How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare (48 page)

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Shakespeare for All Time
. London: Macmillan, 2002. Wells discusses Shakespeare’s afterlife in the world’s literature and on the world’s stages. Like all of his books, it’s fascinating reading.

Williams, Owen, and Caryn Lazzuri, eds.
Foliomania!: Stories Behind Shakespeare’s Most Important Book
. Washington, D.C.: Folger Shakespeare Library, 2011. The Folger Shakespeare Library mounted one of its best exhibits ever in 2011, about Shakespeare’s folios, and this is the catalog. It is filled with interesting anecdotes and reads like a series of detective stories—loads of fun.

Wills, Garry.
Verdi’s Shakespeare: Men of the Theater
. New York: Viking Penguin, 2011. Wills discusses, in addition to the topic suggested by the title, the role of boy actors in Elizabethan England, particularly the leading boy actor John Rice. As always, Wills is illuminating and erudite.

FILMS

Movies are a wonderful way to bring Shakespeare’s texts to life for your children, and I recommend all of the following films for additional study
and entertainment. Hundreds of Shakespeare movies are available—this is a selective listing guided solely by what I’ve been able to see over the years.

Kenneth Branagh’s Adaptations
All the work of this highly gifted actor and director is inspiring. He single-handedly rescued the whole practice of putting Shakespeare on film in the late twentieth century, and we owe him a huge debt of gratitude.

Much Ado About Nothing
(1993). Directed by Kenneth Branagh, starring Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Denzel Washington, and Richard Clifford, rated PG-13. I’m putting this one first—out of alphabetical order—because I think it’s the best Shakespeare movie of all time. If your children don’t love Shakespeare after watching it, you can have the price of this book back. (Not really.)

As You Like It
(2006). Directed by Kenneth Branagh, starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Kevin Kline, and Richard Clifford, rated PG. Set in Japan, this film is colorful and fun and conveys the essence of the play very well.

Hamlet
(1996). Directed by Kenneth Branagh, starring Kenneth Branagh, Derek Jacobi, and Kate Winslet, rated PG-13. Pretty much full text, this one’s an excellent way to introduce your children to the play. Branagh makes a great Hamlet, and Derek Jacobi and Kate Winslet are breathtaking as Claudius and Ophelia.

Henry V
(1989). Directed by Kenneth Branagh, starring Kenneth Branagh and Derek Jacobi, rated PG-13. Branagh’s revisionist view should be contrasted with Olivier’s classic view, below. It makes for a stirring movie.

Love’s Labour’s Lost
(2000). Directed by Kenneth Branagh, starring Alessandro Nivola, Alicia Silverstone, and Richard Clifford, rated PG. This rather unique take on the play contains little of Shakespeare’s text but instead adds some vintage songs from the 1930s and 1940s. Still, it conveys the essence of a complex play very well.

Laurence Olivier’s Adaptations

Hamlet
(1948). Directed by Laurence Olivier, starring Laurence Olivier and Jean Simmons, not rated. This film takes a Freudian view of the play, but nothing Olivier ever did was less than brilliant.

Henry V
(1944). Directed by Laurence Olivier, starring Laurence Olivier, Robert Newton, and Leslie Banks, not rated. One of the greatest movies ever made from Shakespeare. Olivier used it to rally England at its time of crisis in World War II, and it also contains a prettified but enjoyable view of Elizabethan stage conditions. It is excellent in every way.

Richard III
(1955). Directed by Laurence Olivier, starring Laurence Olivier and Cedric Hardwicke, not rated. Olivier as the humpbacked, crooked-nosed Richard is fascinating to watch and loads of fun.

Other Notable Adaptations
(
in alphabetical order
)

Chimes at Midnight
(1965). Directed by Orson Welles, starring Orson Welles, Jeanne Moreau, and John Gielgud, not rated. This unique film is not just one play; rather, it compiles text from five different Shakespearean plays, to make a film entirely about Falstaff. Though it’s in black and white and was made on a tiny budget, Welles embodies Falstaff better than anyone I have ever seen. It’s a difficult film, but if you love Shakespeare and Falstaff, it’s indispensable.

Hamlet
(1964). Directed by John Gielgud, starring Richard Burton, not rated. Burton’s
Hamlet
was a landmark for an entire generation of theater lovers. I can think of no performance that is more inspiring or touching. Because the concept of the production was a rehearsal, it is not colorful and the DVD feels a bit drab. But Burton’s performance is electrifying. For me, it kicked off a lifetime of Shakespeare study.

The Merchant of Venice
(2004). Directed by Michael Radford, starring Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, and Joseph Fiennes, rated R. Pacino is always brilliant, and never more so than in this intelligent, disturbing movie.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream
(1999). Directed by Michael Hoffman, starring Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Rupert Everett, rated PG-13. I’m not
much of a fan of “popular” Shakespeare, but this enjoyable film captures the spirit of the play and makes it accessible.

Ran
(1985). Directed by Akira Kurosawa, in Japanese with English subtitles, rated R. This story of a Japanese warlord and his three sons is a powerful, devastating adaptation of
King Lear
. For many buffs, this and Kurosawa’s adaptation of
Macbeth
(
Throne of Blood
, 1957) are the height of Shakespeare on film.

Romeo and Juliet
(1968). Directed by Franco Zeffirelli, starring Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey, not rated. Zeffirelli is a great director, and his productions of opera around the world are legendary. This one made everyone sit up and take notice when it first came out, and it is indispensable for anyone who loves movies and Shakespeare.

Romeo + Juliet
(1996). Directed by Baz Luhrmann, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Clare Danes, and John Leguizamo, rated PG-13. This film is set in modern Italy but has dialogue by Shakespeare. It uses guns instead of swords. It’s violent but hip, and some kids will love it.

The Taming of the Shrew
(1967). Directed by Franco Zeffirelli, starring Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, and Michael York, not rated. This film is everything a Shakespeare movie should be: faithful to the spirit of the play, beautiful to look at, and with two big stars who are worthy of their parts. Burton is still at his peak, and Taylor is glamorous and wild. The whole thing is rip-roaring fun, and your kids will love it.

Twelfth Night
(1998). Directed by Kenneth Branagh, starring Frances Barber and Richard Briers, no rating. This is the only great video of the whole play, and it’s stunning. Frances Barber is transporting. Don’t miss it.

Films of Stage Productions

The Folger Theatre has put its 2008 production of
Macbeth
on DVD, and it’s thrilling. Directed by Aaron Posner and the magician Teller, it stars Ian Merrill Peakes and Kate Eastwood Norris. It’s available through the theater’s website.

Much Ado About Nothing
(1973). Video of the Broadway production directed by A. J. Antoon, starring Sam Waterston and Kathleen Widdoes, not rated. Waterston’s portrayal of Benedick is miraculously good. He’s hilarious, and Kathleen Widdoes is every bit his romantic equal. This play brings out the best in actors and directors because it’s such a surefire comedy, and this rendition is terrific. Because it’s a film of a stage production, it contains much more of the original text than do most Shakespeare films, and so it’s particularly recommended. I absolutely love this production.

The New Globe Theatre in London is starting to put its productions on DVD, and many of them are wonderful. My guess is that this project will continue to grow. They’re available through the theater’s website.

Films and Miniseries About Shakespeare or Acting Shakespeare

Acting Shakespeare
(1982). Directed by Kirk Browning, conceived by and starring Ian McKellan, not rated. In this one-man show, McKellan performs some of Shakespeare’s greatest passages and recounts personal anecdotes about life in the theater. McKellan, of course, is a miracle in himself. Highly recommended.

Discovering Hamlet
(1988). Directed by Mark Olshaker, narrated by Patrick Stewart, not rated. This behind-the-scenes documentary follows Derek Jacobi and Kenneth Branagh through rehearsals of a memorable production. It’s filled with enormously interesting backstage insights.

In Search of Shakespeare
(2003). Written and hosted by Michael Wood, not rated. This biographical series is never less than fascinating.

Playing Shakespeare
(1984). Not rated. This documentary series shows excerpts from master classes with John Barton of the Royal Shakespeare Company in the early 1980s. It is especially fascinating to see some of the greatest Shakespearean actors of our time when they were younger, including Judi Dench, Ben Kingsley, Ian McKellan, and Patrick Stewart. For real Shakespeare lovers this is indispensable.

Shakespeare in Love
(1998). Directed by John Madden, starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes, rated R. This witty, creative, and all-around wonderful movie depicts Shakespeare as he was emerging as a young playwright. It won the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Will Shakespeare
(1978). Written by John Mortimer, starring Tim Curry and Ian McShane, not rated. This A&E miniseries covers the early years of Shakespeare’s life; it’s tame but fun.

AUDIO RECORDINGS

The Ages of Man
(1939). John Gielgud performed this one-man show around the world on and off for decades. Consisting of readings of a selection of passages and poems, it is a landmark of twentieth-century Shakespeare and remains vital to this day.

As You Like It
(1962). This Shakespeare Recording Society production stars Vanessa Redgrave, Keith Mitchell, and Stanley Holloway.

BBC Radio Collection’s Shakespeare (2001). This set contains fine performances of Shakespeare’s plays by many of our greatest actors.

BBC Radio Presents
William Shakespeare’s All the World’s a Stage
(1995). An anthology of Shakespearean speeches performed by the world’s leading actors, it features Laurence Olivier, Richard Burton, and Vanessa Redgrave, among others.

Classic FM
Favourite Shakespeare
(1998).
Classic FM
magazine polled its readers to discover their favorite Shakespeare scene, speech, or sonnet; this collection contains performances by Derek Jacobi, Richard Griffiths, and others.

The Complete Arkangel Shakespeare
(1998). This series recorded all thirty-eight plays, fully dramatized and performed by members of the Royal Shakespeare Company and others. The performances are of consistently high quality.

Much Ado About Nothing
(1963). A Shakespeare Recording Society production, starring Rex Harrison and Rachel Roberts. This is one of the best recordings of a Shakespeare play ever made, thanks to Harrison’s Benedick, one of the most beautiful and hilarious comic performances of all time.

Acknowledgments

My thanks to Barbara Mowat, former Director of Research at the Folger Shakespeare Library, co-editor of the Folger editions of the plays, and Executive Editor of
Shakespeare Quarterly
, who read this book in manuscript and offered me her advice. Her suggestions shine through, while any errors in the book remain mine. My thanks also to Robert Young, Director of Education at the Folger, who took time from running the best Shakespeare education department in the country to read this book and give me his excellent thoughts; to Rosey Strub, my friend and manager who helped so enormously on the illustrations for this book; to Eric Simonoff, the best literary agent in the business, for his careful guidance; to Jonathan Lomma, the best theatrical agent in
his
business, for wisely suggesting Eric; and to my scrupulous editorial assistant, Rebecca Phillips.

At Crown Publishers, my thanks go to Sean Desmond, my editor, for all the care he took with this book, as well as his never-ending encouragement and problem-solving; to Molly Stern, Crown’s publisher, for choosing the book; and to the wonderful team that Molly and Sean chose to guide this book through its creation, design, and publication, including Annsley Rosner, Jay Sones, Elizabeth Rendfleisch, Jennifer Ann Daddio, Catherine Cullen, Danielle Crabtree, Cindy Berman, and Stephanie Knapp.

At the Folger Shakespeare Library there are many friends to thank for their encouragement and advice, including Janet Griffin, the Director of Public Programs, who has helped me on so many occasions; and Steve
Ennis, Michael Whitmore, Gail Paster, Lou Cohen, and Jim Shapiro. My thanks also to Christopher Griffin for sharing with me his vast knowledge of the theater.

My thanks also to Richard Clifford and Derek Jacobi for taking the time to record the excerpts for this book. Friends go out of their way for each other, but this was above and beyond the call of duty. Equal thanks to John Lithgow for his kindness in writing such a fine introduction. This was generosity indeed. And to Frances Barber for so kindly stepping into the breach, my thanks as well.