Rose in BC Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 We are beginning a short summer module on Shakespeare and I would like to maybe watch a Shakespeare movie with the kids. They are 11 and 12. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 Hamlet, my 13 yo dd enjoyed it , I think it was with Basil Rathbone from the fifties. Jet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaKim Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 The 1953 Julius Caesar was good. My 13 and 9 year olds both enjoyed it, even with the Shakespearian language. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clwcain Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 I'm a huge fan of Much Ado About Nothing with Kenneth Branagh, although there is nudity in the opening sequence. I don't know if you'd consider that an issue. Branagh's Henry V and Hamlet are also excellent. I will also recommend Hamlet with Mel Gibson and Romeo & Juliet with Olivia Hussey, both directed by Franco Zeffirelli. I know there's some nudity in R&J. I can't recall if there is any in Hamlet. Richard III with Sir Ian McKellan, although it uses the Shakespearean language it is set in a fascist England around the 1930s. I was a huge fan of Baz Luhrman's Romeo & Juliet, but I have discovered that is a minority opinion in many circles. That was the one with firearms and Leonardo DiCaprio from a few years back. I still think Zeffirelli's is better, but the more recent one is fun. Olivier's films of Henry V and Hamlet are very good, but they might be too dull for your kids based on age. I'm a positive junkie for these things and I fight to stay awake in them. I don't recall seeing a good film version of either Lear or MacBeth, and most of the comedies and romances haven't fared well, either. Good luck. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendi Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 It's one of my favorite movies, too. Wendi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
readwithem Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 Henry V with Branagh. Hands down our favorite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 We've enjoyed the versions of Midsummer Night's Dream and As You Like It with Kevin Kline. We picked Olivier's Henry V over Branagh's because my daughter's 7 and the Branagh version is a bit too intense for her, but I personally like the Branagh version. There's a BBC version of Taming of the Shrew with John Cleese as Petruccio that we liked as well. One tip---we found getting dvds and turning on the English subtitles was helpful for my daughter in following the language. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomSchool5 Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 We watched the 1953 Julius Caesar with Marlon Brando and my boys enjoyed it. First I let them read a comic book version of the play so they would have an idea of the plot. Then we watched it over 3 days, stopping every so often to discuss what was happening, what lines meant, etc. Not too often, though. For the ages you want to do, I would have them read or read a simplified version of whatever you decide to watch. I think an author named Lamb has some simplified versions. Much Ado About Nothing is also one of my favorite movies and I used it with my 10th graders in ps. There is an opening scene of male bottoms, which should be fine since yours are boys. However, when they take him to see the proof of her infidelity, the love scene is very vocal and rather graphic. I skipped that section and just told my class that he heard what he thought was his fiance making love to another man. My classes loved that movie. Their comments were, "This cannot be Shakespeare. It's funny!!" Why is it the ps only study tragedy?? Mara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rose in BC Posted June 10, 2008 Author Share Posted June 10, 2008 I'm going to compile a list for now and for down the road. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy in MD Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 Why is it the ps only study tragedy?? Mara However, when they take him to see the proof of her infidelity, the love scene is very vocal and rather graphic. I think you've answered your own question :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monk17 Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 Mid-Summer Nights Dream with Michele Phifer, I would watch it before you show the kids. Also "The Merchant of Venice" with Al Pacino. It's interesting that it was classified as a comedy. Once again you need to screen it for your own standards. There are some good Shakespeare books for children out there. Our rule is if you want to see the movie you have to read the book first. (if there is one) Regards, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 Mid-Summer Nights Dream with Michele Phifer, I would watch it before you show the kids. We did this one with our then-6 yo and I don't remember any issues (for our family) offhand, just fyi. Speaking of this, btw, don't assume that because something was made with children in mind that you may not want to preview it. We recently got the Animated Shakespeare off of Netflix, 25 minute animated or puppet adaptations of the major plays (I think there were 3 or 4 per disk). Most of them were perfectly fine, but I am not sure I understand the need to have cartoon nudity in Romeo and Juliet, especially at a series aimed at children. Not full frontal, but they were naked from the waist up with him on top of her just after the marriage. They took that one image and floated it all over the screen for what seemed like a couple of minutes--definitely long enough to make an impression. The language in the Othello (another animation in the series) was also extremely rough in my opinion---not more so than the original, of course, as they preserved the dialogue as much as possible, but I had not expected a children's video to have preserved in that 25 minutes what seemed to be every possible reference to terms for sexual infidelity in the entire play. I can't recall many other shows that would rank that high in "wh*res" per minute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monk17 Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 The part where she sleeps with the donkey took some explaining. But she loved the fairy's! All kind of chances here for a witty reply and I'm going to pass... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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