Shaky Shakespeare adaptations

Rev. Powell · February 26, 2009, 10:37:14 PM

After recently viewing TROMEO AND JULIET, it occurred to me that it seems that I've heard of a lot of crazy, weird, and just plain bad adaptations of Shakespeare. But I can't really think of most of them right now, except for TITUS (the surreal 1999 version with Anthony Hopkins) and PROSPERO'S BOOKS (Peter Greenaway's nudie version of "The Tempest"). And maybe the German version of HAMLET that MST3K skewered.

So, rather than doing the reserach myself, I turn to you, the badmovies reader: what are some of the wackiest, weirdest adaptations of the Bard's work you can think of?

schmendrik · February 26, 2009, 10:50:45 PM

Ten Things I Hate About You is a damned good updating of "Taming of the Shrew". Outstanding casting, very funny script. Julia Roberts & Heath Ledger (still with his Australian accent) are delightful.

Scotland, PA is a pretty faithful updating of "Macbeth" which also works pretty well.

Neither of those keeps the original language or exactly the original characters but pretty much manages to have the same plot points and equivalent characters in a modern setting.

I thought the Romeo and Juliet with Claire Danes and Leonardo diCaprio was kind of bizarre. That was one of those adaptations that used the original words but in a modern setting and costumes. Sometimes that works for me, sometimes it doesn't.

Derf · February 26, 2009, 11:15:52 PM

Strange Brew is an adaptation of Hamlet, with bonus added beer and hockey, eh.

indianasmith · February 26, 2009, 11:20:56 PM

I saw an Australian production of MACBETH last year that kept the original dialogue, but with MacBeth and his cronies being modern-day druglords rather than Scottish nights. Oh, and the three witches were uber-hotties in (and out of) schoolgirl uniforms.

Pretty doggone odd.

But, an anachronistic version of Shakespeare that actually works is RICHARD III with Ian McKellar and Brendan Frazier, setting the classic villain from the Wars of the Roses in 1930's England. It really worked!!

ER · February 26, 2009, 11:33:51 PM

Aw, heck, I'll admit it, I liked Baz Luhrmann's 1996 Romeo + Juliet and think it falls into the "shaky" category. I also thought Looking for Richard, Al Pacino's examination/quasi-pseudo-sorta-almost production of the play, also from 1996, was interesting. Kevin Spacey's turn as Buckingham stole the show. (I used to really be into Spacey's work.) Let's not forget one of the greatest sci-fi movies ever, Forbidden Planet, is said to have been heavily influenced by The Tempest but frankly I think it's better than the play.

PS: Although it isn't Shakespeare, but Marlowe, the worst modern translation of an Elizabethan play EVER might've been Derek Jarman's Edward II. I'd like to drop this movie on the Taliban.

indianasmith · February 27, 2009, 07:13:42 AM

One of the BEST Shakespeare adaptations is Kenneth Branagh's HENRY V. What a great work!! I just finished showing it to my World History class.

meQal · February 27, 2009, 07:49:52 AM

Quote from: schmendrik on February 26, 2009, 10:50:45 PM
I thought the Romeo and Juliet with Claire Danes and Leonardo diCaprio was kind of bizarre. That was one of those adaptations that used the original words but in a modern setting and costumes. Sometimes that works for me, sometimes it doesn't.

I actually thought it was rather stupid. Extremely stupid when they pulled out guns calling them swords. Even had a closeup of one with the word sword printed on it. I jsut shook my head when I seen that and groaned.

Another one for the list is O which is Othello set in a high school. I really hate teenage dramas and setting Shakespearian plays in high school settings just irk me for some reason. Besides if I want teenage drama, I got 2 teenage daughters an a third that's a preteen which can provide more than I care for in my life in a single day.

schmendrik · February 27, 2009, 08:41:57 AM

Quote from: schmendrik on February 26, 2009, 10:50:45 PM
Ten Things I Hate About You is a damned good updating of "Taming of the Shrew". Outstanding casting, very funny script. Julia Roberts & Heath Ledger (still with his Australian accent) are delightful.

Oy vey, brain fart.

Julia Roberts + Heath Ledger would be very bizarre. It was Julia Stiles, of course.

lester1/2jr · February 27, 2009, 10:06:05 AM

what a coincidence. I was just about to post a recent viewings on "O" the 2001 version of Othella starring Julia Stiles and mekhi Phifer. here's what I will now post here:

I'm allergic to tension, in life and in movies. I used to have to turn off "Three's Company" because I couldn't stand it when jack got in a jam with two different dates at once or something. But occasionaly I enjoy it and if you do too " O" can certainly fill that quota. and you can see Julia stiles at least a quarter or a half naked. evil in the form of the son of the coach of the basket ball team is visited upon a hoity toity prep school (are there any broken down low down prep schools? ). He is jealous of Odin, not the viking god but the basketball star guy played by Mekhi Phifer so he plots to bring him down by convincing him that his girlfriend is cheating on him. drug use, sex, and (your ) suspenion of disbelief follow. I hate to say this was fun but it really was. If you like stuff like "Cruel Intentions" this is darker and not quite as good but well worth seeing.

edit: but here is what wlc something thought at netflix reviews

QuoteThe foul language and cursing God was so bad that I couldn't watch it. I had to turn it off after 5 minutes. I am sending it back and hope to never get a movie this filthy again.

Rev. Powell · February 27, 2009, 07:56:20 PM

Quote from: indianasmith on February 26, 2009, 11:20:56 PM
I saw an Australian production of MACBETH last year that kept the original dialogue, but with MacBeth and his cronies being modern-day druglords rather than Scottish nights. Oh, and the three witches were uber-hotties in (and out of) schoolgirl uniforms.

Pretty doggone odd.

That's one of the movies I was thinking of, but couldn't remember the name of. Still can't.

I was thinking there were also some Japanese adaptations (not Kurosawa) that used Shakespearean plots, but set the action among the yakuza. I could be imagining that one.

WingedSerpent · February 27, 2009, 10:34:29 PM

Forbidden Planet is a re-imaginig of The Tempest.

Cthulhu · March 01, 2009, 06:19:16 AM

The secret sex lives of Romeo and Juliet.

Newt · March 01, 2009, 08:30:36 AM

Do Star Trek episodes count?

Trevor · March 02, 2009, 02:47:19 AM

The "adaptation" of Julius Squeezer that my fellow classmates and I did for English class in 1984. Yours truly played Julius and my friends got to stab me with switchblades with retracted loose blades.

In film terms, the Romeo & Juliet play in Hot Fuzz comes to mind where the cast sing The Cardigans' Love Fool after Juliet blows her brains out with a 9mm pistol.

Wag · March 02, 2009, 04:02:06 AM

Quote from: Newt on March 01, 2009, 08:30:36 AM
Do Star Trek episodes count?

In my book, yeah (but then I am slightly obsessed and would say they count for a lot)

Also, The Lion King is apparenlty "inspired by" Hamlet - I have not read Hamlet and could't sit through the version of Hamlet with Ethan Hawke in so can't confirm this myself.