The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 17.0680  Thursday, 20 July 2006

From: 		John Crowley <
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Date: 		Thursday, 20 Jul 2006 09:09:00 -0400
Subject: 	Brando, etc

Thinking about bad film Shakespeare:  Mel Gibson was the worst; Ethan 
Hawke made it easy on himself by his cuts, Sam Shepherd can't speak 
Shakespeare, but Bill Murray carried great conviction and Kyle Mclachlan 
was wonderful -- supple intelligible readings of every line and a great 
character.  Helped that he was a Claudius finally the right age.

But why was it that all the Hollywood stars in the Max Reinhardt MSN in 
the 1930s comported themselves so well?  Despite massive cuts, Mickey 
Rooney, Joe E Brown, James Cagney, Dick Powell -- they were all 
well-spoken, intelligible, and highly (if artificially in the Hollywood 
mode) characterized and distinct.  The Studio System at work.  (Also fun 
for Victor Jory's antique Shakespearean style of moaning singsong 
oration, learned maybe as a youth, the same style that Olivier parodied 
as James Tyrone in "Long Day's Journey into Night".)

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