Looser Adaptations
“More honored in the breach than the observance.” Description: This play, about a British military campaign, was filmed during World War II to boost the morale of British troops. Description: Simplified version of Hamlet as “a man who could not make up his mind.” Description: Employs a mixture of stage and screen techniques. See the uncut version if you can. Description: Made over several years on a shoestring budget. The soundtrack was completely reconstructed forty years later. Description: Olivier, now in Technicolor! Description: Cobbled together from the five plays featuring Falstaff: Henry IV Parts I and II, Richard II, Henry V, and The Merry Wives of Windsor. Description: A staged version of the play recorded on film. Disconcertingly, Olivier performs wearing blackface. Description: Has teenaged actors in the leading roles, as written. Description: Cinematically rich. Absorbing, bleak, and drenched in blood and gore. Description: The first of Branagh’s Shakespearean films, this is a dark film with realistic scenes of war. Description: This screwball comedy is fun for all, whether or not they’re fans of Shakespeare. Description: The Moor of Venice is finally portrayed on film by a person of color. Description: Transposes the play to a 1930s England that never was. Description: The definitive film version is an unabridged 4-hour epic. Description: Set in late 19th-century Italy and has characters on bicycles, but retains Shakespeare’s dialogue. Description: Visually eclectic adaptation of Titus Andronicus, Shakespeare’s goriest play. Description: Places the controversial play in historical and geographical context.
Films that use Shakespeare as a starting point and take it elsewhere
“All the world’s a stage.” Description: About a divorced couple asked to put on a musical production of The Taming of the Shrew, with songs by Cole Porter. Description: Japanese version of Macbeth in which samurai take the place of Scots. Description: Romeo and Juliet re-envisioned as a New York City turf war, with frequent dance numbers. Description: Hamlet in a Canadian brewery, featuring Bob and Doug McKenzie. Beauty, eh? Description: Japanese version of King Lear which also draws on samurai legends. The title means “Chaos.” Description: A road movie that’s a loose adaptation of Henry IV. Description: Spoken almost entirely in Dr. Seuss style couplets. (It’s lots of fun when you begin / But very soon the joke wears thin.) Description: Moves the action to contemporary “Verona Beach,” using music-video cinematography. Description: Romantic teen comedy with a great soundtrack, loosely based on The Taming of the Shrew. Description: Sets the play in contemporary New York, with CEOs taking the place of kings. Description: Romeo and Juliet as a martial-arts action film, with the rival houses becoming Asian and African American gangs on the Oakland waterfront. Description: King Lear involving a crime boss and his family in contemporary Liverpool. Description: Othello moved onto a basketball court. Description: Features a lesbian couple as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, and three gay men as the Weird Sisters. Description: This parodic adaptation sets Macbeth at a burger stand. Really. Duncan gets killed using a deep fryer. Description: Twelfth Night at a British prep school. Description: Focuses on two minor characters from Hamlet. What do you do when you’re not the star of your own life? Description: A documentary about the challenges of producing, performing, and enjoying Richard III. Description: A clever and anachronistic tale of Shakespeare being inspired to write Romeo and Juliet. Description: The Reduced Shakespeare Company’s hilarious presentation of 37 plays in 88 minutes.
title: “Shakespeare On Film” ShowToc: true date: “2023-01-01” author: “Kimberly Maloy”
Looser Adaptations
“More honored in the breach than the observance.” Description: This play, about a British military campaign, was filmed during World War II to boost the morale of British troops. Description: Simplified version of Hamlet as “a man who could not make up his mind.” Description: Employs a mixture of stage and screen techniques. See the uncut version if you can. Description: Made over several years on a shoestring budget. The soundtrack was completely reconstructed forty years later. Description: Olivier, now in Technicolor! Description: Cobbled together from the five plays featuring Falstaff: Henry IV Parts I and II, Richard II, Henry V, and The Merry Wives of Windsor. Description: A staged version of the play recorded on film. Disconcertingly, Olivier performs wearing blackface. Description: Has teenaged actors in the leading roles, as written. Description: Cinematically rich. Absorbing, bleak, and drenched in blood and gore. Description: The first of Branagh’s Shakespearean films, this is a dark film with realistic scenes of war. Description: This screwball comedy is fun for all, whether or not they’re fans of Shakespeare. Description: The Moor of Venice is finally portrayed on film by a person of color. Description: Transposes the play to a 1930s England that never was. Description: The definitive film version is an unabridged 4-hour epic. Description: Set in late 19th-century Italy and has characters on bicycles, but retains Shakespeare’s dialogue. Description: Visually eclectic adaptation of Titus Andronicus, Shakespeare’s goriest play. Description: Places the controversial play in historical and geographical context.
Films that use Shakespeare as a starting point and take it elsewhere
“All the world’s a stage.” Description: About a divorced couple asked to put on a musical production of The Taming of the Shrew, with songs by Cole Porter. Description: Japanese version of Macbeth in which samurai take the place of Scots. Description: Romeo and Juliet re-envisioned as a New York City turf war, with frequent dance numbers. Description: Hamlet in a Canadian brewery, featuring Bob and Doug McKenzie. Beauty, eh? Description: Japanese version of King Lear which also draws on samurai legends. The title means “Chaos.” Description: A road movie that’s a loose adaptation of Henry IV. Description: Spoken almost entirely in Dr. Seuss style couplets. (It’s lots of fun when you begin / But very soon the joke wears thin.) Description: Moves the action to contemporary “Verona Beach,” using music-video cinematography. Description: Romantic teen comedy with a great soundtrack, loosely based on The Taming of the Shrew. Description: Sets the play in contemporary New York, with CEOs taking the place of kings. Description: Romeo and Juliet as a martial-arts action film, with the rival houses becoming Asian and African American gangs on the Oakland waterfront. Description: King Lear involving a crime boss and his family in contemporary Liverpool. Description: Othello moved onto a basketball court. Description: Features a lesbian couple as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, and three gay men as the Weird Sisters. Description: This parodic adaptation sets Macbeth at a burger stand. Really. Duncan gets killed using a deep fryer. Description: Twelfth Night at a British prep school. Description: Focuses on two minor characters from Hamlet. What do you do when you’re not the star of your own life? Description: A documentary about the challenges of producing, performing, and enjoying Richard III. Description: A clever and anachronistic tale of Shakespeare being inspired to write Romeo and Juliet. Description: The Reduced Shakespeare Company’s hilarious presentation of 37 plays in 88 minutes.
title: “Shakespeare On Film” ShowToc: true date: “2023-01-13” author: “Charlotte Kent”
Looser Adaptations
“More honored in the breach than the observance.” Description: This play, about a British military campaign, was filmed during World War II to boost the morale of British troops. Description: Simplified version of Hamlet as “a man who could not make up his mind.” Description: Employs a mixture of stage and screen techniques. See the uncut version if you can. Description: Made over several years on a shoestring budget. The soundtrack was completely reconstructed forty years later. Description: Olivier, now in Technicolor! Description: Cobbled together from the five plays featuring Falstaff: Henry IV Parts I and II, Richard II, Henry V, and The Merry Wives of Windsor. Description: A staged version of the play recorded on film. Disconcertingly, Olivier performs wearing blackface. Description: Has teenaged actors in the leading roles, as written. Description: Cinematically rich. Absorbing, bleak, and drenched in blood and gore. Description: The first of Branagh’s Shakespearean films, this is a dark film with realistic scenes of war. Description: This screwball comedy is fun for all, whether or not they’re fans of Shakespeare. Description: The Moor of Venice is finally portrayed on film by a person of color. Description: Transposes the play to a 1930s England that never was. Description: The definitive film version is an unabridged 4-hour epic. Description: Set in late 19th-century Italy and has characters on bicycles, but retains Shakespeare’s dialogue. Description: Visually eclectic adaptation of Titus Andronicus, Shakespeare’s goriest play. Description: Places the controversial play in historical and geographical context.
Films that use Shakespeare as a starting point and take it elsewhere
“All the world’s a stage.” Description: About a divorced couple asked to put on a musical production of The Taming of the Shrew, with songs by Cole Porter. Description: Japanese version of Macbeth in which samurai take the place of Scots. Description: Romeo and Juliet re-envisioned as a New York City turf war, with frequent dance numbers. Description: Hamlet in a Canadian brewery, featuring Bob and Doug McKenzie. Beauty, eh? Description: Japanese version of King Lear which also draws on samurai legends. The title means “Chaos.” Description: A road movie that’s a loose adaptation of Henry IV. Description: Spoken almost entirely in Dr. Seuss style couplets. (It’s lots of fun when you begin / But very soon the joke wears thin.) Description: Moves the action to contemporary “Verona Beach,” using music-video cinematography. Description: Romantic teen comedy with a great soundtrack, loosely based on The Taming of the Shrew. Description: Sets the play in contemporary New York, with CEOs taking the place of kings. Description: Romeo and Juliet as a martial-arts action film, with the rival houses becoming Asian and African American gangs on the Oakland waterfront. Description: King Lear involving a crime boss and his family in contemporary Liverpool. Description: Othello moved onto a basketball court. Description: Features a lesbian couple as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, and three gay men as the Weird Sisters. Description: This parodic adaptation sets Macbeth at a burger stand. Really. Duncan gets killed using a deep fryer. Description: Twelfth Night at a British prep school. Description: Focuses on two minor characters from Hamlet. What do you do when you’re not the star of your own life? Description: A documentary about the challenges of producing, performing, and enjoying Richard III. Description: A clever and anachronistic tale of Shakespeare being inspired to write Romeo and Juliet. Description: The Reduced Shakespeare Company’s hilarious presentation of 37 plays in 88 minutes.
title: “Shakespeare On Film” ShowToc: true date: “2023-02-11” author: “Lillie Hall”
Looser Adaptations
“More honored in the breach than the observance.” Description: This play, about a British military campaign, was filmed during World War II to boost the morale of British troops. Description: Simplified version of Hamlet as “a man who could not make up his mind.” Description: Employs a mixture of stage and screen techniques. See the uncut version if you can. Description: Made over several years on a shoestring budget. The soundtrack was completely reconstructed forty years later. Description: Olivier, now in Technicolor! Description: Cobbled together from the five plays featuring Falstaff: Henry IV Parts I and II, Richard II, Henry V, and The Merry Wives of Windsor. Description: A staged version of the play recorded on film. Disconcertingly, Olivier performs wearing blackface. Description: Has teenaged actors in the leading roles, as written. Description: Cinematically rich. Absorbing, bleak, and drenched in blood and gore. Description: The first of Branagh’s Shakespearean films, this is a dark film with realistic scenes of war. Description: This screwball comedy is fun for all, whether or not they’re fans of Shakespeare. Description: The Moor of Venice is finally portrayed on film by a person of color. Description: Transposes the play to a 1930s England that never was. Description: The definitive film version is an unabridged 4-hour epic. Description: Set in late 19th-century Italy and has characters on bicycles, but retains Shakespeare’s dialogue. Description: Visually eclectic adaptation of Titus Andronicus, Shakespeare’s goriest play. Description: Places the controversial play in historical and geographical context.
Films that use Shakespeare as a starting point and take it elsewhere
“All the world’s a stage.” Description: About a divorced couple asked to put on a musical production of The Taming of the Shrew, with songs by Cole Porter. Description: Japanese version of Macbeth in which samurai take the place of Scots. Description: Romeo and Juliet re-envisioned as a New York City turf war, with frequent dance numbers. Description: Hamlet in a Canadian brewery, featuring Bob and Doug McKenzie. Beauty, eh? Description: Japanese version of King Lear which also draws on samurai legends. The title means “Chaos.” Description: A road movie that’s a loose adaptation of Henry IV. Description: Spoken almost entirely in Dr. Seuss style couplets. (It’s lots of fun when you begin / But very soon the joke wears thin.) Description: Moves the action to contemporary “Verona Beach,” using music-video cinematography. Description: Romantic teen comedy with a great soundtrack, loosely based on The Taming of the Shrew. Description: Sets the play in contemporary New York, with CEOs taking the place of kings. Description: Romeo and Juliet as a martial-arts action film, with the rival houses becoming Asian and African American gangs on the Oakland waterfront. Description: King Lear involving a crime boss and his family in contemporary Liverpool. Description: Othello moved onto a basketball court. Description: Features a lesbian couple as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, and three gay men as the Weird Sisters. Description: This parodic adaptation sets Macbeth at a burger stand. Really. Duncan gets killed using a deep fryer. Description: Twelfth Night at a British prep school. Description: Focuses on two minor characters from Hamlet. What do you do when you’re not the star of your own life? Description: A documentary about the challenges of producing, performing, and enjoying Richard III. Description: A clever and anachronistic tale of Shakespeare being inspired to write Romeo and Juliet. Description: The Reduced Shakespeare Company’s hilarious presentation of 37 plays in 88 minutes.
