POSTED April 23 2013
Brush up your Shakespeare
Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles in “Ten Things I Hate About You”
To commemorate the Bard’s 449th, a question: Name movies that update or fracture Shakespeare? While I don’t like genetically modified food, I like genetically modified Shakespeare.
Taming of the Shrew has proved to be most adaptable, being the basis of Kiss Me, Kate, Ten Things I Hate About You and Deliver Us from Eva.
Romeo and Juliet was nicely postmodernized in Shakespeare in Love, Twelfth Night was teased into the agreeable She’s the Man and Othello remade into O.
As you think of other titles, enjoy this clip from Kiss Me, Kate: http://youtu.be/O-CSb3Xe06s
Name your favorite modified Shakespeare?
Your favorite genetically-modified Shakespeare films? http://t.co/wuXdRdtEwo http://t.co/ktTJnC3Jqy
@CarrieRickey THRONE OF BLOOD, which is one of the most visual Shakespeare films, and thus doesn’t require the words of the Bard.
I liked MEN OF HONOR when I saw it many years ago but have no idea if it holds up.
@labuzamovies @CarrieRickey It’s certainly got the most frightening Birnam Wood images put to film.
Does Paul Mazursky’s “Tempest” count? Other than the title and its island setting, I’m not sure it mirrors the Shakespeare play too faithfully. “Forbidden Planet” might actually be more faithful, notwithstanding its sci-fi approach.
Absolutely, Tempest and Forbidden Planet count.
Olivia Hussey in Romeo and Juliet. But maybe that’s just because she made it ok to have thick eyebrows. I can’t even remember if it was contemporized. And does Shakespeare in Love count?
Of course Shakespeare in Love counts.
I was going to mention Men of Honor as well, which didn’t quite work overall as a modern mob version of Macbeth, but it did have its moments. Still, Kurosawa was the master of Shakespeare in a new setting and he think he saved his best for almost last with his take on King Lear in Ran.