October Literary Moods

 

October Literary Moods 

by Kristin Battestella

These memoirs, biographies, and literary adaptations range from delightfully macabre and witty mysteries to gossipy yarns. Here's what to read or skip this autumn.

Must Read

Yours Cruelly, Elvira by Cassandra Peterson – The Queen of Halloween's 2021 tell all book made headlines for Peterson's coming out upon its release. However, that's only one late chapter revelation in a fascinating life of highs and lows. Scarring childhood injuries and an abusive relationship with her mother led to escapism in the family's costume shop before cruising the early groupie music scene. Despite a few early film appearances, traveling to Italy to sing in a band leaves Peterson ill and destitute until returning to California has her starring in The Groundlings and living in a tree house with a Tarzan-like boyfriend. Her subsequent marriage, haunted house, and struggles with infertility are told alongside the creation of Elvira – with shrewd business deals, appearances, endorsements, and merchandise retaining Peterson's control of the character. Satanic panic backlashes, conservative fears over her cleavage, and canceled television pilots often meant struggling financially. Thanks to her provocative image, outspoken attitude, and unwillingness to compromise character or convictions, Peterson bankrolled her own films – continuing to appear as Elvira during difficult pregnancies and her divorce. There is an entire chapter dedicated to several sexual assaults of varying degrees in an extremely telling commentary on how our society treats a confident woman. In some ways, Peterson's current lesbian relationship – kept hidden for decades for fear of alienating audiences who only cared about her buxom image – is the least interesting aspect about her life. A supportive friendship blossomed into romance, written as a lovely, natural occurrence topping off an entertaining read. This both reads like the way Peterson talks but is also a chronologically laid out and well written, emotional journey of a woman finally at ease in her own skin. Although I had to avoid leaving this book lying around for my curious niece to find thanks to the topless showgirl photos!

A Fun Adaptation

The Mirror Crack'd – Murder She Wrote meets Miss Marple as Angela Lansbury leads this star studded 1980 Agatha Christie adaptation from director Guy Hamilton (Goldfinger). Classy silver screen panache, cigarettes, and scandalous revelations provide a fun awareness to the genre as viewers debate the whodunit clues, motives, and left hand versus right hand weaponry. A new Hollywood production is coming to the quaint English countryside, mixing village airs and graces with swanky jazz, vintage autos, nostalgic reels, and retro cameras. The hats and pearls are a flutter over the dalliances, backhanded insults, and catty attitudes as our jealous actresses trade plastic surgery barbs at the film party. This may be a little slow in setting the scene with who is who, but the film within a film rivalries and temperamental tension lead to murder. Flashbulb pops help the maids revisit the scene of the crime and a suspect daiquiri as Marple weasels the details from the town doctor. Poison, heart attacks, and Tennyson references move quickly once we're on set with Elizabeth I versus Mary Queen of Scots calling each other bitches. Seductive actress Kim Novak (Bell, Book, and Candle) is married to producer Tony Curtis (Some Like It Hot) and will get her way, but director Rock Hudson's (Giant) comeback wife Elizabeth Taylor (Night Watch) expects to win all the awards. Both leading ladies want to change history to benefit their onscreen queen, but which was the intended victim and who had the fatal opportunity? Threatening letters and harassing phone calls escalate the behind the scenes facades and period piece costume checks while our divas – “10 years ago, when I was 16...” – layer the Hollywood commentary, backstory, and trivial British deduction. Everybody in Hollywood is “intimate” but arsenic in the tea, switched medicines, and acid begat more deaths. The show must go on despite the Gene Tierney inspirations, and although the zany movie making and droll meddling are somewhat uneven in the end, the performances with performances remain entertaining. I want the clothes and one can totally see how Murder She Wrote was born here.

Better Bios Available

Montgomery Clift: A Biography by Michelangelo Capua – The format of this 2002 ode to the October 17 birthday boy is odd, with a gossipy, anecdotal tone rather than a factual recounting. Although there's nothing necessarily unusual about the footnotes being indexed in the back of the book rather than at the bottom of the page, the lack of immediate citations makes this reading hear tell frustrating. For all the book's complaints about Clift's overbearing, desperate to be well to do mother Sunny, this also reads very much like that kind of tut tutting old lady. Who said what and when quotes are treated as scandalous nuggets whispered over tea, with truth or origin unimportant compared to the trite, down low gay torment tack. Some early theater material and photographs may be new, but the author's voice is increasingly loose, as if he knew Clift's inner thoughts when most of the information is borrowed from other sources with unclear references. Whether Clift was throupled with his married friends is passed off as confirmed – continually falling back on Clift's tawdry sexuality and ill health while describing his trips to exotic islands with Hispanic men claimed to be his favorite. When not worried about which rich woman hopelessly in love with him was influencing him on set, this repeatedly recalls Clift's drunken antics, embarrassing dinner party routines, or his running through the streets naked. This is a short read with the appendices padding the page number so it maybe an easier introduction to Clift for classic movie newcomers. However, compared to older, longer biographies, this is completely superficial with an eye-rolling Hollywood Babylon pitch. New information about the behind the scenes of Clift's films is far too few and far between the garish here.

Now Reading: I Shouldn't Even Be Doing This by Bob Newhart

For more movies meets literary analysis, listen to several Women InSession Book to Film episodes including:

Othello

Hamlet

Female Writers Onscreen

Frankenstein

A Christmas Carol

Classy Dames Do Fear 😱

 

Classy Dames Do Fear

By Kristin Battestella

These elegant ladies face mid-century murder, psychedelic mayhem, and medieval mysteries in this quartet of retro frights.

Cult of the Damned – Rich houses, antiques, elite splendor, and denial about one's father in the shower with another man and mother Jennifer Jones (Ruby Gentry) doing stag films open this 1969 AIP release also called Angel Angel Down We Go. The delusions escalate as daughter Holly Near (The Magical Garden of Stanley Sweetheart) feels fat and ugly compared to her not so perfect parents. Slit wrists intercut with guillotines, ironic music, and pop graffiti reflect our Angel's warped state of mind. Stage-like settings and twofer scenes reiterate the dysfunctional relationships mixing both oedipal and Electra favoritism, jealously, and violence. The top billed, soft focused Jones always has bare shoulders or sheer, glamorous frocks, pill popping yet graceful compared to her chaotic daughter, and her coming out party is really for them to show off how they have given her everything – save for the love and kindness she desires. They wonder who would want her save for her inheritance, but heady singers and tight leather pants lead to leopard print seduction, pillows, furs, and a goofy sex scene with Roddy McDowell (Planet of the Apes), singer Lou Rawls, and a pregnant girl dressed as pilgrim. Implied abuses, Angel's being taken advantage of brainwashing, kidnappings, and escalating gang violence are played humorously, and the parody of the times coming within those times gets lost in some of the put on groovy dialogue. Social commentaries on American Imperialism and palatial lifestyles collide with bloody pop art and fatal skydiving as the band moves in on our nasty parents. After all, making enough money through any means to buy class and erase who you were is an American rite of passage. Though certainly watchable thanks to the bizarre nonsensical; the random, joking style is not as shocking as it thinks it is. Colorful dancing and cool tunes with mean lyrics jar between solemn camera confessionals. The haze becomes boring and overlong thanks to the short lived highs and meaninglessness of it all. Such disturbia would have been better had the torment been played straight, but I don't really get a lot of the acid trip here – unless Angel died at the start and this was all just a final fever dream.

The Fourth Victim – Quaint English manors and swanky interiors lead to poolside perils, shady housekeepers, and handy death certificates in this international 1971 mystery. The body discovered is freshly clothed before phoning the authorities, and Scotland Yard is curious about pricey insurance policies, autopsies, and previously deceased wives with faulty brakes and suspect falls. Our nonchalant husband is unbothered by court inquiries thanks to the loyal housekeeper feigning tawdry melodramatics on the witness stand, and even the inspector admires him for getting rich off getting rid of three wives and now he can't be tried again. Carroll Baker (The Big Country), however, has been swimming in his pool. She claims to not read the papers nor care about his infamy, portraits of the deceased, or mementos in the attic. Her white bathing suit and neighborly carefree disrupts his strange, unfeeling calm, but her gothic home next door is dilapidated, spooky, and imposing to match the twists, eerie lookalikes, and ambiguous mysteries. More time is spent on the trial then their whirlwind wedding, but the bliss wears off fast thanks to his heavy handed accusations and her snooping. Now she wonders what he really did do to his last wife, yet their waxing on death and the courage to kill amid casual shopping trips and falling in love confessions show that our couple is actually a lot alike. Despite the emotional entanglements, fatal history, and institution connections; the characterizations are uneven with important players and pesky humor dropped. The overlong, stilted, askew male focus is dominated by unnecessary coming and going scenes with dated, over the top musical interludes. Thankfully, car chases and atmospheric flashbacks begat the unexpected in the final act as the maybe maybe not escalates with taut character interplay.

Sudden Fear – Frenetic notes contrast the sweeping melodic crescendos and Broadway billboards as successful playwright Joan Crawford (Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?) marries struggling young actor Jack Palance (Dan Curtis' Dracula) in the 1952 noir thriller. Of course we know Palance is up to no good, and our all business Myra exercises the casting approval for her play. She doesn't think he has the power to make the women in the audience squirm, but they meet again on the train to San Francisco – playing poker, wining, dining, and lighting each other's cigarettes. Cross coverage angles, up close shots, and sitting side by side visuals parallel the coming together traveling as holding hands leads to dancing, romantic strolls through the Redwoods, and Golden Gate vistas. Bling, furs, frocks, chandeliers, and classic cars accent the wealthy home complete with a custom dictating machine, hidden microphones, and master switches to record all her play compositions. The declarations of love on the staircase, hilltop honeymoon, and white robes create a play within a play romance while mirrors reflect the change in control. Our concerned Lester doesn't want Myra racing down the perilous steps to the dock, however marshmallow Gloria Grahame (In A Lonely Place) is not what she seems thanks to secret meetings, blackmail, and long cons. Again visuals layer the silk pajamas and key to her apartment innuendo, but head over heels Myra redoes her will with Lester as beneficiary. The dictation playback forces us to pay attention as the Oscar nominated Crawford hears the pillow talk and duplicitous plotting – a crushing performance with tragic tears and crippling shock as the stuck needle repeats the threats. Everything has gone up a notch yet the betrayal remains personal with shattering breaks, looking over her shoulder hysteria, and double locking the doors. The echoes haunt Myra into the bedroom as she postulates what car accident or smothering might befall her. Now she has to be the actress, claiming a headache or too much champagne and refusing Lester's offered sleeping pill. Lying awake with the black and white shadows and ticking clocks escalates to forged signatures, break ins, and poison. Sophisticated tension rises with every cocktail, change of plans, and slight of hand amid scandalous stockings, falls down the stairs, and in camera attention to detail. The scheduled actions happen down to the minute with gunshots and kill or be killed overlays that don't underestimate the viewer. Intense zooms focus on the tormented faces while pearl watches keep time and white gloves hide all the secrets. Silence and phone ring rings are used to maximum advantage with beads of sweat, perilous close calls, and the fright of seeing one in the mirror holding a gun. Our desperate dame is out of her element in a no win situation. Bad people are supposed to get what they deserve and Myra must remain good despite chases, spotlights, lookalike ladies, and rear view mirrors culminating in noir perfection.

An Elizabeth Taylor Bonus

Doctor Faustus – Producer Richard Burton (The Robe) co-directs this 1968 play presentation based on the medieval Marlowe's pact with Lucifer, however the stifling script, flowery soliloquies, and dry over acting hamper the excellent bones, candles, cobwebs, and sixteenth century mood. Learned science is so close to superstition and alchemy, and our dissatisfied scholar resorts to Latin rituals, ominous tomes, maggots, and necromancy. Red cloaks, orange firelight, purple sorcery, blue catacombs, green stones, and black wings invoke the hellish historical meets silent Expressionism. Zooms, in and out of focus mirages, and tense camerawork highlight moving statues and magical skulls speaking back to Faustus as he boasts of his bargains with the devil, undeterred in signing in blood thanks to his youthful transformation. Unfortunately, Burton does his best Orson Welles self-indulgence here, paralleling the tale by biting off more than he can chew when not imaging the supple Elizabeth Taylor (Cleopatra) as Helen of Troy for his perfect, silent woman. The thee thou bloated text and Burton talking to himself voiceovers are unnecessarily scholarly compared to the cinematic, medieval visuals – making the piece seem much longer and more complicated than it is. There is no sounding board character and the language should have been trimmed, for it's not the Oxford University's Acting Company's provocative questions but Burton's over the top windblown me me me that's tepid and detached. Actor turned professor Andreas Teuber as Mephistopheles is far more haunting as the tormented fallen pained at losing eternal bliss, for hell is limitless with no boundaries to its sins. Slow motion, back flipping nymphs and imagined battlefield glory are a little long, however it's fitting that Faustus doesn't realize he is a mere, foolish, mortal man. The hedonistic kaleidoscope parade of lechery provides surreal haze without being trashy, and Burton's best poetry and passion come in the embraces with Taylor. He debates the emperor over his conjuring, mocks the court, and scoffs at the pope as humor and sing songs turn into freaky hoods, screams, and damnation. Who is Faustus to argue with evil? No matter how many times he stops to ogle Taylor's dripping allure, Faustus ends up looking upon himself in the grave, ultimately getting the celestial comeuppance he deserves. The redemption versus selling one's soul parables make for fine horror, deception, and choices – not to mention Elizabeth Taylor in sensual gold lipstick and glowing silver body paint.

New Happenings at InSession Film!

 

If you've been reading our classic film reviews and actor countdowns moonlighting at InSession Film, you may have heard about the new Women InSession film podcast including Yours Truly alongside my fellow female film critics at InSession! 🙋‍♀️

You can listen to the First Three Episodes of Women InSession wherever you hear your favorite podcasts. This opening trilogy is a bit of a Classic Film dive:

Women InSession Episode 1: Our Top 3 Classics with @Zita Short

Women InSession Episode 2: George Stevens and A Place in the Sun with @ZitaShort and @Amy Thomasson

Women InSession Episode 3: Westerns from a Feminine Perspective with @ZitaShort

We have a fun, new announcement! Beginning this week we have a new podcast to add to the InSession Film family, led by @thereforereview @Zita_Short @filmswithamy @athomasson11 @ShadanLarki and @eRockReviews! pic.twitter.com/w8JzcdDObG

— InSession Film (@InSessionFilm) July 20, 2022

Look for our next Women InSession podcast episodes chatting about everything from Titanic and Kate Winslet to Alfred Hitchcock! Don't forget to read some of our Classic Film essays, too:

An Ingrid Bergman Potluck

A Fun Jane Seymour Trio

Larger than Life Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton Pictures

Stay up to date on the latest from us at InSession Film on Twitter! 🎬

Our Shakespeare Reviews!

Our Shakespeare Reviews!

By Kristin Battestella

Looking for the place to find all our Shakespeare critiques and adaptation analysis? So were we so here it is!

Films and Television

All is True

Antony and Cleopatra (1972 – Charlton Heston)

Coriolanus (2011 – Ralph Fiennes)

Coriolanus (2014 – Tom Hiddleston)

Chimes at Midnight (1965 – Orson Welles)

Henry V (1989 – Kenneth Branagh)

The Hollow Crown (2012)

Julius Caesar (1970 – Charlton Heston)

King Lear (2008 – Ian McKellan)

Macbeth (1961 – Sean Connery)

Macbeth (2010 – Patrick Stewart)

Macbeth (2015 – Michael Fassbender)

Othello (1952 – Orson Welles)

Othello (1995 - Laurence Fishburne)

Richard III (1955 – Laurence Olivier)

Richard III (1995 – Ian McKellan)

Romeo and Juliet (1936)

Romeo and Juliet (1968 – Olivia Hussey)

The Taming of the Shrew (1967 – Elizabeth Taylor)

The Tempest (2010 – Helen Mirren)

Titus (1999 – Anthony Hopkins)

Documentaries

The Shakespeare Conspiracy by Sir Derek Jacobi

The Shakespeare Enigma

Shakespeare's Heroes and Villains

Shakespeare's Tomb

Shakespeare Uncovered Season One

Shakespeare Uncovered Season Two

Our Shakespeare and Horror Video Review for HorrorAddicts.net!

Please see our Shakespeare tag for more lists and analysis!

Night Watch (1973)

Elizabeth Taylor does Horror in Night Watch

by Kristin Battestella

Upscale housewife with history Elizabeth Taylor thinks she witnesses a murder in the creepy abandoned house next door in the 1973 British thriller Night Watch. Unfortunately, her broker husband John Wheeler (Laurence Harvey) nor her carefree best friend Sarah (Billie Whitelaw) believe her. The police are tired of the the increasing phone calls and neighborhood hysteria, but the terror escalates thanks to stormy nights, pills, alcohol, and slit throats.

Director Brian G. Hutton (Where Eagles Dare) and writers Evan Jones (The Damned) and Tony Williamson (The Avengers) adapt the Lucille Fletcher (Sorry, Wrong Number) play with flowers, quaint English gardens, and smiling rapport. The swanky drinks before dinner and lingering sixties style, however, contrast the looming gothic manor next door. The grounds are said to be poison where nothing will grow, but someone is digging in the backyard on stormy nights and vivid dreams of speeding cars, accidents, and morgue terror distract from the snobbish talk of avoiding lesser neighbors. Late night waxing on the fatal past invokes a wee small hours limbo – traumatic memories and two characters who've lost touch make for fine drama before raging storms and screams reveal something horrible across the way. Dead men and cut throats disturb the classical music, but inspectors find nothing in the congested, maze-like condemned as Night Watch relies on performances and mood rather than sensationalism for its taut, through the shutters peering. Pills or brandy are suggested to keep calm, but flashlights, clutter, and foreground objects layer the visual frame. Viewers are looking for something – questioning what we see or didn't see. Could it all be an honest mistake? The police think it's nothing but “money and menopause” on top of brief nudity, shower saucy, and hotel room trysts. Newly planted trees aren't enough evidence, but nuggets of information trickle out from the ensemble. Suspicious neighbors find it exciting that there's hear tell of a dead body nearby yet refuse to have their bushes dug up as part of the official search. Red herrings add to the creepy commentary about disliking neighbors who were there before you just as much as the friends you choose living even closer. Who's watching whom and from which house questions layer the voyeurism alongside debates on hallucinations, eidetic images, and convincing oneself that what you see is real. Old mementos thought lost suddenly reappear, leading to arguments about gaslighting and being deliberately terrorized as more police calls, chases, and curiosity create a 'burbs mind your own business across the hedge. Despite lights next door, the case is closed – inspectors and doctors both strongly suggest everything go back to normal amid awkward dinners, screams, and more off screen witnessing. Revelations about what had really happened in previous accidents and shock over identifying bodies found in flagrante delicto provoke more tension in the increasingly crowded quarter. Eventually the police laugh and roll their eyes, proposing our housewife contact the building owners herself or hire a private detective. All the paperwork is ready for a trip to “rest” in Switzerland, too – accounts, legalese, and power of attorney but that's all just routine. Confrontations, secrets, and lies will out thanks to hide and seek twists inside the derelict. Night Watch gets its horror on in a spooky multi layered finale of blood, violence, crazed attacks, and frenetic turnabouts. Who exactly was really planning what and when? Seemingly early and obvious giveaways make room for more surprises, and Night Watch ensures the shocking schemes are ultimately completed with skill and gravitas.

Flowing gowns, glam necklaces, rock rings, and coiffed hair assure Elizabeth Taylor (Cleopatra) looks classy as well to do housewife Ellen Wheeler. She dresses for dinner, drinks, and does jigsaw puzzles, for she needs patience to give her something to do when she's so often alone. Her ritzy life should be nothing but grand, however, the insomniac Mrs. is up all night fascinated by storms and thinking about her father's bad poetry. She's been spoiled yet feels restrained and bored. The watch during the night is for all the things you can't make sense of during the day, says Ellen, and she's increasingly returning to memories of her late first husband Carl. Dreaming of his accident keeps her awake – she vividly recalls the fatal scenes and blood the viewer never sees but doesn't remember previously dealing with the police and feels nervous about talking to them. However, Ellen also doesn't want to be coddled or hear this witness is all in her mind, and she's angry when no one believes her, even more hysterical over the disbelief than upset by the crime she apparently saw. Without support, Ellen is increasingly frazzled, pathetic, and paranoid. Will she voluntarily go to the doctor so he can tell her the dead body is all in her mind? What happens when she thinks she sees another one? Mrs. Wheeler's wheels turn as she suspects her pills, beverages, and if someone is deliberately making her recall Carl's demise. Despite her full house with husband, friend, and maid, Ellen fears someone else is watching her. She repeatedly calls the police and eventually agrees to see the psychiatrist, and though desperate, she is not stupid. Ellen is quite intelligent and recognizes when she's being lied to or signing the wrong papers. She's damn shrewd in seeing what's what, and Night Watch's madness begins to make sense as only Dame Elizabeth could make the clicking of the retractable pen so sassy and defiant before refusing to take the last tranquilizer in the bottle. Long drags on the cigarettes and strategic pauses emphasis the deliciously dark camp, and I'm surprised Night Watch feels so obscure when Taylor's performance is so chill.

Laurence Harvey's (The Manchurian Candidate) stocks and bonds big wig John Wheeler wants to know why his wife can't sleep. He works long hours, but wonders what he's done to upset her even if she says it's not him. John takes care of Ellen, babying her with warm milk the way a daughter goes from a father to husband to protect her. However, John does not believe she's seen anything. He won't call the police over a false alarm and insists the inspector not upset his already not well wife. John won't stick up for her claims, yet he warns the police to not dismiss Ellen. Although he's worried over the dangerous mix of alcohol and sleeping pills, John's more concerned about possibly being sued by an angry neighbor. He dislikes when the police want him to control his wife and encourages her to see their doctor friend once he's tired of her bringing up her late husband. John agrees she is right when Ellen suggests they take a holiday – but she says we and he only wants her to take a vacation. He has all that “spa” paperwork ready! Swanky best friend Billie Whitelaw (The Omen) on the other hand, is the house guest who won't leave. She keeps saying she's moving on to Scotland and debates running away with her latest on and off conquest Barry but may have other tête-à-têtes, too. Sarah stays to look after Ellen, providing tranquilizers and hot chocolate while waxing on all the adventures she could be having and the excuses she can make up to get away with them. Although she tries to avoid topics that will upset Ellen – like Carl – they always creep back into the conversation. Sarah insists Ellen can't go on like this, but as the third wheel in the marital house, her companionship is automatically suspect. She lies to spare Ellen, but also apologizes for her tall tales. Doctor Tony Britton (The People That Time Forgot) must also tread lightly with Mrs. Wheeler. He doesn't want her to be committed, but needs her to voluntarily trust his help. Above all, he insists that she must get out of this house before it's too late.

Spooky black branches, dark blue skies, boarded windows, banging shutters, and overgrown vines contrast the mirrors, red leather couch, white staircase, and swanky record players next door in Night Watch. Creepy statues and artwork, blue lighting, ticking clocks, and swirling cigarette smoke add ominous to the hip turtlenecks, lux lamps, decanters, and manicured gardens. Knives in the kitchen, rain splatter on the windows, and vintage blue sirens create pulsing tension while gates, flashlights, and condemned interiors set off the congested mood. Horseshoe phones, switchboard operators, and retro trench coats should be cozy nostalgia, but the colorful outdoors disappear as the peering through the blinds and drawn shades invoke agoraphobia. Distorted dreams and intense flashes of past car accidents lead to dead bodies and hospital disturbia thanks to low camera angles and spotlights. Night Watch has subtle, choice visuals with reflections of the scary house on the fine townhouse window overlaying all action inside and out. Well done cinematography provides dark scares as well as focus on Taylor's face as zooms hone in on critical images and objects. Thunder punctuates arguments as the rhythms escalate, and through the gate chases move the action to our spooky neighbors amid barren beams, peeling plaster, creaking stairs, and exposed woodwork. Violent struggles in the dark and shocking silhouettes allow for what we don't see suspicion and final revelations. Wise viewers may pick up on the mystery here for there are too many similar stories to Night Watch before and since. Audiences looking for full on horror a la Hammer of the day will be disappointed, too. Fortunately, the psychological chills, spooky twists, and superbly unraveled cast do get their scary on in an entertaining end. Night Watch is a fun late night tease worth seeing more than once to catch all the whodunit winks.

A Shakespeare Trio, The Fifth!

A Shakespeare Trio, The Fifth!

by Kristin Battestella

Spring is upon Stratford-upon-Avon, so it's time for another trio of tragedy, shrews, and Shakespearean documentary. Huzzah!

King Lear - Ian McKellan (Richard III), Romola Garai (Angel), Sylvester McCoy (Doctor Who), and Frances Barber (Silk) anchor this 2008 two and half hour PBS television presentation based on the cast's previous stage performance also directed by Trevor Nunn. Although such small scale stage design and up close cameras may seem congested at times, other frames are well done with a deceitful daughter in the foreground looking over her shoulder at the angry father questioning which child will prove her love and earn her inheritance. Colorful gowns, regal red robes, and strategic lighting invoke a fifteenth century abstract meets anachronistic Cossack look while frenetic organ music parallels the titular senility. Our seated king is an indulged old man, fickle, and vain. He's pushing for more flattery but exiles his favorite over a blunt opinion when such honesty doesn't glorify him. Rival duchies toe their positions while everyone wants a piece of the king's power but not his affection, and several soliloquies almost break the fourth wall as viewers understand the illegitimate son looking for an angle. Between brotherly coups and dukes in disguise, our regal dad bounces from daughter to daughter – neither want him there and we understand that, too. Lear has no one to blame but himself as he descends from the gilded seat to dark brawls and jester humor, snapping and shouting amid angry gesturing and out of control tears. This ornery old man is surrounded, not with feigned love and regal safety but a rainy wilderness of fools and madmen. In such squalor, one might even suspect he is imagining his jester on the moor as his spiral spreads to the aristocracy with hangings, eyes gouged, and armies approaching. The barren outdoors stir an overcast purgatory for this near biblical reform as blind fathers meet lost sons and the women's costumes likewise darken to match their jealousy and power through their weak or lusty men. The older dog may learn the error of his ways, but there is a higher cost for such late education. Where Lear once reigned from a bright court on high, now the bleak swords and battle planning happen within the hedge hogs. Is it better to be crazy and blissfully unaware or do you realize your humility too late and pay the terrible price? This turmoil could have been prevented, and as much as we feel the family emotion, the tearful reunions and brief moments of clarity only lead to more poisons, duels, suicide, and executions. Without subtitles or name tags for all the dukedoms, the intrigue may be confusing if you don't know who is who. Time away from the eponymous circumspection lags a little and this is too long for a younger classroom. However, this play isn't meant to be Bard for the youthful audience either. One has to be in the mood for such depressing, but this is a well played take on the enduring tragedy.

The Taming of the Shrew – After the bitterness of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? for their fifth collaboration producers Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton starred in this 1967 feature comedy debut from Franco Zeffirelli. Pleasant countrysides, rainbows, sing songs, carnivals, and cobblestone set the bemusing scene while big plumes, jumbo sleeves, and velvet galore invoke a colorful sixties meets medieval jovial. Some of the crowd scenes are, well, crowded, but the wide camera captures both the stage action and all the movement within alongside creative up close angles. We know that's Liz's violet eye spying through the shutter before we even meet her! The viewer is smitten by her huffing, puffing, and wild hair amid laugh out loud rough and tumble chases, Kate sitting on a trap door to prevent Petruchio from entering, and his swinging across the loft a la Tarzan to reach her. Beautiful and talented as she is, however, Taylor doesn't quite have that effortlessly iambic Bard rhythm. She plays her dialogue seriously against gruff Dick's larger than life wink but that contrast does match the shrewish behavior. The leads may be a little old for these roles, too, but the battle of the sexes ruses and boys will be boys disguises aren't meant to be taken at face value. Subtitles are still a must, yet the trimmed dialogue is less about the younger daughter with multiple beaus and more about getting the bawdy done with her older eponymous sister. Framing elements and side characters are excised for these two hours, emphasizing this wooing with peacock feathers on full display. Despite a very misogynist subject with men making all the plans and never considering the women's input, part of the charm here is in seeing a strong woman like Kate clap back at such brash male thinking when Petruchio takes her over his knee. This lady peering through the window pane is well aware of the fronting – Kate's having none of it, he likes it that way, and our leads' off screen turbulence adds to the je ne sais quoi. Why must the woman who can take ownership of herself cower so the man can claim her? Does he test her spirit so she'll keep him on his toes? This couple balks at courtship while celebrating why love is worth it, and it's interesting to pro/con or compare and contrast the then versus now innocence, rowdy, and acrimonious here, with Woolf prior, and Zeffirelli's subsequent Romeo & Juliet. Is it better when the woman won't come when called or does so but steals his thunder? Taylor's Kate becomes a refined woman that makes her husband look good, and here I'd like to think of her final speech as the orgasm restaurant scene in When Harry Met Sally. Whether the woman is tamed or pretending, the man may never know.

Shakespeare Uncovered – Season One of this 2013 six episode PBS series opens with Ethan Hawke exploring the serial killer line between man and monster in “Macbeth.” Archival Orson Welles, Sean Connery, and Patrick Stewart clips compare the Thane's capacity for violence and a king's ambition versus an actor's drive for success amid psychiatrist input, ballet interpretations, and body language cues breaking down The Bard syntax. Scholars discuss the historical sources and Scottish locations as well as witchcraft and politics in Shakespeare's time, yet the superstition and recognizable evils almost place the ruthless circumstances and self-fulfilling prophecy in modern horror terms. Joely Richardson, Vanessa Redgrave, and Helen Mirren study the more lighthearted but multi dimensional female roles of As You Like It and Twelfth Night in “The Comedies” with Old Vic tours and insights on Bill's early, ordinary life shaping his relatable characters in an era when the parts couldn't even be played by women. 1910 silent films and Alec Guinness footage accent the liberating disguises despite the problems they cause – like falling in love with the wrong person. Gender subtext and stage cross dressing present more about what's inside thanks to paired androgyny or twins lost and found. Ganymede terms and mistaken identities further push the sexual innuendo, letting the audience in on the layered gender studies of this four hundred year old play. Westminster Abbey graves, poetic verse, and prophetic warnings for leaders who believe in their own invincibility anchor “Richard II” with Derek Jacobi and Ben Whishaw comparing their own interpretations alongside Ian McKellan and John Gielgud performances. Professors study the gilded artwork reflecting Richard's divine influence amid regime changes then and now, Thatcher history, Elizabeth I coups, and de Vere authorship possibilities. Can a king separate the man from the duty and go out on his own terms? Jeremy Irons, Tom Hiddleston, and Simon Russell Beale tackle the patriotic rousing of “Henry IV and V” with Laurence Olivier highlights, The Hollow Crown behind the scenes, Shrewsbury locales, and play with in a play revelations. Shakespeare took historic license to heighten his drama – unafraid to get brutal with famous speeches, noble ambiguity, and dark consequences on fathers, sons, and the inescapable mortality we bear. David Tennant and Jude Law test that most celebrated very definition of theatre “Hamlet” by choosing a version in the video store – Mel Gibson, Kevin Kline, or Monty Python. Bad Quarto and First Folio side by sides strip down the grief, anger, and revenge, exposing an actor's personal retrospection and raw performance with the audience inside his state of mind as Hamlet famously asks what's the point of it all. Shakespeare's own ill father and dying son influenced this writing of ghostly specters versus imaginative excuses and righting wrongs at the expense of the son, however later Freudian interpretations add to the poisons and maternal taboos. Episode Six “The Temptest” has directors Trevor Nunn and Julie Taymor end discussing the ambitious fantasy of Will's last complete play and whether or not he himself played Prospero in this semi autobiographical text with experimental stage directions, Bermuda shipwreck inspirations, and colonialism suggestions. Early candlelit presentations, Christopher Plummer footage, and today's inventive storm on stage effects recount the stranded father cum unforgiving alchemist unable to keep his daughter away from new princely influences. Was art imitating life for The Bard? The more he tries, the more Prospero looses control as his beastly servants deliver beautiful speeches on good versus evil duplicity and nature versus nurture choices. Lofty soliloquies ponder the celestial and life itself using puns on the globe – both theatre and world must face that inevitable final frailty. Although thoroughly British with a certain pretentious formality at times, more often than not this personal per hour remains educational with densely packed information and analysis to pick and choose a discussion.

Egyptian and Roman Epics!

Egypt and Rome, Beware the Ides!

By Kristin Battestella

Spoiler alert, somebody's going to get stabbed in the back, once, twice, maybe thrice in this list of classic, epic, historical, and dramatic tales bringing Egypt and Rome together again to party like its 44 B.C. Toga! Toga!

Caesar and Cleopatra – Claude Rains and Vivien Leigh make an unlikely comedy team in this 1945 British adaptation of the George Bernard Shaw play. Although some temple sets seem small scale cardboard now, the then expensive Technicolor headdresses, plumes, horses, sand, and centurions serve the ancient mood. Considering the wartime strapped production, this is a very fine looking film, and Steward Granger (Scaramouche) makes for a tan, dandy matinee idol, too. This is, however, a wordy picture – we don't see battles, just a lot of leftover standing around and talking in a slightly overlong two hours and change. Fortunately, the humorous arguing on which cousins are descended from gods and which mere mortals are descended from kings add forum self-awareness, a parody on the omnipresent chorus and chattering ladies who feel the need to put in their two cents – er, drachma. Raines (Casablanca) brings an immediate charm as a reflective, even doubtful Caesar more concerned with careful government than Cleopatra's me me me. The ridiculously delightful rug transit moments come after the witty conversations waxing on wrinkly old men, magic dreams, and rumors of Romans having tiger's blood. Caesar doesn't eat women – only girls and cats! And are those Roman sandal wedges he's wearing? Though not without some seriousness, the goofy cleverness of these two empire making titans is a pleasing change from the expected heavy to end all heavies. This Princess Cleo is learning how to rule and toughening up thanks to her mentor Caesar's tips. Yes, throw the obnoxious cry baby Ptolemy off that throne! Leigh's look is as gorgeous as ever, although it will be tough to separate our Gone with the Wind feelings since she still has a southern and shrill if fitting juvenile sound. Sadly, poor Flora Robson (The Sea Hawk) is basically in blackface with jokes about her Ftatateeta name alongside a stereotypical negro slave who is so scared of Caesar he runs away crying “Woe, alas!” Such racist and condescending humor is not a tone to enjoy, however such social layers make for an interesting study. This is Shaw's turn of the century commentary on ancient history remade in the shadow of World War II – Roman salutes recall then current Nazi threats while prophetic “Egypt for Egyptians!” crowds chant. The dated attitudes toe the line, but thankfully, the preposterous plot and not taking itself too seriously keep the fun scene chewing performances and star power bemusing.

Cleopatra – Am I the only one who thinks specifically of Elizabeth Taylor rolling out of the carpet when one mentions Cleopatra? Probably not thanks to this long 1963 Joseph L. Mankiewicz (All About Eve) spectacle co-starring off screen steamy with Richard Burton, the then most expensive studio bankrupting budget of the time, an emergency tracheotomy, a record amount of Oscar worthy costumes – oh, and Rex Harrison (My Fair Lady), Roddy McDowell (Planet of the Apes), Martin Landau (Mission: Impossible), and more. Award winning cinematography, vivid outdoor scenery, colorful temple motifs, lavish set dressings, and a lovely score can't always save the restored, four hour windblown when the constantly changing script lags. This should be a straightforward story, a finale with which the audience is ever familiar – crossword clue: three letter word for “Cleo's snake.” But break out the superlatives, hyperbole, and pompous, for the second half here falls prey to the Burton School of Overacting^tm. Liz and Dick talk a cat and mouse (guess who is who) game, turning history into tawdry, back and forth, “You hang up. No you hang up first!” semantics. Despite the asp in the basket, the messy battles and increasingly empty scenes don't know when to end. Granted, reshoots and editing are more at fault than the talent – dialogue and characters don't make sense if you think too hard and the distant Todd-AO widescreen lacks emotional up close shots. Everything that could go wrong on a picture did go wrong here, so it's amazing this is so watchable at all. Fortunately, McDowell is in slick control as Octavian and Harrison grounds the superior first leg as a respectable, surprisingly kind but epileptic Caesar. He's going to listen and listen good, because Miss C says so no matter how misogynistic Romans are. It's a serious but charming battle of wills, and a much more palatable chemistry where the empirical politics don't feel superfluous. Risque fabrics, Dame Elizabeth lying pretty – that entrance is indeed epic in representing these egos going head to head in love and war. It's at once fifties old school with tense history and mid century melodrama yet breaking new ground off camera in then changing cinema times. Are there inaccuracies here that will delight or aggravate historians and cinephiles alike? Hells yeah. Nonetheless, this entertaining megalith is great for a toga party marathon and spot the trachea scar drinking game. 
 

Cleopatra – The slightly elusive bare bones DVD edition of this three hour 1999 ABC/Hallmark miniseries based on the Margaret George novel has no subtitles but lots of whispering low volume. Viewers can't expect much spectacle from a fifteen year old television production either, and the distant CGI landscapes, faux sphinx, small scale battles, and on the seas action are unnecessary distractions. Though, like other bibliophiles, I still mourn the Library of Alexandria, the nighttime scenery is too dark, and the slow starting pace remains uneven thanks to pointless dalliance and superfluous happenings. Ironically, this famous femme tale feels like a boy's club thanks to better male actors – even the lovable Irish centurion Daragh O'Malley (Sharpe) – and the unknown, pretty models look laughable in soap opera-esque costume party catfights. Whew! Fortunately, the opening scroll sets the scene for Egyptian exile, dynastic strife, and alliances with Rome alongside colorful statues, red capes, legion gear, familiar headdresses, and bustling temples. The slightly sheer robes and saucy sex romps are somewhat surprising for a Hallmark production, too – not to mention those Ptolemies intermarrying and all. Initially, Timothy Dalton (License to Kill) as Caesar is level headed and all business, educating Cleopatra in how to rule. His romantic scenes with Leonor Varela (Blade II) are awkward, however, their age gap and the historical culture clashing is also fitting. Maybe his feelings are genuine, but Rome will always come first for Caesar. Rather than responding shrewdly to her poor reception in Rome, this Cleo drops the baby scandal in public like a crazy clueless side chick. Sean Pertwee (Gotham) as Brutus gets his back stabbing moment halfway through, but Billy Zane's (Dead Calm) accent wavers once an unfortunately wimpy Marc Antony gets his Egyptian enchantment. The last hour looses steam by dropping much of Marc Antony in Egypt – including his children with Cleopatra – and dragging out the snake action finale too long. Told properly with more suave and trim finesse, this story could have been done in two hours and change. While not as epic or memorable as the 1963 telling, this update feels more palatable for today's audiences or condensed classroom showings. But where in the heck was Richard Armitage in this?

Actual History!

Empires: The Roman Empire in the First Century – Sigourney Weaver narrates this 2001 documentary overflowing with more than three hours of history detailing the final BC years of Caesar's love triangles, the Augustus establishment, and the unlikely Claudius before Caligula's madness, Nero's infamy, Vespasian's military might, and everyone in between. The two show legs are actually four episodes titled “Order from Chaos,” “Years of Trial,” “Winds of Change,” and “Years of Eruption” with further chapter breakdowns, maps, and onscreen notations wrangling the dense subject matter full of epic scandals and battlefield prowess versus political shrewd. The Italian locations, ruins, and frescoes make for a lovely video tour while today's scholars, historical sources, and Ovid poetry add a tangible anchor to the relatively quick, by Emperor chronological order peppered with a Roman who's who of Tiberius, Germanicus, Seneca, and Agrippina. The lack of sources on Roman women is discussed alongside at times emotional first hand accounts, social mobility, and the all importance of status in Rome. Turns out the struggles of the common people were not all that different from today, and the baths, feasting, frolicking, and chariot races shine thanks to ancient satire and gossips. The narrative touches upon Jesus, Christianity, Paul, and Josephus as well as strife from Egypt to Britannia changing Roman culture – and the ironic, so-called Roman Peace bought with warfare. Pompeii is a fitting place to conclude, however, the time lingers with a tacked on Domitian and too brief a discussion of slavery and freedmen in Rome before almost an afterthought on Trajan glory. Some saucy subject matter, naughty poetry, and erotic frescoes are addressed, and the Judeo-Christian themes are perhaps not for a secular classroom. Fortunately, the individual segments make it easy to skip any problematic moments for education viewings. From its rocky birth to the Colosseum, this is a pleasant and informative encapsulation of the Rome we know and love.

Burton Bonus!

The Robe – Delightful color, scenic detail, and perfectly B.C. splendor with a score to match anchor this 1953 biblical drama based upon the popular Lloyd C. Douglas novel. Distant matte backdrops are occasionally apparent, and a final half hour of sword fights, dungeon rescues, and chariot pursuits feel like fast, shoehorned in action in a largely quiet, introspective, and timeless tale. However, the debut Cinemascope technique captures all the foreground and background movement within the frame, making coming and going or asides and internal angst a much nicer visual treat for the eye than today's at the screen, in your face effects. Perhaps now this two hour and thirteen minute ode has become somewhat second tier compared to later biblical epics such as The Ten Commandments or Ben-Hur, but the crucifixion scenes are excellent, a harrowing and stormy montage that remain powerful, perennial viewing. Yes, Richard Burton is sometimes stiff in his scenes with the classy and ever lovely Jean Simmons (Guys and Dolls). He's overwrought at times, too – just a little – but Marcellus is the tribune being haunted by Christ's blood stained garment won in a bet beneath the Cross. If ever there was a time where some hysterical is okay, this would be it! Nevertheless, Burton is also surprisingly somber and subtle, making for some fine tender, reflective moments. The supporting ensemble is also reverent and wonderfully soft spoken, with convert catalyst Victor Mature (also of the sequel Demetrius and the Gladiators) on his own touching character arc. Of course, depending on the mood you're in, Jay Robinson (The Virgin Queen) as Caligula is either maniacally evil perfection or an annoying brat – but it is Caligula, what did you expect? Commentaries, Martin Scorsese analysis, Cinemascope conversations, Bible in Hollywood documentaries, and more lengthy behind the scenes features accent the Special Edition blu-ray release as well. There is a whiff of blacklist turmoil paralleling the tolerance onscreen, however such veiled statements are made without overtaking the picture. This well done story handles spiritual change with honestly rather than as something abstract or mystical, resulting in a seemingly simple but no less transformative picture brimming with redemption for spirited folk, church classrooms, and classic film fans of all ages.