dangermom Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 I want to get some Shakespeare performances on DVD for the kids to watch. I know I want Twelfth Night with Helena Bonham Carter, but I'm not sure what other films to get. The Much Ado About Nothing with Emma Thompson, for example, I want to leave until my kids are older (if you remember that one scene...). So is anyone familiar with the best--and OK for kids under 12--films of the following? Midsummer Night's Dream As You Like It The Tempest Henry V (I can get the Branagh one, yes?) ...any other recommendations, instead or in addition? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy to monkeys Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 :lurk5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 We just watched the Midsummer Night's Dream with Michelle Pfeiffer. It was ok...my son, 9, somewhat liked it. He had read it before watching and was interested in the storyline. The 6yr olds enjoyed the fairies (ooh, pretty!) but didn't get much else out of it. There was one scene at the end that I was not expecting. They all wake up naked together in the forest after the fairies fix everyone's relationships. There was no nudity but my son asked why they were naked. There were a few other minor things but I don't think the kids noticed and they weren't too bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriedClams Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 (edited) Henry V (I can get the Branagh one, yes?) This is one of my favorite movies of all time - but I would preview it - it's pretty violent. I LOVE it though!! May watch it tonight! ETA- I just watched it again. And the ending twice. :-) Love it! But the battle scene is VIOLENT (blood pouring from mouths after stabbing, slitting throats, tons of blood - very realistic) and the part where the French go behind the scenes and kill all the boys is rough. The other part I would edit is the hanging. It's important to the story and shows Henry's change and maturity - but it's graphic. I might let a 12 year old watch it with fast scanning through the battle scene/hanging. Edited March 12, 2011 by Kayaking Mom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cindie2dds Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 If you can get your hands on one of these, they are by far the best productions I've seen. The ones Kenneth Branagh has done have been great as well, especially the two with Emma Thompson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMamaBird Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 I just watched Hamlet with David Tennant and completely enjoyed it! It's also has Patrick Stewart :D It's a more modern take than I'd seen before in terms of costume and scenery which was interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehogs4 Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 We just watched Much Ado, (i didn't know about "that" scene), Henry the V and Hamlet. My ds9 LOVED Much Ado and while I sat frozen in my seat with my hand over his eyes at the one part (which, had i known was coming would have just ff through), the whole family was so glad we had watched it. I wouldn't toss it just because of that if you can ff. It is one of the easiest to understand. My ds9 LOVED Henry V. Loved it. Did I mention he loved that play? Hamlet he watched with dogged determination and enjoyed, but it was much more difficult to understand. Even so, he was glad that he watched it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 I saw the Taming with RB and ET when I was 9 (when it first came out!) and remember being interested enough and completely missing anything the least questionable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 (edited) I want to get some Shakespeare performances on DVD for the kids to watch. I know I want Twelfth Night with Helena Bonham Carter, but I'm not sure what other films to get. The Much Ado About Nothing with Emma Thompson, for example, I want to leave until my kids are older (if you remember that one scene...). So is anyone familiar with the best--and OK for kids under 12--films of the following? Midsummer Night's Dream As You Like It The Tempest Henry V (I can get the Branagh one, yes?) ...any other recommendations, instead or in addition? The hanging in the Branagh HV is quite brutal. We enjoyed the Jeremy Irons/Al Pacino Merchant of Venice. Antonio's strong affection for Bassanio is made clear, but there's no touching - just longing looks. FWIW we watched the Emma Thompson Much Ado and enjoyed it. The boys barely noticed the bathing scene, and the scene at the window went right over their heads. Laura Edited March 12, 2011 by Laura Corin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangermom Posted March 12, 2011 Author Share Posted March 12, 2011 Hm hm hm... It's true that Much Ado is a great movie and I could fast-forward through that window scene... I didn't realize Henry V was that violent. Maybe we can skip some bits there... thanks for all the thoughts, keep 'em coming! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JadeOrchidSong Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 We are going to study Shakespeare in a couple weeks, so I would like to know what films to watch, too. We watched Henry V, but it was kind of long and wordy, so we sped it up some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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