Coming quick and sprightly on the heels of the smash-hit movie theater presentation of Stephen Sondheim's COMPANY, Shakespeare's Globe London Cinema Series is setting out to do for Shakespeare and classical theatre what COMPANY did for Sondheim and musicals with THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR. Beginning on Monday, hundreds of select movie theaters nationwide will present a special showing of Shakespeare's coy and daring comedy THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR as the inaugural showing of The Globe London Cinema Series, and, with it, we, as the avid audience, will be ushered into a new era for Shakespeare - both live and on film. How easily and affordably we may now witness world-class entertainment from the very front rows of the finest playhouses in the world in the way only a special event cinema broadcast such as Shakespeare's Globe London Cinema Series presentation of THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR can provide! Such are the joys of traveling to the nearest multiplex near you hosting a Shakespeare's Globe presentation - as on Monday at 7 PM with MERRY WIVES - as opposed to a transatlantic flight and accommodations in the UK were you to try to catch the show live and in person with the hope to score some rare tickets. Plus, you can't beat these seats - or the sights and sounds only the real, true home of W.S. - The Globe - can supply.
Even better, the Shakespeare's Globe London Cinema Series has just begun: HENRY IV Part I and HENRY IV Part II are both coming up in August, with this year's introductory series season closing out in September with HENRY VIII. The showings will be available in more than 260 movie theaters nationwide, making this sort of theatrical special event available to audiences who may never have even experienced a Shakespeare piece before in their lives. What a great first show THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR would be for them! Or anyone.
Also, each broadcast of THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR will boast a 20-minute behind-the-scenes look at The Globe itself today and also offer us a glimpse at what has made the theater the most famous theatrical house in the world - especially when it comes to presenting the works of the Bard. The finest plays in the canon, presented in stunning HD and surround sound, as only a state-of-the-art cinema experience can provide is only the mere beginning of the possibilities that may be afforded to audiences in the future should THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR be a success on the level of COMPANY, so go out and show your support of Shakespeare's Globe London Cinema Series on Monday at 6:30 PM! Further ticket information is available here [www.FathomEvents.com].
SHAKESPEARE ON FILM SINCE THE SEVENTIES: A COUNTDOWN
In honor of this sensational new Shakespeare On Film experience of THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR, let's take a look at the Top Ten (or so) most innovative and exciting adaptations of Shakespeare's work in the relatively recent past - marking Polanski's MACBETH as the pre-cursor to our countdown (with one exception) and focusing on Shakespeare On Film in the last thirty years and shining a special spotlight on what was most riveting, real and unforgettable about these selections.
PART I: R&J x 2
First up, no Shakespeare On Film consideration of the last forty years would be complete without making much mention of Baz Luhrmann's simply indescribable iteration of perhaps the Bard's most beloved and well-known love story, titled oh-so-idiosyncratically William Shakespeare'S ROMEO + JULIET. Indeed, the frenetic, fascinating and full-throttle feature film adaptation of R + J proved once and for all - and quite fruitfully - that the timeless words and implicit rhythms in Shakespeare's rhymes reverberate with a strength, precision, power and passion as driving as the loudest bass beat or 3D-mind-blow available in any random theater in the multiplex. Luhrmann mixed a modern sensibility, especially evident in John Leguizamo's fierce and fiery force-of-nature of a Tybalt - a modernity which barely dates at all, watching the film now, in itself particularly illustrative of a master-plan at work; compounded further still when considering that this film felt so au currant when it was released more almost fifteen years ago - with the timeless, tragic and economical text. The result of it all was and is something quite combustible. And something quite brilliant. This is not a film for everyone, but it is most assuredly apropos for the young at heart - and young lovers; all.
William Shakespeare'S ROMEO + JULIET
While many members of the 21st century generation may prefer the Luhrmann over-the-top take on THE TRAGEDY OF Romeo & Juliet, perhaps the Franco Zeffirelli version may be more your mead of choice should the MTV-style editing and overt excesses of Luhrmann's hamper your enjoyment of the enterprise. Surely, it's a significantly more subdued and dialed-down affair in this adaptation - for better and worse. And, given the content of ROMEO AND JULIET, that marital vow may matter more here than may at first appear. Judge for yourselves. Although, there is an elegance and grace brought out in the young Olivia Hussey in this version that is something quite moving to witness and behold. But, the rest? A bit anemic, particularly if you like your titular lovers hot and passionate.
ROMEO AND JULIET
PART II: Branagh's Comedies & Tragedy With A Twist
Kenneth Branagh will unquestionably pop up on any serious consideration of Shakespeare On Film in the last few decades, and that is not merely because of his amply evident skills as an artist of the theatre on stage and in front of the camera - he is also an incredibly skilled director of film in his own right. While THOR may be lighting up the box-office today, those of us who saw his HENRY V back in the late-80s knew then he would be a force in film to be reckoned with someday should he come to fulfill his promise - and, soon after, with his word-complete HAMLET, he did just that. What an achievement. Following that masterpiece, Branagh took his turn at turning a Shakespearean comedy into a musical featuring songs by the classical composers of the Great American Songbook - and casting Broadway babies like Nathan Lane in lead and featured roles. While Branagh's AS YOU LIKE IT premiered in the US on HBO may have taken many missteps on its treacherous journey - what, with its odd Asiatic setting and a text cut to shreds - Kevin Kline proved yet again why he is a premiere interpreter of the great writers of our age with his moving, award-winning portrayal of Jaques. Without question the finest of Branagh's comedy treatments of Shakespeare is his adroit and concise MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING from 1993. Take a look at each of the films and their accompanying trailers below.
HENRY V
HAMLET
LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST
AS YOU LIKE IT
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
PART III: Othello, Hamlet, Titus & Company
In addition to his work on both sides of the camera on his own Shakespeare On Film affairs, Kenneth Branagh also found the time to lend his talents - as Iago, of course (who else?) - to Oliver Parker's film version of OTHELLO in 1995, co-starring Laurence Fishburne as the eponymous conflicted hero. While the film manages to capture some of the heat of the "tupping ewes" prevalent throughout, it gives the short-shrift to the text a bit too much. Then again, Branagh's monologues are delivered quite excellently - especially the one above the chessboard (black and white metaphors aside) - so it is worth a look if only for them.
OTHELLO
A completely modern R-rated reworking and retelling of the THE TRAGEDY OF OTHELLO was on full display in the somewhat surprisingly effective and interesting film O from 2001, directed by Tim Blake Nelson. Mekhi Phifer and Julia Styles are an ideal doomed couple and Josh Hartnett gives one of his best performances as Iago (here called Hugo), as well as Mila Kunis scoring strongly in a smaller role. The basketball scenes with Odin/Othello as the star player, especially, are an all-too-appropriate transplanting of the themes of the weight of war on a warrior - which many would argue is Othello's tragic flaw - along with jealousy.
O
The turn of the twenty-first century also inspired a reexamination of THE TRAGEDY OF HAMLET in the form of Michael Almereyda's cold, calculated and acerbic modern take on the classic tale of a son's seeking of revenge for his father's death. A palpably conflicted Ethan Hawke was paired with an unexpectedly delightful Polonius in Bill Murray and while this version is very light on text, it does have a mood and style all its own which ingratiates itself over the film's slim running time. Attention must also be paid to Liev Schreiber as a note-perfect Laertes. Worth a look or two (I only became enamored to it after a second viewing).
HAMLET
Lastly, we have the most divisive and controversial of all of the selections in our Shakespeare On Film countdown: Julie Taymor's other-worldly adaptation of Shakespeare's TITUS ANDRONICUS, titled simply, TITUS. Anthony Hopkins, Jessica Lange and Alan Cumming command attention and praise to the point of making one want to shout from the highest balcony - in The Globe or otherwise - about what theatrically alive and visceral performances they give here. Yet, Taymor's multi-faceted take on the ultimate tragedy may be too in-your-face for some viewers - much like Luhrmann's ROMEO + JULIET that began this countdown today - but her conviction is there in every shot and she certainly wrings out of the material all the metaphorical weight she can in her physical manifestation of the words of William Shakespeare. It is a moving work of art. Perhaps more than any other film in our countdown, Taymor's TITUS dares us to dream and imagine the words and actions taking place as if they are happening for the first time and everything is new. Yet, at the same time, she brings elements from throughout history into the tapestry of the visuals - sets, costumes, film stock styles and beyond - weaving it all into a Penny Arcade fever dream, much like those of Tamora as they are envisioned in the film. A revelation. A nightmare. A dream. Art.
NOTE: This is the red-band, R-rated trailer. Be advised.
TITUS
CODA: For All Mankind And Merry Wives
While the film versions of William Shakespeare's plays are a mixed bag if looking at them all collectively from the last hundred and twenty years, audiences of the late-twentieth and early-twenty-first century have certainly been very fortunate indeed to have had such rich, innovative and diverse directorial looks at the greatest dramas and comedies ever written. Shakespeare's Globe London Cinema Series surely will continue on the great tradition of presenting the words of the Bard in their most potent way and in the most entertaining, insightful and enjoyable fashion made possible by man - or, by merry wives, for that matter.
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