tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32999748.post3635052733508078480..comments2024-03-04T01:47:18.750-05:00Comments on Lemurian Congress: Romans, Saxons, Vikings, Normans...Adam Thorntonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05634565262440008573noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32999748.post-65971222301279966432008-09-26T16:35:00.000-04:002008-09-26T16:35:00.000-04:00I'll be haunting Flickr and the Daily Muffy lookin...I'll be haunting Flickr and the Daily Muffy looking for those iconic Shakespearean shots...Kimberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08121997385004904981noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32999748.post-7519324758681815712008-09-26T08:44:00.000-04:002008-09-26T08:44:00.000-04:00Hey hey HEY!Kim, you're a GENIUS. THAT is the plan...Hey hey HEY!<BR/><BR/>Kim, you're a GENIUS. THAT is the plan!Adam Thorntonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05634565262440008573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32999748.post-12389956408787856132008-09-25T11:43:00.000-04:002008-09-25T11:43:00.000-04:00Take the train Muffy! It would be a fabulous photo...Take the train Muffy! It would be a fabulous photo op as well. Just think: you in front of the famous Avon River with swans in the background...Kimberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08121997385004904981noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32999748.post-62283020240012360742008-09-25T08:49:00.000-04:002008-09-25T08:49:00.000-04:00That was the plan during those heady "own a car" d...That was the plan during those heady "own a car" days.<BR/><BR/>Barring that, however, it's an awfully long walk, and Stratford's bus service is AWFUL.<BR/><BR/>Someday...Adam Thorntonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05634565262440008573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32999748.post-34322045637581176642008-09-24T22:51:00.000-04:002008-09-24T22:51:00.000-04:00Muffster,You just gotta come out to Stratford here...Muffster,<BR/><BR/>You just gotta come out to Stratford here and see some Willy S live at the Festival.<BR/><BR/>Their Hamlet was excellent this season, and their Taming of the Shrew was quite good as well, tho the latter was the more 'period' of the two. Hamlet looked (by costume) to be early 20th century Denmark.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32999748.post-44248564017429647642008-09-24T10:40:00.000-04:002008-09-24T10:40:00.000-04:00Try Kenneth B's Henry V. You get the added bonus o...Try Kenneth B's Henry V. You get the added bonus of seeing inserted scenes from Henry IV. It's engaging and not tedious at all. Plus you get to see a relatively young KB.<BR/><BR/>Methinks Madkevin hasn't learned the art of drinking heavily whilst watching long-winded adaptations...Kimberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08121997385004904981noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32999748.post-68789161749601876592008-09-23T08:50:00.000-04:002008-09-23T08:50:00.000-04:00Kevin, I would only watch Robin Williams in an ada...Kevin, I would only watch Robin Williams in an adaptation if he were playing a singing teapot.Adam Thorntonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05634565262440008573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32999748.post-73570656727726824162008-09-23T08:48:00.000-04:002008-09-23T08:48:00.000-04:00Tanzi, I just rented the Royal Shakespeare version...Tanzi, I just rented the Royal Shakespeare version of "Richard III" as well as "Elizabeth." In the meantime I'm also thinking that re-watching "The Lion In Winter" would be a good idea.<BR/><BR/>I have never liked Shakespeare, but I have always understood that the major problem was my ignorance of the time period. Maybe now that I'm taking care of that I'll finally be able to appreciate "Hamlet."<BR/><BR/>The Roman Polanski version of "Macbeth," however, was ALWAYS fun.Adam Thorntonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05634565262440008573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32999748.post-26629546003512936482008-09-23T08:45:00.000-04:002008-09-23T08:45:00.000-04:00Thanks Gary! Project Gutenberg is amazing, though ...Thanks Gary! Project Gutenberg is amazing, though I do prefer to have a physical book that I can carry around...fortunately Shakespeare plays are a dime a dozen at the used bookstores, though copiously underlined by students.<BR/><BR/>"What If 2" sounds amazing!<BR/><BR/>There's an old Doctor Who episode where a "meddling monk" travels back to 1066 to launch nuclear rockets at the Viking fleet...so William would (supposedly) lose and never conquer.<BR/><BR/>Would that have lead to a more advanced England, as the monk supposed? Somehow I don't think so.Adam Thorntonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05634565262440008573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32999748.post-28112818970664193522008-09-22T23:14:00.000-04:002008-09-22T23:14:00.000-04:00Oh my God, you can feel yourself age during Kennet...Oh my God, you can feel yourself age during Kenneth Branaugh's (or however you spell his name) Hamlet. I like his Henry V just fine, and I have a soft spot for Much Ado About Nothing because Kate Beckinsale is a cute little button in it, but Hamlet is just fucking absurd. For some INSANE REASON, he chose to film the complete text, which makes no sense because half of the play is describing action on various fields of battle which you could JUST FUCKING SHOW ME BECAUSE I'M WATCHING A MOVIE AND AM NOT ACTUALLY TRAPPED IN A THEATRE, KENNETH. Also, Robin Williams is in it. So, you know, there's that.<BR/><BR/>Traditional stuff: Honestly, it doesn't get much better than good ol' Sir Lawrence. His Hamlet comes across as almost film noir. Oh, and I forgot one: Polanski's brutal, filthy Macbeth. Now there's a Bard adaptation you can really sink your teeth into.madkevinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08263571447613011659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32999748.post-69148061264011504722008-09-22T13:56:00.000-04:002008-09-22T13:56:00.000-04:00James McAvoy. That's the actor!James McAvoy. That's the actor!tanzihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13222930617728241756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32999748.post-40394568237090035932008-09-22T13:54:00.000-04:002008-09-22T13:54:00.000-04:00OOh--the Once and Future King is a great trilogy. ...OOh--the Once and Future King is a great trilogy. Studied Arthurian legend at good ol' U of W and loved this book. It doesn't rhyme so you should be good. After the first one (Sword in the Stone) the books become more mature. Fun read.tanzihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13222930617728241756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32999748.post-17633353289269792762008-09-22T13:53:00.000-04:002008-09-22T13:53:00.000-04:00I can't believe you don't' like good ol' Will! Lo...I can't believe you don't' like good ol' Will! Love him. And I'm not trying to sound all snotty, as God knows I'm not that smart. Gen X has some groovy editions of some of his plays--check out the Macbeth with the guy from Wanted...why can't I remember his name??? No rollerskates...just some really pissed off chefs. Worth a look anyway. Look at the BBC website (don't worry; not the horrible BBC ones we were forced to endure in school with really bad overacting).<BR/>Kenneth Brannaugh's Hamlet is good...loooooong but good. Um...and the film Looking for Richard is fun.<BR/>Let me know how it goes!tanzihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13222930617728241756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32999748.post-24473883420461866232008-09-22T12:31:00.000-04:002008-09-22T12:31:00.000-04:00I'd recommend several things:1. The Shakespeare f...I'd recommend several things:<BR/><BR/>1. The Shakespeare film adaptations by Kenneth Branagh. Good, and fun too!<BR/><BR/>2. Any Shakespeare film with Sir Laurence Olivier.<BR/><BR/>3. Gutenberg.org for free ancient books that are out of copyright (just got Gulliver's Travels there last week - HTML or text formats).<BR/><BR/>4. "What If 2" - a book edited by Robert Cowley. Poses questions on "counter-factual" history - what if William hadn't been the Conqueror, or Charles I had died of plague, etc. It also reviews what <I>actually</I> happened, so that the what-ifs show how important quirks of fate were in shaping what actually happened.<BR/><BR/>5. Believe it or not, look at some Monarch or Cliff Notes for literature and history books from your era of interest. Usually they give a lot of background that explain not only the writing, but the times during which they were written.<BR/><BR/>6. ANNOTATED versions, if available, of any book that you want to read from that era. The Folger Shakespeare Library is one.<BR/><BR/>7. Another movie: "A Man For All Seasons."<BR/><BR/>Hope this has been helpful.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32999748.post-8851206881230184142008-09-22T09:46:00.000-04:002008-09-22T09:46:00.000-04:00Thanks Jos! I'll look into them.I read all of the ...Thanks Jos! I'll look into them.<BR/><BR/>I read all of the first Gormenghast, but somehow got sidetracked during the second book and didn't finish it...I am definitely planning to read them again soon, as they were nothing short of amazing.<BR/><BR/>The Gormenghast miniseries, however, didn't do much for me...it seemed a bit too silly, lacking the dark elements of the books.Adam Thorntonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05634565262440008573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32999748.post-84405942512493850402008-09-22T09:21:00.000-04:002008-09-22T09:21:00.000-04:00Films, no... but read Falstaff by Robert Nye, The ...Films, no... but read <I>Falstaff</I> by Robert Nye, <I>The Once and Future King</I> by T.H. White, and <I>The Gormenghast Trilogy</I> by Mervyn Peake. All spot on atmosphere-wise, and all good fun to read. Also, there was once a Gormenghast TV series that you may dig up.Joshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01376430158127971470noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32999748.post-8573461247837519272008-09-22T08:57:00.000-04:002008-09-22T08:57:00.000-04:00I want to get a "feeling" for the time period by w...I want to get a "feeling" for the time period by watching/reading these plays, so modern interpretations sort of spoil that goal.<BR/><BR/>But they're all good suggestions, and I know that SOMEDAY I should see "Ran!"Adam Thorntonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05634565262440008573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32999748.post-23789499772209710062008-09-21T21:40:00.000-04:002008-09-21T21:40:00.000-04:00I know you said no modern interpretations, but the...I know you said no modern interpretations, but there are some really great ones. If you can find a better King Lear than Kurosawa's Ran, I'd like to hear about it. Note that it doesn't actually take place in modern times - it's set in Feudal Japan - but it's absolutely brilliant. He also adapted Macbeth as Throne Of Blood, equally great.<BR/><BR/>Also, the recent Richard III with Ian MacKellan (updated to the beginnings of Fascist Germany) is probably the best film version of that play to date.<BR/><BR/>One more odd one: Chimes At Midnight. Orson Welles (he also directed) plays Falstaff in all the scenes from Richard II, Henry IV Part I and Part II, Henry V and The Merry Wives Of Windsor.madkevinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08263571447613011659noreply@blogger.com