Category: Uncategorized
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Note Reflection
By Amanda Faller Over my years in school, I have experimented with many ways to take notes, even using methods such as the Cornell system (link). However, time and again I always come back to the plain and simple lined notebook and just write what I think is important out. For films I write frantically…
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Notes Reflection
I am the first to admit that my annotation skills need some work. I tend to write very little when I annotate, and when I am annotating non-fiction or critical text I often rely on highlighters to indicate what I think is important rather than elaborate on what I think makes that particular passage important.…
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Act 1 Scene 2 Comparison of Amereyda’s Hamlet (2000) and Doran’s Hamlet (2009)
Although Michael Amereyda and Gregory Doran have both directed film adaptations of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, I have an appreciation for one more than the other. Gregory Amereyda’s Hamlet (2000), is a modernist reworking of the original script but it is not the modernization of filmic elements that makes it unrealistic, underappreciated, and less compelling but rather…
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Richard III: A True Fascist King
Richard III is a historic play detailing the conniving actions of Richard of Gloucester. Richard is seen as a sociopathic prince of York, with no apparent conscience to drive him away from wrongdoing. With this in mind, he sets upon a brutal crusade to take the English throne, slaying down family, friend and foe alike…
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Is Hamlet Mad, Possessed or Guided by His Fathers Spirit? Clues in Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet(1996)
King Claudius remarks on Hamlets mental state that “what he spake, though it lacked form a little, Was not like Madness. There is something in his soul, O’er which melancholy sits to brood”(Act 3, Scene 1, 162-165). Claudius’s observation may be astute but it also could we woefully unaware considering that he has no knowledge…
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The final play written by Shakespeare, The Tempest is widely regarded as one of his most outstanding works. With a mix of magic, manipulation, and misunderstanding, Julie Taymor has crafted a visually stimulating, forceful film that stays true to the original, while subtly playing with modern themes. The most notable change in this adaptation comes…
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Scene Comparison: Romeo and Juliet Act 4 Scene 1
Despite being so familiar with Romeo and Juliet’s plot-line through not only reading Shakespeare itself but also its frequent appearances in literature and media, Act 4 Scene 1 still remains as one of my favorite scenes in Shakespeare’s plays as it highlights key aspects of Juliet’s character which is easily overshadowed by Romeo and Juliet’s tragic…
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Hamlet: A Scene Comparison
Hamlet: Act 3, Scene 4 For my blog post, I decided to compare scenes from Almereyda‘s Hamlet (2000) and Doran‘s Hamlet (2009), specifically focusing on Act 3, Scene 4. Both films are modern adaptations of the play, and Almereyda‘s Hamlet in particular takes place in contemporary New York City. The film strongly incorporates technology and uses visuals/imagery to illustrate the…
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Almereyda’s Hamlet – A Film Review
Hamlet – the play in which (spoiler alert) almost everyone dies – gets the modern treatment in this 2000 Almereyda film. Elizabethan English muttered by Americans and set in modern New York initially seems “out of joint” and cringe-worthy. However, if you can get over this hurdle, you might be able to appreciate the clever interpretative…
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Hamlet – (Branagh 1996 and Almereyda 2000) – Scene Comparison Act IV Scene V
Kenneth Branagh holds (deservedly so) a place in the top tier of directors who have adapted Shakespeare’s plays for the silver screen. Branagh’s flamboyantly theatrical style is true to the origins of an Elizabethan stage. Branagh directed, produced, and acted in his critically acclaimed 1996 movie, Hamlet. The film recounts the entirety of Shakespeare’s play…