| Shakespeare on Film Text Books |
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The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 21.0120 Tuesday, 16 March 2010
[1] From: Julie Sutherland <
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[2] From: Michael Friedman <
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[3] From: Christopher Baker <
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[4] From: Cheryl Newton <
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[5] From: Herb Weil <
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[6] From: Brian Willis <
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[7] From: Eva McManus <
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[8] From: Patty Winter <
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[9] From: David P McKay <
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[1]-----------------------------------------------------------------
>In the Shakespeare course I regularly teach, I often use a few Dear Andrew, I haven't used it as a textbook (only because I haven't yet had the chance), but I highly recommend that you consider Kenneth S. Rothwell's "A History of Shakespeare on Screen: A Century of Film and Television" 2nd edition (Cambridge, 2004). Perhaps you already know it, in which case sorry for the redundancy. Good luck with the course!
Kind regards,
[2]------------------------------------------------------------- Andrew, I've been using Shakespeare: Script, Stage, Screen. Ed. David Bevington et al. New York: Pearson, 2006. I'm generally happy with the texts that it includes and the copious supplementary materials. My only two complaints would be that it doesn't contain Titus Andronicus (Taymor's Titus is one of my favorite films to teach) and the spine of the paperback copy did not prove to be very durable (for me or for my students). However, I would still recommend it.
Michael D. Friedman
[3]------------------------------------------------------------- I discuss Orson Welles's Macbeth, Peter Brook's Lear, and Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet in RELIGION IN THE AGE OF SHAKESPEARE (2007), 95-118. Chris Baker
[4]------------------------------------------------------------- I highly recommend the Campbell Scott version of Hamlet, especially the 'swear' scene on the beach, & the lead-up to 'To be or not to be.' (No doubt about Hamlet's emotional disturbance.) There's a bit tucked in to the Queen's chamber that will probably raise a few gasps from your students. Depending how far afield you want to go, there's a Chinese language (English subtitles) titled The Banquet, aka The Scorpion (or Black Scorpion). The story has undergone several changes, such as Hamlet is in love with the Empress, his former step mother. But other than this sexy, conniving Gertrude stepparent, everyone else is easily identified with his/her Shakespearean counterpart. (No Horatio, alas.)
[5]------------------------------------------------------------- Many students are delighted with Kozintsev's Hamlet and King Lear. His two books and essay in the Proceedings for Vancouver should be good for the teacher and the best students, but are not texts.
Cheers,
[6]------------------------------------------------------------- Russell Jackson's well-edited Cambridge Companion has a number of outstanding articles covering a variety of topics related to the adaptation of Shakespeare on Film. It would be a great jumping-off point for discussing those adaptations. Brian Willis
[7]------------------------------------------------------------- Andy, I haven't taught a course with that particular focus but have a copy of "Shakespeare: Scripts, Stage, Screen," edited by David Bevington, Anne Marie Welsh, and Michael L. Greenwald, published by Pearson. Based on the table of contents and the types of material the book provides, it might work well with your approach; it has all 5 of the plays you mention.
All the best,
[8]------------------------------------------------------------- Andy, last semester I took a fun and informative class on filmed versions of Shakespeare plays from SHAKSPER listmember Allston James at Monterey Peninsula College. Allston had us use the textbook "Shakespeare: Script, Stage, Screen" by Bevington, Welsh, and Greenwald. Here is its official page on the Pearson Longman website: http://www.pearsonhighered.com/educator/product/Shakespeare-Script-Stage-Screen/9780321198136.page The book begins with an overview of Shakespeare, his writing, and different interpretations of his plays over the centuries. The bulk of the book is the complete text of 14 plays (including all the ones you want to cover) with a special focus on how they've been handled in films. The discussions include adaptations and spin-offs such as "Ran" and "Forbidden Planet." There are even analyses of specific scenes from films, along with a segment of Kenneth Branagh's script for "Much Ado About Nothing." Also, Andy, although you mentioned that you plan to keep the texts of the plays subordinated, I think as a teacher you will find it handy that if students do need to refer to specific passages in their papers, they will all be working from the same version of each play, with uniform line numbering. As a student, I found this book comprehensive and helpful for studying Shakespeare films. Perhaps an educator will chime in here to provide his or her perspective on it. Patty
[9]------------------------------------------------------------- I regularly teach a course in "Literature and Film," sometimes with a Shakespeare slant, and sometimes not. I find Linda Costanzo Cahir's Literature into Film (McFarland, 2006) to be quite useful. Although not specifically about Shakespeare and film, many of her examples are drawn from these. There are extended discussions of Henry V and Lear. And there is an appendix of "Shakespeare Plays on Film."
David P McKay
_______________________________________________________________ DISCLAIMER: Although SHAKSPER is a moderated discussion list, the opinions expressed on it are the sole property of the poster, and the editor assumes no responsibility for them.
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