ENG 363 - British Literature

Part of the series The Wars of the Roses. (2 hours 52 minutes)

Part of the series The Wars of the Roses. (2 hours 31 minutes)

Is there a Shakespeare lover who does not know this superb film? Two entire generations were introduced to Shakespeare by this expansive production, which is as fresh and dramatic and deeply touching today as when first it ushered in the contemporary style of Shakespearean production and taught us to see the vast and rich panoply beyond the lines of Shakespeare’s Henry V. (2 hours 16 minutes)

Without doubt the Lear of the century, this performance surpasses the skill of the critics to praise it; its all-star cast and crew have won every award that exists for performance and production. More important, the production makes a taut, compressed, and difficult play into a work that reaches out to modern audiences in its grip on the elemental human emotions—emotions common to ancient Celts and modern Americans, rowdy Elizabethan playgoers and today's Shakespearean scholars. (2 hours 40 minutes)

Inspired by the prophecies of three witches and encouraged by his ambitious wife, a murderous king claws his way to power. The Stratford Festival’s chilling production of Macbeth will haunt your dreams and leave you tingling.

From the mind of award-winning director Julie Taymor comes a Shakespeare adaptation like none other, A Midsummer Night's Dream. Rich with Taymor's trademark creativity, this immersive and darkly poetic cinematic experience brings the play's iconic fairies, spells and hallucinatory lovers to life. Filmed at her sold-out stage production with cinematography by Rodrigo Prieto (Argo, Frida) and music by Academy Award-winning composer Elliot Goldenthal, the feats of visual imagination are ingenious and plentiful, but beating at the center of the film is an emotionally moving take on the deeper human aspects of Shakespeare's beloved tale.

In the tyrannical court of Athens, the pitiless dictator Theseus plans his wedding to Hippolyta, a prisoner of war, and young Hermia is sentenced to death by her own father. Beyond Athens, in the wild wood, dark forces are stirring … The battle between the Queen and King of the Fairy Lands is shaking their magical kingdom to its roots. Titania and Oberon rule over warring armies; these are elemental fairies, made of the forest and the night.

In the rickety township on the hillside, amateur theatre group the Mechanicals rehearse, with all their comic rivalries. Among their number is Bottom, the weaver, who’s about to have the most remarkable night of his life. When the potent worlds of Athens and the forest collide, the outcome will resonate everywhere. This is a dream that will never be forgotten.

Joseph Papp’s 1972 CBS-TV production of the New York Shakespeare Festival’s Broadway staging of Shakespeare’s rollicking comedy is brassy, bouncy, and altogether entertaining. Featuring Sam Waterston and the Tony-nominated performances of Kathleen Widdoes and Barnard Hughes, Papp’s turn-of-the-century version has Teddy Roosevelt roughriders and bicycle-riding women suffragettes, while remaining faithful to the classic tale: Beatrice and Benedick are still sparring partners fighting their merry war of words; the evil Don Jon continues conspiring to break up the wedding of Hero and Claudio; and it’s once again up to Dogberry to save the day.

Part of the series The Wars of the Roses. (208 minutes)

This special production of the play was produced to celebrate the Stratford Shakespeare Festival’s 40th anniversary. Director Richard Monette has set the play in the time of Mussolini, giving added pathos to the senseless hatred between the Montagues and the Capulets. Megan Porter Follows, known worldwide for her starring role in Anne of Green Gables, gives a stellar performance as Juliet. The production is produced and directed by Emmy Award-winner Norman Campbell.