Synopses & Reviews
Rated and#145;Outstandingand#8217; in the 2004 edition of University Press Books Selected for Public and Secondary School Libraries
Samuel Crowl's Shakespeare at the Cineplex: The Kenneth Branagh Era is the first thorough exploration of the fifteen major Shakespeare films released since the surprising success of Kenneth Branagh's Henry V (1989). Crowl presents the rich variety of these films in the and#147;long decade: between the fall of the Berlin Wall and the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.and#8221; The productions range from Hollywood-saturated films such as Franco Zeffirelli's Hamlet and Michael Hoffman's A Midsummer Night's Dream to more modest, experimental offerings, such as Christine Edzard's As You Like It.
Now available in paperback, Shakespeare at the Cineplex will be welcome reading for fans, students, and scholars of Shakespeare in performance.
Review
and#147;Generous-spirited and eloquent.and#8221;
and#151; John Andrews, The Guild Shakespeare
Review
and#147;An important critical link from the literary Shakespeare to the actorand#8217;s Shakespeare.and#8221;
and#151; The Readerand#8217;s Review
Review
and#147;This now well-established field of performance criticism will be enhanced by Crowland#8217;s commendable narrative.and#8221;
and#151; CHOICE
Synopsis
Samuel Crowl's Shakespeare at the Cineplex: The Kenneth Branagh Era is the first thorough exploration of the fifteen major Shakespeare films released since the surprising success of Kenneth Branagh's Henry V (1989). Crowl presents the rich variety of these films in the "long decade: between the fall of the Berlin Wall and the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001." The productions range from Hollywood-saturated films such as Franco Zeffirelli's Hamlet and Michael Hoffman's A Midsummer Night's Dream to more modest, experimental offerings, such as Christine Edzard's As You Like It. Now available in paperback, Shakespeare at the Cineplex will be welcome reading for fans, students, and scholars of Shakespeare in performance.
About the Author
Trustee Professor of English at Ohio University, Samuel Crowl is the author of Shakespeare Observed: Studies in Performance on Stage and Screen as well as numerous essays, articles, reviews, and interviews on aspects of Shakespeare in performance. He has lectured widely on Shakespeare at universities and conferences.
Table of Contents
The Long Decade: 989-2001 -- The Words of Mercury and the Songs of Apollo: Branagh's Journey from Henry V to Love's Labour' Lost -- The Golden Girl and a Fistful of Dust: Zeffirelli's Hamlet -- Shakespeare and Hollywood: Branagh's Much Ado About Nothing -- Song, Sea, and Sexual Mystery: Nunn's Twelfth Night -- Checkmate: Parker's Othello -- Changing Colors Like the Chameleon: Loncraine's Richard III -- Shooting Stars: Luhrmann's William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet -- A Clean, Well-Spoken Place: Branagh's Hamlet -- Bankside Shakespeare: Edzard's As You Like It and The Children's Midsummer Night's Dream -- Shakespeare and Hollywood Revisited: The Dreams of Noble and Hoffman -- The Prince of Manhattan: Almereyda's Hamlet -- A Wilderness of Tigers: Taymor's Titus -- Conclusion: The Abrupt Edge.