Video Clips of Shakespeare Plays
The following entries are You Tube clips taken from movies based on some of Shakespeare's most popular history plays. I think you will enjoy them. Let me tell you something about each video:
1. Henry V, Act 3, Scene 4: "An English Lesson for A French Princess" - The wonderful British actress Emma Thompson (you may have seen her in the Harry Potter movies) interprets a scene in which the French Princess Katherine asks her maid (who has spent some time in England) to teach her some words of English. After learning such words as "hand", "finger", "nail" and "chin", she is shocked to learn the words "foot" and "count" which sound to her very much like certain obscene words in French. She says that the English are bad people to use such words, and that she would never say them in front of French gentlemen.
2. Richard III, Act 1, Scene 1, Opening Monologue (Traditional interpretation)- In this classic 1955 movie, the great actor Sir Laurence Olivier interprets Richard III's speech that begins, "Now is the winter of our discontent..." In this version, some lines from another Shakespeare play, Henry VI (in which Richard III also figures as a character) are added to the end of the speech.
3. Richard III, Act 1, Scene 1, Opening Monologue (Alternative version) - In this version of the same scene, the well-known actor Ian Mckellen ("Dumbledore" in Harry Potter and "Gandalf" in Lord of the Rings interprets Richard III as an unscrupulous 20th century English politician. Since this is the beginning of the movie, we have to wait a while for Richard's speech, but the details of the movie are interesting. For example, we hear a woman singing a 1930's style jazz song. If we listen to the words, we notice that they from a well-knwon 16th century poem by Christopher Marlow (Shakespeare's contemporary and professional rival). What I most like about this version is the way that Richard gives the first part of his speech (the part that extolls his brother's victories in war) in public, but as soon as he starts to talk about his own evil plots the scene switches and he is enterring a public bathroom. He delivers part of his speech as he is urinating!
4-5. Richard III, Act 1, Scene 2, Richard woos Lady Anne (Traditional interpretation)- this is taken from a BBC television production. The actor doesn't look quite ugly and wicked enough for Richard III, but he acts the part well and speaks his lines in a way that make the meaning clear. This scene is divided into 2 parts, since it is rather long.
6. Richard III, Act 1, Scene 2, Richard woos Lady Anne (Alternate version) - In this modernized version of the same scene, Ian Mckellen, as Richard III, hands Lady Anne a knife from a morgue table (instead of a sword) and invites her to kill him. The actress who interprets Lady Anne also does a great job. The original text is shortened and the language is modernized a little, but none of Shakespeare's art is lost.
1. Henry V, Act 3, Scene 4: "An English Lesson for A French Princess" - The wonderful British actress Emma Thompson (you may have seen her in the Harry Potter movies) interprets a scene in which the French Princess Katherine asks her maid (who has spent some time in England) to teach her some words of English. After learning such words as "hand", "finger", "nail" and "chin", she is shocked to learn the words "foot" and "count" which sound to her very much like certain obscene words in French. She says that the English are bad people to use such words, and that she would never say them in front of French gentlemen.
2. Richard III, Act 1, Scene 1, Opening Monologue (Traditional interpretation)- In this classic 1955 movie, the great actor Sir Laurence Olivier interprets Richard III's speech that begins, "Now is the winter of our discontent..." In this version, some lines from another Shakespeare play, Henry VI (in which Richard III also figures as a character) are added to the end of the speech.
3. Richard III, Act 1, Scene 1, Opening Monologue (Alternative version) - In this version of the same scene, the well-known actor Ian Mckellen ("Dumbledore" in Harry Potter and "Gandalf" in Lord of the Rings interprets Richard III as an unscrupulous 20th century English politician. Since this is the beginning of the movie, we have to wait a while for Richard's speech, but the details of the movie are interesting. For example, we hear a woman singing a 1930's style jazz song. If we listen to the words, we notice that they from a well-knwon 16th century poem by Christopher Marlow (Shakespeare's contemporary and professional rival). What I most like about this version is the way that Richard gives the first part of his speech (the part that extolls his brother's victories in war) in public, but as soon as he starts to talk about his own evil plots the scene switches and he is enterring a public bathroom. He delivers part of his speech as he is urinating!
4-5. Richard III, Act 1, Scene 2, Richard woos Lady Anne (Traditional interpretation)- this is taken from a BBC television production. The actor doesn't look quite ugly and wicked enough for Richard III, but he acts the part well and speaks his lines in a way that make the meaning clear. This scene is divided into 2 parts, since it is rather long.
6. Richard III, Act 1, Scene 2, Richard woos Lady Anne (Alternate version) - In this modernized version of the same scene, Ian Mckellen, as Richard III, hands Lady Anne a knife from a morgue table (instead of a sword) and invites her to kill him. The actress who interprets Lady Anne also does a great job. The original text is shortened and the language is modernized a little, but none of Shakespeare's art is lost.
Labels: 2010, Updated Oct. 2
posted by Ronald Perry | 5:44 PM
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