It's time to moonlight again with our Shakespearean Classic Reviews and Contemporary Analysis at InSession Film!
Op-Ed: A Few Shakespeare Classics
Op-Ed: Modern Shakespeare Looks
As a Bard Bonus, you can also see me discuss several of the adaptations covered in this Video Review! Thank you so much to those who have been watching!
A Shakespeare Trio the Sixth
by Kristin Battestella
This trio of Bard influenced dramas and documentaries is all about older analysis, reflection, and even some mistakes.
All is True – Director Kenneth Branagh (Wallander) stars as William Shakespeare alongside Judi Dench (Goldeneye), Ian McKellan (Lord of the Rings), and Hadley Fraser (Coriolanus) in this 2018 biopic recounting The Bard's final years. Opening title cards detail the 1613 burning of the Globe Theatre and how Shakespeare never wrote again, but Branagh is almost unrecognizable as Shakespeare returns to the green countryside with autumn leaves and sun kissed silhouettes. There is no action here as the conversations and country pace are reflective rather than London bustle. Twenty years he's been more about town than at home, so his wife puts Bill in the best bed for the guests. Awkward dinner scenes, tense will stipulations, and gardening struggles mirror the family disconnect as Shakespeare's attempts to apply his imagination to household references don't quite work. He and Anne are honest about their children's troubles yet they themselves are distant. She reminds him that he spent so much time putting words into people's mouths that he forgot what's unsaid matters. Not to mention she's pretty angry over his love poetry and wonders if he ever considered her reputation amid his visions of their late son Hamnet. He can converse with men of distinction despite lingering embarrassment over his upbringing and paying for a fake coat of arms, but Shakespeare provided wealth, fame, comfort, and fortune for his family – so why are they so bitter? The Bard didn't realize the rest of his family had stories to tell, but couldn't, and once the truth about Hamnet is addressed, they can heal complete with a charming explanation about that second best bed left to his wife in his will. Unfortunately, the uneven time between his daughters and their creep husbands detracts from the internal Shakespeare analysis. Even if some of their scandals are factual, their drama is here for its Puritan harshness, and the lookalike tut tutting townsfolk are also unnecessary. It's tough for us to believe Shakespeare was disrespected and belittled by small people when no external angst is needed. Such strife is just an excuse for The Bard to whip 'em with his words while his illiterate family learns to read and write to prove they love him. The Hamnet supposition also drags on even after Bill has supposedly accepted his daughters, making three years seem like three months because every plot comes back to this deceased ideal. Contrived liberties may irritate purists when the introspective legacy, attention to Tudor detail, Jacobean furniture, and Puritan garments are better. Usually we give Branagh his Shakespeare indulgences, but an outside eye not so beloved of the Bard would have smoothed the unevenness here. The cast is superb – Dench is thirty years older than her onscreen husband when Hollywood would have cast a thirty year old – and the longest scene is a twofer with McKellan's Earl of Southampton waxing on their read between the lines love and the forever young words that last long after the family line ends. Despite unnecessary intrusions, this is a perfectly period swansong meant for mature Shakespeare viewers.
Shakespeare's Heroes and Villains – Steven Berkoff (Octopussy) performs and analyzes iconic Bard figures in this fun 2019 one man presentation. Rousing Henry V monologues and London cityscapes capture the viewer's attention much more than a talking heads documentary by letting us in on the show. Berkoff's angry at diminishing changes in the text, intrusive technologies, and modern liberties that miss the point of the words. Trust the language and the speeches are enough to immerse the audience in the suspension of belief. A deliciously intimate Iago soliloquy reveals his small minded, mediocre jealously, and we can often recognize his pleasure from displeasure in ourselves. Richard III, on the other hand, is a clever villain. Berkoff compares his intelligent orchestration and sadistic motivations to not just Hitler, but Trump as fear and power make a poor substitute for real emotions. Today, we don't think we need love thanks to the internet and pornography, but wealth and corruption can't fill the vacuum created by an absence of compassion. Such disturbing characters are fun to play, but it's also difficult to wash away such darkness when you leave the boards. Rather than purely scholarly analysis, it's interesting to see the characterization through the craft. How do you add your own innovated nuance when the audience already has Olivier's take in mind? Of course, wannabe baddie Macbeth just can't get the job done thanks to the lingering loyalty holding him back. Shakespeare is shockingly succinct for his day in Lady's Macbeth's unsex me wish – the removal of her nourishing femininity makes her the male impregnating our subservient, festering thane with killer notions. Coriolanus listens to his mother and it gets him got and Oberon is going to get what he wants from Queen Tatiana even if he makes Puck do the dirty work. Berkoff concludes with his own Shakespeare experience, first as something difficult and irrelevant in his youth then later still boring compared to big Hollywood opportunities. The poetic, stirring imagery, however, brought him to the realizations and self expression to be had amid the layered pentameter. Film has its tricks but pure theatre has nothing but the actor and the playwright's words. Although the time dedicated to our heroes and villains is unequal, the mix of famous and lesser known balances out thanks to the food for though interpretations and unique perspectives. Even if you disagree with Berkoff's take, this is an entertaining gateway to some of Shakespeare's juiciest characters; an inspiration for all ages to research further and a great supplement for the at home classroom to compare and discuss.
An Unfortunate Skip
Romeo and Juliet – A cringe on both your houses! George Cukor (Let's Make Love) directs Norma Shearer (The Barretts of Wimpole Street) and Lesley Howard (Gone with the Wind) in this black and white 1936 two hour Shakespeare adaptation immediately hampered by its company of oldsters pretending to be adolescent lovers run afoul. The title card introductions also feel like silent film holdovers, however the who's who family rivalries add to the medieval mood alongside trumpets, tights, wimples, feathers, banners, tunics, tassels, fur collars, cloaks, and gems. Juliet's hair and gowns certainly take some interwar liberties, but convenient family crests and shields remind us who is who during the dares, sword fights, and rumbles in the cobblestone streets. Some of the boasting is meant to be bemusing, but most of it is over the top with fainting women, gasp there be Capulets, spitting, and it's the Montagues, our foe! The sizing each other up clout is also moot because we know it's not going to mean anything in the fatal end, and the toy wooden swords stabbing under the arm are stage fighting apparent. Although we do get to see Basil Rathbone (Comedy of Terrors) and his rapier in action, it's a mistake to intercut his skill with up close soft shots instead of using the fight to its fullest. Much of the side story angst and set up, however, could be excised. Despite their stage training, the stars are reciting juvenile, enchanted dialogue rather than really acting alongside a typically hysterical nursemaid and Andy Devine (Stagecoach) as unnecessary comic relief. The tale here is condensed yet overly romanticized with rowdy filler and poor John Barrymore (Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) looks more like a horny old man instead of a rebellious teen. The balcony scene is creepy and awkward as are the Morning Mood music bliss and angelic choruses. Is this a coming out party for an old maid and a virgin guy who just want to hold hands? Why are these grown ups talking old speaketh silly and worried about what their family thinks when they can go to the friar ASAP and get it on like adults? Nobody has to die over this not so forbidden, changing the entire dynamic of the tragedy thanks to out of touch pretentiousness and try hard windblown reinforcing the pompous elitism for those who think negatively of Shakespeare. If this was based on the play but an adult version with updated language, a lot of what's wrong here could be forgiven thanks to the fine production values. Fans of the cast and Shakespeare completists may find some delight here, but even if you like classics, it's easier to perceive this as a riff-able spoof with no expectations.
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.
Richard III – Annette Bening
(American Beauty),
Robert Downey Jr (Iron Man),
Kristin Scott Thomas (The
English Patient), Maggie
Smith (Harry Potter),
Jim Carter (Downton Abbey),
and
Dominic West (Centurion)
join
Ian McKellan (Mr. Holmes) for
this 1995 fascist re-imagining of The Bard amid ticker tapes,
radios, typewriters, telegraphs, tanks, and gas masks. Though
recognizably thirties with swanky cars, cigarettes, jazz, and Art
Deco glamour; there's an anachronistic surreal to the fedoras, furs,
and noir silhouettes – as if the Imperial and aristocratic ways of
footmen and tiaras continued into the jet set unchecked by The Great
War or Abdication. This is still old speaketh, but the opening is
silent before Richard takes over the microphone with his expected
soliloquy – zooms on his mouth indicate double talk and duplicitous
plots as he prims in the mirror before addressing the camera directly
of his plans. Our disfigured Duke of Gloucester is suave with his
thin mustache and decorated uniform but slightly unkempt, gassed, and
mad when not putting on his crocodile tears. While the Nazi parallels
are obvious, they are more Western gone SS The
Man in the High Castle what
ifs then actual German motifs. Richard's a Wolsey ear to the ground
sowing seeds at Tower of London bunkers or with rooftop pigeons
instead of on castle parapets, but the new dressage doesn't overtake
the still stage-like one on one tension as each scene lays a piece of
the brother against brother plot. Hired killers provide gangster
style executions in the bloody bathtub and cracked spectacles in
brown anonymous packages as proof of the deed done. The hangings grow
darker alongside Richard's dictator glee despite opposing board room
committees in their It Can't
Happen Here disbelief.
Dressing room preparations and laughter after the ruse works join
public cheers over the boar's head laurel/fascist pigs logo –
seeing the red gloved right hand but not knowing what the pocketed
sinistre
left is doing. Richard talks to us while he's watching the film reel
of his coronation, seemingly letting the viewer in on the vanity. We
don't like him but there's no getting off this armored train whether
it goes too far or not. Tap to the king's tune and things are grand,
but misstep and.... Fortunately, Richard also has to lie in the bed
he made – with night sweats, regrets, and just do. Given our
current administration and political climate, I'm probably looking at
this differently then I would have two years ago. However, such
reassessment proves how provocative Shakespeare still is even
outfitted with machine guns, power stations, airplanes, and horses
not there when you need them. Although the sound is uneven between
soft voices and loud effects, this deserves several viewings for the
visual symbolism and layered subtext – a complex parable within a
tale of Billy quotes, the period piece commentary, and the pressure
cooker of it all then and now. This weighted interpretation may be
confusing for those new to the play, perhaps keeping the more
medieval clear Olivier version as the introduction piece, but there's
nothing wrong with this picture save a surprisingly elusive video
release.
Macbeth
– This 2010 Peabody Award winning television rendition retains the
Shakespearean text but transposes its two and a half hour Scottish
Play to a surreal regime with stock footage of explosions and bombs
setting the scene before eerie hospital gurneys, flat lining
monitors, and freaky witches disguised as nurses. Underground bunker
planning adds to the purgatory paranormal, and despite the unseen
battle action, we recognize the fascist peril and prophecy gone awry.
The kingsly talk doesn't seem out of place with mid-century guns
thanks to fine delivery all around, and Sir Patrick Stewart looks the
rugged soldier – a passed over thane ready to take credence in a
supernatural hope too good to be true. His mustache and dress uniform
hit home the cutthroat regime coup, and this desire for power
becoming reality is more frightening and contemporary than we care to
admit. Stewart faces the camera directly for his soliloquies, getting
angry and closer to the lense as his political exterior consumes his
guilty interior. He's getting ahead of himself in doing away with
everybody, and the violence snowballs out of control. Lady in white
Kate Fleetwood should be a forties dame beauty, however her harsh
jawline and sharp cheekbones invoke a grim reaper facade, pairing her
ill intentions with a psychotic yet sexy, alluring look. She's had
plenty of time to plan her ascent while detesting her domestic duties
– Mrs. MacB seems loving at first, but her blood red lips
foreshadow her killer finishes and belittling cruelty. By contrast,
her excellent sleepwalking scene strips this devil in a red dress
down to a slip, no make up, and her true skeletal hollow. The
audience cannot escape her foreground mental breakdown just as she
cannot wash the blood from her hands. There are no major effects
here, however period dressing, swift editing, and colorful lighting
transitions provide cinematic flavor. Green sickly hues reflect
mounting jealousy, and omen sound effects such as tolling bells,
owls, and ravens create an eerie atmosphere for the hellish elevator
traversing the titular up and down fates. Television parades,
dictator banners, fancy fur hats, and glamorous red designs escalate
the selling the soul downward spiral – using the sophistication of
the era with dinner parties, period music, and record players as well
as chanting and firing squads for wartime horrors. Upsetting Macduff
killings add Anne Frank symbolism while noir photography accents the
empty, darkening sets and increasingly tighter camerawork. Some may
dislike the surreal intrusions or slow motion gory, but the source
play is amoral and spooky, lending itself to such fascist horrors.
The fitting bunker siege finale against the Macbeths looks not Bard,
but like an action history drama – shrewdly keeping the parallels
fresh in spite of this period setting on 400 year old material. Here
the human drama, great performances, and bloody aftermath are done
superbly with story, location, mood, and no need for hyperbole.
Richard III – Producer,
director, and writer Laurence Olivier assembles an excellent, knights
included, everybody who is Bard anybody ensemble featuring Ralph
Richardson, Claire Bloom, Cedric Hardwicke, and John Gielgud for this
hefty 1955 adaptation costing a mere 6 mil. The effortless repertory
proves how pleasantly period the Shakespearean dialogue can be –
even in this condensed yet two and a half hours plus edition with
excised characters and outside source material. Although the
complicated plots and ploys require some background knowledge, the
opening scrolls provide medieval flair thanks to rousing music and
monastic chanting while setting the War of the Roses backdrop with a
who is Lancaster and who is York introduction. I wish all Shakespeare
adaptations did this! Some Burger King crowns are ugly and cheap,
granted, but colorful costumes, banners, and regalia dress the castle
staging in a slightly fantastic look – and hennins, people,
hennins. Our
titular deformed brother
looks smarmy with a glare to match, on the side but intrusive before
addressing his famed soliloquy directly to the camera. This up to no
good unreliable narrator is the jealous audience anchor – cheated
by his half a man facade yet witty and gosh darn likable as he keeps
us in the know on his plans. Larry's tour de force is despicable yet
enjoyable, with creepy asides daring viewers to witness his crocodile
tears, marital deception, and multifaceted but seemingly effortless
orchestration of brother against brother. The well done camera work
matches this fly on the wall tone with over the shoulder peering,
following characters through opening doors, and tracking shots across
the whispering court. Such interior filming may seem congested to
some – horses on set can't hide the fake snow and obviously tiny ye
olde stage streets, either. However, this intimate, no scale world
matches the behind closed doors family squabble at work, and the
court increasingly darkens while Richard is on the throne. This
doesn't feel like mid-century happy go lucky bright thanks to eerie
night before the battle dreams, yet the Technicolor and VistaVision
looks remain fresh. How did Sir Laurence and company not win more
awards? This history is in some ways ahead of its time with its
attempt to air on television and be released in theaters
simultaneously – something Hollywood is only recently starting to
embrace with video on demand. The feature laden Criterion DVD is an
enjoyable listen just to have on the television for some background
or to get in that medieval mood. It's no tragedy when Richard gets
his just do in this sweeping and ironically self-aware Bosworth
topper. We know how he gets the crown – with almost an hour left
over those poor Princes in the Tower – and we know how the kingdom
for a horse ends – with new grave findings, too – yet this vile
15th
century tale remains ruthless good fun. 
Shakespeare Uncovered – This 2015
six hour Second Series from PBS uses plenty
of
stars to discuss all
things Bard, and Hugh Bonneville, Ralph Fiennes, and Julie Taymor
fittingly begin with the magic, fantasy, and universally appealing
imagination versus reality of “A Midsummer Night's Dream.”
Shakespearean history and Elizabethan scandals help breakdown stage
references, comedic play within a play awareness, and text both bawdy
and innocent thanks to fairies and Greek motifs. Episode Two,
however, goes dark and depressing with tempers, paternal angst,
rivalries, and regrets as Christopher Plummer, Ian McKellan, and
Simon Russell Beale discuss “King Lear.” Contradictory madness
and fragility are debated alongside separating the man from the
crown, arguable happy endings, James I influences, and the never to
old to reform lessons. Morgan Freeman uses Old West parallels and
Bill's humble birth, sly jokes, and play commentary on the emerging
London theatre industry to chat “The Taming of The Shrew” with
Julia Stiles, Brian Cox, Tracey Ullman, and Fiona Shaw. Early
performance footage of Meryl Streep, Raul Julia, John Cleese, and
Burton and Taylor clips shape the sexism controversies, sexual
innuendo, and new jokes on old nag cliches with fresh spirit, heroic
independence, and a proactive female character not having any of this
man's world be silent – at a time when the men on stage played the
women! The fourth hour “Othello” discusses race in Elizabethan
times, travel and culture exchanges, overt historical racism, and the
unfortunate blackface depictions of Anthony Hopkins and Laurence
Olivier with David Harewood, Imogen Stubbs, and Patrick Stewart. Are
there ones close to us that would thrive on our weakness or love just
to stir the pot? You betcha, and such orchestrated hatred, jealously,
and killer love is as relevant as ever. The final two episodes feel
somewhat thin with more focus on the slightly pretentious on the
scene presenters, however Kim Cattrall, Vanessa Redgrave, Janet
Suzman, and Richard Johnson tackle the moody middle aged love versus
politics, famed film perceptions, and empire shaping culture clashes
of “Antony and Cleopatra” via obscure productions, intimate
candlelit rehearsals, and Shakespeare's own Julius
Caesar character roots.
Joseph Fiennes, Orlando Bloom, Condola Rashad, and footage of Alan
Rickman as a young Tybalt anchor the familiar “Romeo and Juliet”
finale as the iconic relevance of these star crossed teenagers is
explored with clips from Shakespeare
in Love, West Side Story,
the beloved Zeffirelli film, Baz Lurhmann's update, and Montagues
and Capulets ballets.
Rather than being stuck in a school desk and reading aloud – hated
that
– the historical
Italian sources, comedic wit, and rival happy endings get interactive
and out loud with school exercises and role reversals. This series is
lighthearted but no less informative, and the conversational
atmosphere is perfect for budding Bard fans to marathon straight
through or for picking and choosing in comparing classroom
discussions.
