[AnglophoniZ] Shakespeare on screen

The body of Shakespeare's work is an extended compilation of comedies, tragedies or even tragicomedies. As his work is so vast and remarkable, it is no surprise that film screen has adopted this author. Everybody knows Shakespeare's plays, Everybody saw at least one film in which Shakespeare is mentioned. And that is the subject matter of this article. I have recollected, from my point of view, three main categories that involve Shakespeare and Shakespearian drama on screen. First, there are the classical adaptations of Shakespeare's plays. Then, the ones that take place at this period and in which Shakespeare takes an important part and finally a little category, the adaptation of Shakespearian drama into teen films.

Fortunately (what about creativity?) many directors stick to a kind of traditional adaptation of Shakespeare's work. They stay more or less in the same period, in the same setting. For the love of this work, why changing it?! Do you know Kenneth Branagh? I'm sure you do. He is the most famous adaptor of Shakespeare's plays. He directed (and played in) 5 adaptations that are : Henri V in 1989, Much ado about nothing in 1993, Hamlet in 1996, Love's Labour Lost in 2000 and As You Like It in 2006. The two most famous films are actually Much Ado About Nothing and Hamlet. Branagh achieved a true recognition through these two. The text is greatly adapted and all of them movies are pleasant to watch. So is the case of A Midsummer Night's Dream with Kevin Kline, Christian Bale and even Sophie Marceau. All the faerie has been kept, just like the text. However, Baz Lhurmann -known for his visual deliriums- managed to mingle classical text and modern times with Romeo + Juliet that is just as beautiful as the play and just as surprising as we could have thought from such an extravagant director.

Then I thought it would be nice to focus on some films that are (more or less) not Shakespeare's plays but that involve him a great deal. The first one I will mention is Shakespeare in Love, Oscar winner in seven categories including Best Movie in 1998. It tells the story of William Shakespeare at the time when he wrote Romeo and Juliet. We can thus follow his supposed love story with a woman that inspired him this very play and The Twelfth Night. You will be delighted by this love story in which settings are beautiful and in which Joseph Fiennes and Gwyneth Paltrow are just...perfectly matched. Now comes the time we turn towards Stage Beauty. This film talks about the time when women took their own characters on stage as formerly only men were able to act on stage. Shakespeare is quite at the centre of the film as his play Othello is a leitmotiv in it. Even though Shakespeare or his plays are not really its main subject, it sets a good portrait of the period we are plunged into and how was drama at the time.

One funny thing concerning adaptations is that you can make almost what you want with a story. Thus it becomes quite usual to see classics turned into “teen movies”. And so it is with Shakespeare. The well known and terrific Ten things I hate about you -or at least it is in my circle of friends- is adapted from The Taming of the Shrew. I haven't read it but you must be sure that the essential is there in order to the original play to be recognize. “The main plot depicts the courtship of Petruchio, a gentleman of Verona, and Katherina, the headstrong, obdurate shrew. Initially, Katherina is an unwilling participant in the relationship, but Petruchio tempers her with various psychological torments – the "taming" – until she is an obedient bride. The sub-plot features a competition between the suitors of Katherina's less intractable sister, Bianca” Obviously it is, even names are kept unchanged! But keep in mind that “teen movie” here does not mean inconsistent or vulgar. When there is a certain amount of faithfulness, it is a great way to increase young people's awareness to classics ; even more that this one is a comedy. There is also O, obviously an Othello in modern times, far more a darker story as you will remember that went unnoticed.

I will end this article by saying that all of the adaptations; faithful to the text or transposed into teenage stories, are a great opportunity to become acquainted with Shakespeare. For those who do not like to go to theatre it is quite a good alternative. Moreover it allows directors a great amount of technical possibilities as there are not restricted to a stage to adapt a play.