This week sees the release of Juliet and Romeo, the latest in a long line of Shakespeare adaptations on film. So we’re discussing some of our favorites from that long list! Let us know yours @SiftPop!
Back in 1999, when I read there was a new spin on my favorite Shakespearean play, The Taming of the Shrew, being released, I was both excited and skeptical. I had never heard of the Australia actor playing the updated Petruchio, Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger), nor the actress portraying the fiercely adversarial Kat Stratford (Julia Stiles). These were roles held by screen legends Richard Burton, Douglas Fairbanks, Elizabeth Taylor, and Mary Pickford in prior iterations! Yet the talented trio of casting directors responsible for 10 Things I Hate About You deserve a lot of credit, because both actors embody the spirit of their characters delightfully well. Stiles’ sharp sass and cynicism play perfectly off Ledger’s confidence and charm. If the lead characters were the only thing going for this adaption, I would have considered it a win, but where 10 Things I Hate About You takes it to the next level is the comical performances by all the supporting characters. Too numerous to praise their merits now, I have to point out my favorite, Kat’s father, played by a face you probably recognize but name you likely don’t, Larry Miller. He steals every scene he’s in with his very specific feelings on the importance of teen abstinence. The writing team of Karen McCullah and Kirsten Smith took the banter and wit of the original play and made it their own in a way that is easily digestible to a modern audience, while maintaining its integrity, making 10 Things I Hate About You one of the best screen adaptations of Shakespeare’s work. (Patrice Downing)
Sir Laurence Olivier’s 1948 adaptation of Hamlet serves as one of the most iconic and celebrated adaptation of the bard’s work. While this is littered with classically trained British actors, like Peter Cushing, Basil Sydney and Patrick Troughton, this is Olivier’s show, as he takes on both the lead role and sits in the director’s chair (his second time directing Shakespeare). There’s been no shortage of Shakespeare adaptations, and this might be the most prestigious. It earned four Oscars (Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Art Direction — Set Decoration, Black-and-White, Best Costume Design, Black-and-White) and was nominated for three more (Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Director, Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture). If you’re a fan of traditional adaptations, this is undoubtedly one of the best examples. (Jake Bourgeois)
The Lion King being an adaptation of Hamlet is quite fascinating. We see a young prince at odds with his fratricidal uncle. Things work out a little bit better for Simba than they do for Hamlet, but The Lion King is a charming and endlessly entertaining version of the story. We get the opportunity to spend time with Mufasa before his death (unlike Hamlet), as well as the “ghost” interactions. James Earl Jones and Jeremy Irons channel their stage experience to bring the right amount of Shakespeare to Mufasa and Scar. There are obviously big differences between the two versions, but they have the same narrative skeleton. You know… The Lion King is about talking animals, but it also delivers iconic and entertaining musical numbers. The Lion King is one of Disney Animation’s greatest accomplishments, and it all came from some legendary source material. (Shane Conto)
Loosely based on one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays, Romeo and Juliet, The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride tells the story of Kiara (Neve Campbell) and Kovu (Jason Marsden) as the two star-crossed lovers who work to try and unite the two tribes they are from. Kiera’s father, Simba (Matthew Broderick), also king of the Pride Lands, does not trust the tribe Kovu is from. This tribe remains loyal to Scar, the lion who killed Simba’s father and convinced Simba he was, in fact, responsible, so his mistrust for Kovu, while not all that fair, is very understandable. Simba’s arc of learning to put aside his prejudices is one of the strongest in a direct-to-video Disney film. Kovu also has an interesting arc of understanding that life can be fun, having been raised as a soldier his whole life. This film has a decent set of musical numbers, too; “We Are One,”“My Lullaby,”and“One of Us” are all very catchy tunes which do a great job setting a particular tone and feel for where characters’ headspace is at that point in the story. All of this combines to make a more-than-solid animated Disney sequel. (John Tillyard)
Though both are visual mediums for telling tragic and dramatic stories, there’s things you can do on the stage that you can’t do on the big screen, and vice versa. In the 2015 adaptation of Macbeth, director Justin Kurzel brings a cinematic flair to the retelling of the titular Scottish general’s (Michael Fassbender) quest to overthrow his king, at the urging of his wife (Marion Cotillard). Both Fassbender and Cotillard are absolute acting powerhouses, and provide the necessary gravitas to our lead roles. When paired with how Kurzel and cinematographer (Adam Arkapaw, who also shot another adaptation, The King) shoot the movie, it creates striking visuals for a version of the story that truly capitalizes on what the medium can bring to another retelling of Shakespeare’s work. (Jake Bourgeois)
If you’re like me, you probably thought that Shakespeare was boring and confusing when you were learning about him in school. But it turns out that uninterested high schoolers reading his plays aloud in class might not be the best way to experience the bard’s works for the first time! Short of seeing any half-decent stage production, I’d wager that Kenneth Branagh’s 1993 Much Ado About Nothing is an excellent place to start if you want to get a solid cinematic appreciation for Shakespeare. While it’s not Anyone But You levels of modern, Much Ado is a romantic comedy after all, and as it features bonafide movie stars like Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Kate Beckinsale, and Denzel Washington, what was once difficult language for a high schooler to understand becomes one of the most enjoyable romcoms of the ‘90s. (Robert Bouffard)
A broad-strokes adaptation of Hamlet set in the Middle Ages, Robert Eggers’ third film, The Northman, is a Viking epic on a massive scale, his biggest production up to this point. Prince Amleth (just bring that last letter to the front and you’ve got your Prince of Denmark), played by the absolute beast that is Alexander Skarsgård, vows to take revenge on his uncle (Claes Bang) for murdering his father (Ethan Hawke) and kidnapping his mother (Nicole Kidman). Anya Taylor-Joy costars as Olga of the Birch Forest, a sorceress who accompanies Amleth on his quest for vengeance. Up until the release of his long-awaited Nosferatu reimagining last year, The Northman was my favorite Eggers film; it’s hard not to revel in its spectacular vistas and sweeping tale, as well as Eggers’ meticulously crafted vision of the distant past, brought to life as only he can. It’s important for this story that Eggers maintains his notably bleak and repressive outlook for his characters — he has no qualms with reminding his audience that the world is cruel, and even in a fantastical reality where magic and sorcery interact with the mortal realm, retribution will never bring the satisfaction that one desires. In the end, it’s about the journey, and if that journey involves a ghostly Mound Dweller and a nude fight in a volcano, then so be it. (Rowan Wood)
Leave it up to Akira Kurosawa to make one of the most unique adaptations of Macbeth. His Throne of Blood is a criminally underseen (and I would argue underrated, too) movie that follows the same beats, but with Kurosawa’s handwriting. What that means is the story might be familiar, but the setting, the atmosphere, the execution, the performances… long story short, everything stands out. I have seen a few Kurosawa movies, and this one, by far, delves the most into this horror/thriller territory, which is rare for him. But those scenes have that “it” factor that even almost 70 years later, they still work, and make me wish he actually made a “proper” thriller or horror. Also, watching Toshirô Mifune slowly delve into madness is a pleasure, and his performance, especially towards the end, is electric. If you haven’t seen Throne of Blood yet, run, don’t walk, to your nearest eBay/Amazon and get it. Because it genuinely might be the best Macbeth adaption there is. (Luke Burian)
Out of all of Shakespeare’s works, few have captured the heart’s of modern audiences, and been adapted as many times, as Romeo and Juliet. The classic tale of star-crossed lovers has played on the silver screen countless times, with some adaptations faithfully recreating the play, and others reimagining the story in new settings. Of these adaptations, I think that the standout best is Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story. Itself a remake of a 1957 musical and a 1961 film, West Side Story takes Romeo and Juliet and places them in 1950’s New York City, separated not by feuding noble houses, but by gang conflict and racial divides. Of course, the story is a classic that transcends time, but the real standout of the film is the music. Originally composed by Leonard Bernstein with lyrics from Stephen Sondheim, it’s no surprise that the songs are as memorable as they are, especially when performed by incredible singers such as Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose, and Rita Moreno. Man, what a shame that it took Spielberg 50 years to direct his first musical, because he is absolutely incredible at putting together the musical numbers in fun and dynamic ways. (Rowan Wood)