genius.

Much Ado About Nothing

“Hey nonny nonny.”

I was prepared to love this movie. I was not prepared to love it this much. Perhaps there can be no praise for this film higher than this: I threw my back out laughing. *I swore I wouldn’t, but I have, in fact, kept this review spoiler free. The comments do not need to be as careful. However, in deference to our ongoing Buffy rewatch, I would like to keep this thread Angel spoiler free.*