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Shakespeare ReTold [2005]


RRP: £19.99
Our Price: £4.16 (subject to change)

Passionate, humourous, romantic...everything good drama was meant to be...
Review date: 2008-03-02 Rating: 10 out of 10

Before I begin may I just compliment Amazon for it's amazing service. Not only is this dvd fantastic value (being four movies for £4.98) Amazon also had it shipped to me here in Ireland within two days. So if you're one of those people who used to be like me and afraid of online shopping I urge you take the chance and start today. You won't be disappointed.

Well what can I say about these adaptations. Fantastic isn't the word. I, myself am a fan of Shakespeare but had never read any of the plays in this series but I am definitely putting it on my list of things to do following this exceptional series, which certainly proved that it is possible to take well-loved stories and make them relevant in the 21st century.

'Much Ado about nothing' is sharp, witty and funny. Setting it in a news studio was an excellent way of comtemporising the story. While viewers will undoubtedly enjoy the love/hate relationship between Benedict and Beatrice the story is at all times carefully balanced between comedy and the more serious elements in particular the secondary storyline involving up and coming star Billie Piper in the middle of a clausterphobic love-triange. The acting is top-notch, the humour clever and the romance credible. The only thing that annoyed me about this film (and this is the tiniest fault ever) was the omission of why Benedict left Beatrice in the first place. I felt such a revelation would have been much appreciated and perhaps made the relationship between the two leads more solid. 10 out of 10.

The Taming of the Shrew is by far the funniest of the four. This idea will work for some and not for others. While Shirley Henderson in the lead as the wild, rude and downright unpredictable politician is a joy to behold I do believe one's enjoyment of this movie will depend on how much you like the lead actress. Personally for me her voice was a tad irritating and there are numerous times when she talks fast where I couldn't make out what she was saying. Other than that small detail this movie is hilarious, clever and far from predictable. 9 out of 10.

A Midsummer Night's Dream is the weakest of the four. While the acting is perfect, the setting serene and mysterious and the script full of very thought-provoking lines (Some people make things happen, others let them happen) at times it does seem to drag despite being only 1h30 particular in scenes involving the security guards. Personally I don't know if the whole supernatural thing worked for me. Too many things seemed to be happening at once especially as we were dealing with four couples. I'd give this 8.

Finally Macbeth was possibly my favourite of the four. It was dark, clausterphobic, passionate...everything you'd expect from a good thriller. Once you've got past the fifteen minutes, which does appear like an advertisement for cookery programs this movie will suck you in having you on the edge of your seats wondering who the next victim of Macbeth's inner turmoil will be. Special mention must go to the two leads played excellently by James McEvoy and Keely Hawes depicting the torture and mental deterioration spectacularly. Any faults? Well not really. It does end rather abruptly. I would have liked to have been given more answers but then again I think the beauty of this series is that it lets you make your own conclusions. Maybe it would have been nice to have seen a little more of the divine Richard Armitage, who did seem to be under-played in this series. 10 out of 10 other than that.

Overall these four videos will not disappoint. I'd encourage them to all people looking for a good drama. Don't let the fact that they're adaptations of Shakespeare put you off. In fact be warned you'll be longing to read the bard's work after viewing these masterpieces.

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Reviews


Shakespere would have loved this.
Review date: 2008-01-12 Rating: 10 out of 10

I bought this a few months ago and what a gem this is. All the story's are told in modern times making this more up-to-date. My personal favourite story from these discs is The Taming Of The Shrew. Rufus Seawell is outstanding as the male lead who actually looks great wearing women's clothes. Shirley Henderson is another fantastic actress who play's Kate with so much hate and then slowly we see the sweet Kate. Get this D.V.D as this is so funny and moving and everything I haven't pointed out to you. This is a must see.

The truth about love.....
Review date: 2007-12-09 Rating: 10 out of 10

I had just met the love of my life a few weeks before I saw this retelling of the taming of the shrew. And I was trying to put into words how I knew he was the one and how much I knew it was true love. The taming of the shrew put it all into words for me. I love this movie.

One magnificent Retell, Two pretty good, and one I felt failed.
Review date: 2007-08-01 Rating: 10 out of 10

---spoilers----

I'm never normally too keen on Shakespeare retells that use modern speech but some work very well and two of these plays are that good - Taming of the Shrew (No.1 for me on this disk) and Much Ago (No.2).

In Shrew there's terrific charisma between Rufus Sewell, who's one of my favourite actors anyway, and Shirley Henderson and their scenes are hilarious and charming magic. The wedding has to be seen to be believed! This is a superior adaptation by far to the old musical Kiss Me Kate which I found quite boring at times. Shrew is the first Shakespeare play I studied in school, unforgettable in the original, excellent in this version. I particularly liked how the modern writer managed to bring in Kate's obedience at the end in a very clever and modern way when she lectures her mother and sister on love and marriage. The last scenes - the snaps from "the future" are an absolute joy.

Much Ado is another of my favourite Shakespeare and again a splendid version. Was Damian Lewis meant to be a Branagh lookalike or is it just the hair colour happens to be the same? The Beatrice and Benedick romance is dealt with perfectly. Unfortunately, the secondary love story between Hero and her suitor was so changed from the Shakespeare version that the wedding scene goes completely over the top. This modern writer's decision to change the plot, have Hero seriously injured for real and any possible marriage obviously unlikely ruins this subplot completely. Wicked Don John is dealt with fairly well but being made into a lovesick rejected suitor instead of Hero's wicked uncle getting at the whole family takes the edge off that subplot.

I wasn't entirely pleased with Midsummer Night's Dream because the hilarious and famous Pyramus and Thisbe play put on in the original with Bottom and Co. wasn't even attempted. I enjoyed this version up to then and I was expecting something splendid from the modern Bottom and Co. to round it off. In the original the whole point is that Bottom and Co. produce a loopy play in a loopy way - but it has the audience falling about. The attempt in this version to show that Bottom and Co. are still just as silly doesn't work because what they actually do for an entertainment isn't funny at all, it's just "nothing". Oberon's solution, to make the audience believe it was uproariously funny, really was the only option by this stage of a very poor final sequence. No complaints with the acting, though. Special accolades for Bill Patterson and Imelda Staunton. Plenty of magical dreams that you can almost believe in as in the original. Puck, Oberon and Titania - all so effectively played and more of them rather than the lovesick human quartet would have pleased me personally but I suppose would have been far too much of a change from the original that I couldn't quite approve my own wish!

I wasn't so keen on the Macbeth. When I first saw this version on TV I was bored. The original is about Kings and power, and the modern setting chosen didn't work for me at all. I'd have preferred a political theme. Second time around it's a bit better but I wish the Beeb had kept to either comedies or tragedies, not pushed in this one tragedy which seems completely anomalous alongside the others and although I want to buy this DVD set, I am annoyed that one of the plays is so far from interesting me. If only the Beeb had adapted Love's Labour Lost, The Merchant of Venice, Measure for Measure or my favourite Twelfth Night......

Dare I say it? - A Personal and Purely Subjective Review
Review date: 2007-06-29 Rating: 8 out of 10

As a theatre and Shakespeare fan, I loved the idea of taking a couple of his plays and making them accessible to people who wouldn't usually go out and watch a theatrical production of them. I particularly loved "A Midsummer Night's Dream" which has always been one of my favourites. The story is enchanted and the performances of the entire cast are just marvellous (Imelda Staunton is just fantastic). "Much Ado About Nothing" was splendid and a lot of fun to watch. Sarah Parish as Beatrice is a force of nature and Damian Lewis (Benedick) absolutely and typically male (in the best sense :o) ). Well, what can you say about the Scottish play? It was all in good taste :o).

Having written all that, I have to add that I was highly disappointed by "The Taming of the Shrew" which featured two of my favourite actors I might add, Rufus Sewell and Shirley Henderson. Maybe it's just me but Rufus's portrayal of Petrucchio reminded me of Eddie Izzard on crack, Shirley's Kate was not just a shrew, she was a maniac. How she had gotten to become the leader of any political party behaving the way she did is way beyond me. Maybe one would have to be British to see the humour in this production? Nah, I don't think so. Even though I'm not British, I love so many British films and series that that couldn't be it.

All in all, I still believe this is a great idea and hope that the BBC may decide on producing more of those.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Sarah Parish
Shirley Henderson
James McAvoy

Creators:
Sarah Parish (Primary Contributor)
Shirley Henderson (Primary Contributor)

Recording label: Acorn Media
Manufacturer: Acorn Media
EAN: 5036193093487
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 2
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2005-12-26
Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
Running time: 320 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2005
Language: English (Original Language)

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