Month: June 2016
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A Scene Comparison: Romeo and Juliet Act 2 Scene 2
Romeo and Juliet, Act 2 Scene 2 is the most memorable and pivotal scene in the play and I have chosen to compare the way in which the three most popularized films, Zeffirelli (1968), Luhrmann (1996), and Carlei (2013) have interpreted this moment. This scene involves Romeo risking his life to catch a glance at Juliet…
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Hamlet’s dynamic potential: an Act III Scene 1 comparison
Act III Scene 1 of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet contains Hamlet’s famous “To be or not to be” soliloquy followed by dialogue between Hamlet and Ophelia. The scene portrays Hamlet’s mental state as well as the status of his relationship with Ophelia. Film adaptations of Hamlet directed by Sir Lawrence Olivier (1948), Franco Zeffirelli (1990), and Kenneth…
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Much Ado About Nothing – A Film Review
Set in the countryside of Messina, Kenneth Branagh’s 1993 adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing is comedic, romantic, and cheerful. The film consists of a star-studded cast, including Branagh as Benedick, Emma Thompson as Beatrice, Denzel Washington as Don Pedro, Kate Beckinsale as Hero, and Robert Sean Leonard as Claudio to name a few. The…
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Scene Comparison of Romeo and Juliet’s deaths: Shakespeare vs Luhrmann vs Carlei
The infamous, tragic deaths of Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers Romeo of Montague and Juliet Capulet have been capturing the hearts of audiences of many centuries, eliciting fairly high-budget adaptations even in the 1990’s and 2000’s. The deaths originally occur in Shakespeare’s play in V.III.72-170. The scene starts with Romeo killing Paris and ends after Juliet has…
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Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet
Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet (1996) was a film made for an audience, specifically teenagers and young adults. Although the film did not stray too far from the original text by Shakespeare, it took creative liberty to a new level. It clearly was a film for the times. From exploding gas stations to helicopters hunting…
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Scene Comparison: Richard III
I chose to compare Laurence Olivier’s and Ian McKellen’s versions of Richard III’s soliloquy in act 1 scene 2 that we saw in class. We analyzed these scenes in our first class and I feel like more can be said. Our general consensus was that we preferred McKellen’s version, because it was more modern and…
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Romeo + Juliet Film Review
By Amanda Faller Romeo + Juliet (1996) directed by Baz Luhrmann is an enormously polarizing film. Although I can see why some truly do not like it, I hardly agree with them. Romeo + Juliet is a one of a kind film, filled with dazzling visuals and touching, good-bump inflicting moments. Luhrmann’s treatment of…
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A Scene Comparison: Romeo + Juliet Act1 Scene1
The scene I have selected for comparison is the opening to Act 1 in Shakespeare`s Romeo & Juliet play, which includes: the Prologue and Act 1 Scene 1 up to line 90 in the text. I will be comparing this scene as depicted in the opening sequences of two film versions : Franco Zeffirelli ‘s …
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To be or not to be? (Scene Comparison)
Kenneth Branagh (1996) vs. Franco Zeffirelli (1990) Here are two massive Hollywood productions, competing for Oscar nominations in their respective years. Branagh in all his Shakespeare enthusiasm made one of the longest movies ever (3hr58min). Zeffirelli was completing his Shakespeare works with a more accepted film length. (Which also ended up being better received, at…
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Appreciation for Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet
Despite the various negative reviews that surround Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet, I was pleasantly surprised by the film. Overall, it serves to reinforce Kenneth Goldsmith’s idea that context is the new content. The prose and verse of Shakespeare, at best annoying and most often unintelligible to the target audience of teenagers, was given new…