April 23rd marks the approximate birthday of William Shakespeare, a figure shrouded in more mystery and enigma than any other author in world literature. On the great playwright’s birthday, Vogue.ua recalls the best film adaptations of his plays.
To this day, 38 plays and 134 sonnets by Shakespeare have survived. Whether you enjoy drama or not, you are likely familiar with the plots of most of these 38 plays, if not directly, then through adaptations of Shakespearean texts, which were abundant in the 20th century. Great directors turned to him, from opera master Franco Zeffirelli to Hollywood cinema classic Orson Welles. Regardless of the year, directors in theatre and film adhere to an unwritten rule: staging Shakespeare means being at the peak of your career.
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“The Taming of the Shrew”, 1967
Franco Zeffirelli was a renowned opera director. He staged operas by Rossini and Verdi in the world’s most famous venues, from La Scala to the Metropolitan Opera. He approached the filming of Shakespeare with his characteristic grandeur, casting the most popular actors of the 1960s, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, in the leading roles of “The Taming of the Shrew.” For his adaptation of Shakespeare’s story about the headstrong Katherina, whom the impoverished nobleman Petruchio seeks to tame, Zeffirelli received about a dozen nominations and awards, including two Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. The set designers and costume artists did an incredible job: the action unfolds in 16th-century Padua and Florence. The characters – nobles and their servants, peasants and innkeepers – are dressed vibrantly, colorfully, and even whimsically. Spectacle, detail, theatricality – Zeffirelli’s film remains captivating even after 60 years.
“Romeo and Juliet”, 1996
Director Baz Luhrmann transformed “the saddest” story in the world into a modern spectacle with gangland shootouts and touching love scenes, relocating the action to New York. However, millions of viewers remembered the film not so much for its modernization of Shakespeare’s tragedy as for the fact that the role of Romeo was played by a then 22-year-old Leonardo DiCaprio. By that time, he had already received an Oscar nomination for “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape” and was the first actor Luhrmann cast – instantly and unequivocally. Reese Witherspoon and Kate Winslet auditioned for the role of Juliet, but Claire Danes ultimately starred alongside DiCaprio. Despite the contemporary “setting,” the characters speak with classic Shakespearean lines – and it is deeply moving.
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, 1999
Sophie Marceau, Michelle Pfeiffer, Stanley Tucci, Christian Bale, Rupert Everett – director Michael Hoffman assembled the finest actors for the 1999 adaptation of Shakespeare’s romantic comedy “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” The film is highly decorative and resembles a stage play; for example, characters move through the forest on a magical bicycle, and Michelle Pfeiffer wears flowing lace dresses in the style of Chloé. The film was shot in Tuscany and Umbria.
“The Merchant of Venice”, 2004
The 2004 adaptation of “The Merchant of Venice,” by Oscar-winning director Michael Radford, also boasts a brilliant cast. Al Pacino, the “Hollywood everything,” plays Shylock, the grim Jewish moneylender disliked by all of Venice, while Jeremy Irons portrays his main adversary, the Christian Antonio. “The Merchant of Venice” is one of Shakespeare’s most famous yet complex and dramatic plays, and Radford delivered a highly atmospheric, intense, and mystical film.
“Coriolanus”, 2010
British actor and director Ralph Fiennes is a great admirer of Shakespeare, believing that any drama by the great playwright offers more than an adequate response to contemporary events. “Coriolanus” marked the directorial debut for the talented actor Fiennes; he chose Shakespeare’s bloodiest text for this purpose for a reason. Rumor has it that Fiennes was obsessed with “Coriolanus” for over 20 years, ever since he once played the titular role in a London theatre. He also stars as the main character in this film. He is joined by Gerard Butler, Jessica Chastain, and Vanessa Redgrave, and the action is set in the present day – for instance, the Roman legions resemble American soldiers.