DavidBanuelos

This is one of the most interesting and exciting productions of Hamlet I've ever seen, and I've seen many. To start with the most obvious aspect, it has a black cast and takes place in a modern African setting. They do some very interesting things with the costumes, scenery, music, masks, etc. Locating Hamlet in a specific cultural/political context (other than Denmark) helps to make the story feel more real and immediate.

It also has some fantastic performances, particularly Paapa Essiedu as Hamlet and Natalie Simpson as Ophelia. All of the elements of the production work together to create a fresh, vibrant version of a very familiar play. I felt like I was seeing the play for the first time again.

This is one of my favorite adaptations of A Midsummer Night's Dream. On a technical level, the movie has some problems. The image and sound quality are rather bad on most copies of the movie. The editing and such are not the best. And the costumes are rather dated. However, none of this really detracts from the films qualities.

The cast is stellar, including Judi Dench, Ian Holm, Helen Mirren, Diana Rigg, David Warner, etc., and they give excellent performances. In particular, Judi Dench's delivery of Shakespearean poetry is one of the best I have ever heard.

The makeup on the fairies is fairly simple, but it conveys their otherworldly quality. Bottom's ass head is somewhat more elaborate, with moving mouth and ears. Some may even find it a bit disturbing, but captures the bizarre and grotesque nature of his transformation.

This is probably not the funniest version of A Midsummer Night's Dream, but it expresses the dreamlike, poetic quality of the play better than most.

This is probably m y favorite film adaptation of Othello, and I've seen many of them. Although it is significantly abridged and altered, I think that most of the changes are well chosen, and the overall story is preserved intact. Moreover, the performances are excellent, particularly. Laurence Fishburne as Othello and Kenneth Branagh as Iago. In addition, the locations, costumes, music, cinematography, etc. All help to create the perfect mood and tone for the story.

Aside from the cuts and alterations, my only real complaint would be that sex scene between Othello and Desdemona, although fairly tasteful, is unnecessary. That time could have been better spent including more of the text.

I have shown this movie to college students in my literature class, and they seem to enjoy it and understand it quite well. I would recommend it to anyone, whether familiar with the play or not.