For many decades, the adaptation of Shakespeare has pleased fans of the famous playwright. Again and again they make films based on well-known subjects. So you can only confidently agree with people who call his tragedy immortal. But at the same time learn more about which particular works and adaptations are most popular.
Briefly about film adaptations
To begin with, the very first adaptation of Shakespeare dates back to the end of the nineteenth century! Yes, the work "King John" was filmed back in 1899! True, the film could not boast of significant timing - its length was only about five minutes. And even then, most of it was lost - only a passage of less than a minute has survived to this day. But the fact remains: according to Shakespeare's works, they started making films in the nineteenth century!
Of course, this glorious tradition has been preserved throughout the entire twentieth century, as well as in the past twenty-first years.
True, the atmosphere and proximity to the plot are not always preserved. For example, compare Shakespeare’s tragedy with its film adaptation, if the action was moved from sixteenth-century Italy, where two kinds of noble families are at war, in the mid-twentieth century, where members of local ethnic gangs fall in love in New York!
And yet, the same works are reborn, over and over again delighting many viewers painfully familiar, but still not bored with the plot. Therefore, we can confidently say that Shakespeare left behind really immortal works.
Now let's talk about the film adaptations of the most popular and famous tragedies.
"Romeo and Juliet"
Of course, this work is one of the most famous. It is no coincidence that the number of adaptations amounts to many dozens. The first film was shot back in 1908, and the last to date - in 2013. Most often filmed a work in the UK and the USA. And far from always the plot unfolds according to classical canons.
For example, the film "West Side Story", shot in 1961, even though it guesses the plot, borrowed from an immortal tragedy, takes the viewer to completely different realities. Now the yard is not the end of the sixteenth century, but the middle of the twentieth. And instead of two noble families - Montecchi and Capulet - two street gangs are in the spotlight. Even the names of the main characters have changed - instead of Romeo and Juliet, the viewer will have to observe the development of the forbidden love of Tony and Maria.
But still, the most successful adaptation of Shakespeare's work was created in 1968 jointly by Britain and Italy. Franco Zeffirelli became the director, and Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hassi starred. It is important that the young lovers were played by their peers, and not 20-30-year-old professional actors. And a high level of authenticity played a role - even the most picky critics admitted that the film was a reference.
"Hamlet"
Continuing to consider the list of adaptations of Shakespeare, it is worth mentioning this tragedy. She is only slightly inferior to "Romeo and Juliet" in popularity - she was filmed from 1907 to 2009. You must admit that a minimum of one hundred years is a very serious period, which has proved the highest quality of the work!
And with pleasure they made films in different countries of the world: in the USSR, Russia, France, Great Britain, the USA and others. Some were very canonical. Others are significantly modified. For example, the 2009 Russian film "Hamlet. XXI Century" takes the film into modern Moscow, preserving all the main parallels, characters and references. It has everything: yacht explosions, street racing, nightlife and much more. But in general, any viewer who has read or watched other adaptations of Hamlet will easily understand that the film was shot specifically from Shakespeare's work. Perhaps this is not the best adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet, but still it accurately conveys the essence (albeit not the spirit) of the work. In addition, she will be able to interest many youth representatives who are not yet able to appreciate the depth and tragedy of the original productions.
"King Lear"
Another Shakespeare tragedy, the film adaptation of which is difficult to count. Filmed films on it in many countries of Europe, as well as in the USA. It's nice that one of the best adaptations to this day is considered to be "King Lear", filmed in 1970 in the USSR. Director Grigory Kozintsev managed not only to choose good actors, including Oleg Dal, Yuri Yarvet, Elsa Radzinya and others, but also perfectly conveyed the atmosphere and spirit of the era. And they did not spare money on the scenery - they turned out to be really chic.
Strict adherence to the original scenario and the minimum number of deviations from it also played into the hands of the film - even the most ardent Shakespeare fans were satisfied.
Macbeth
Of course, talking about the adaptations of Shakespeare, one cannot fail to mention this play. There are many films of varying degrees of success created on the basis of this tragedy. Some writers tried to stick to the play as tightly as possible, while others wanted to introduce something new, albeit not always unsuccessfully.
And in 1957, the film "Throne in the Blood" was shot in Japan, which received many positive reviews from local critics. The director was Akira Kurosawa. After the battle, two lords - Miki and Washizu - met two witches in the forest, who predicted that each of them would have fame. But Vasizu could not resist and told his wife about what had happened. An extremely ambitious woman persuaded her husband to finish off Mika in order to get all the fame, and not part of it. And this is only the beginning of a bloody path to great glory, which ends in madness.
Compare the tragedy of William Shakespeare with the film adaptation and production in Japan. It’s easy to instantly find out in this plot “Macbeth” modified and adapted to the local realities.
"The Taming of the Shrew"
This work, although inferior in popularity to the above, is also included in the list of Shakespeare's plays, which can be called immortal. If only because it is reborn, often adapts to certain conditions and becomes closer to the audience, regardless of their age, era and time.
Talented directors filmed The Taming of the Shrew many times, each time finding the way to the hearts of the audience.
For example, connoisseurs easily recognize this play in the 1999 American film "10 Reasons for My Hate." Although its events are developing almost in our time - at the very end of the twentieth century, the plot has not undergone major changes. The family has two daughters - the eldest Kat and the youngest Bianca. The first is a real bore and almost a misanthrope. But the second is radiated with fun, joy and optimism. However, Bianca can not start dating a guy before her older sister finds a suitable couple. And so what will lead to attempts to find her a guy, one can only guess.
However, the best film adaptation still remains the 1967 Italian film, where the director was the aforementioned Franco Zeffirelli, and the main roles went to the brilliant Elizabeth Taylor, Cyril Cusack and the inimitable Richard Burton.
"A dream in a summer night"
A magnificent play, the action of which takes place not in medieval Europe and not even in the New Age, as in most of Shakespeare's works, but in ancient Greece. The wonderful atmosphere of comedy, mixed with the color and mysticism of Hellas, allowed to create a truly unusual work that has gained popularity around the world.
They filmed and filmed it quite often, and not only in the form of films, but also as cartoons, since the plot and atmosphere are quite conducive to this. Adults will like a beautiful and very instructive fairy tale, and at the same time they will tell young viewers about difficult life situations that each person may face in one form or another, regardless of age and title.
Many main roles are given not to people, but to fairies, elves and other mystical creatures. A very unusual and bold move for its time! Perhaps it was because of this that the work partly gained such popularity, and subsequently filmed so many times.
"Henry V"
Finally, the last piece on our list is a historical play that came out of the pen of Shakespeare in 1599. She is also very popular and filmed in the United States, Britain, Italy, Germany, Canada, France, Belgium, Sweden and other countries.
The most successful, according to many viewers and critics, was the 1989 film, shot in the UK by Kenneth Branagh. Such famous actors as Derek Jacobi, Simon Shepard, James Larkin, Paul Gregory and several others took part in the film adaptation. By the way, Kenneth Bran himself also starred in the film, and did not play anyone, but the main character - Henry the Fifth.
The film tells about the difficult confrontation between England and France, during which the young but brave English monarch won one victory after another, disrupting the plans of enemies and inspiring ordinary warriors with his own example.
Conclusion
On this our article comes to an end. Of course, to list all the best adaptations of Shakespeare is simply impossible - their number is huge. But we tried to at least mention the most interesting and successful ones. Let's hope that the article will arouse interest in classics among readers.