Shakespeare Collection (Hamlet 1996 / A Midsummer Night's Dream 1935 / Othello 1965 / Romeo & Juliet 1936)

Amazon.com From a glittery studio extravaganza to a bare-bones stage adaptation, this box o' Shakespeare groups a quartet of high-profile productions. Judicious extra features and gorgeous prints make this the equivalent of a leather-bound volume in the family library. The earliest offering in the set is MGM's 1935 Romeo and Juliet, a lavish if heavily trimmed treatment of the tragic-romance. Leslie Howard and Norma Shearer are undeniably older than Shakespeare's headstrong youths, but they don't lack fervor; and John Barrymore, while definitely too weathered for Mercutio, works up an antic, sarcastic energy. Director George Cukor does well with the central romantic pulse, and the thing certainly zips right along, while proving the durability of a well-built story. A Midsummer Night's Dream is a moon-dappled folly based on legendary director Max Reinhardt's smash stage production at the Hollywood Bowl. It's dazzling to look at, with sparkles and fairies in every corner of the frame, even if the cast (largely filled with Warner Bros. studio players) finds variable success. Without a doubt, James Cagney and Joe E. Brown make a fine Pyramus and Thisby in the play-within-the-play, but the unstoppable performance is by 14-year-old Mickey Rooney as Puck, whose feral mockery of the other action makes him a little postmodern imp before his time. This is a one-of-a-kind production that's as much a tribute to the high studio era as it is to Shakespeare. Othello (1965) exists as a faithful capture of Laurence Olivier's elaborate stage performance of the Moor of Venice: shot on plain sets and using the stage cast, it barely exists as a movie. Yet one feels gratitude for the preservation of Olivier's volcanic turn, a fascinating example of a performer building a performance not organically but with layer upon layer of effects--blackface make-up, exotic gestures, rumbly voice--until he reaches critical mass. Frank Finlay's Iago (a much more modern and camera-scaled performance), Maggie Smith's Desdemona, and Joyce Redman's Emilia were all nominated for Oscars, as was Olivier. The most recent film in the bunch is Kenneth Branagh's 1996 take on Hamlet, the first film to present Shakespeare's greatest text uncut. The spiffy production is undone slightly by Branagh's tendency to over-direct the big moments, but the setting is marvelous and the cast is a consistent delight. Experienced Shakespearians such as Derek Jacobi and Richard Briers thrive, but so do Julie Christie and Kate Winslet. Even the stunt casting works: Billy Crystal is surprisingly good as the Gravedigger, and Charlton Heston is an inspired choice as the Player King. Among the extra features are a Branagh commentary on Hamlet, a mid-1930s screen test for Olivia de Havilland, and various vintage shorts--including Shake Mr. Shakespeare, a silly musical with the Bard's characters coming to life. --Robert Horton Product Description Shakespeare Collection (DVD) "HAMLET: ""Hamlet has the kind of power, energy and excitement that movies can truly exploit,"" award-winning actor/director Kenneth Branagh says. In this first-ever full-text film of William Shakespeare's greatest work, the power surges through every scene. The timeless tale of murder, corruption and revenge is reset in an opulent 19th-century world, using sprawling Blenheim Palace as Elsinore and staging much of the action in shimmering mirrored and gold-filled interiors. The energy is electrifying, due to a luminous cast. The excitement of the Bard's words and an adventurous filmmaking style lift the story from its often shadowy ambience to fully-lit pageantry and rage. Now presented in an amazing 2-Disc Special Edition. ROMEO & JULIET: Norma Shearer and Leslie Howard in the title roles are ""so good that one can forget they are too old for the roles"" (Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide). Adding to this allure of this nominee for four Academy Awards?* including Best Picture are lavish sets and costumes (Botticelli paintings inspired Shearer's wardrobe) that fuel the film's then-astonishing $2-million budget. OTHELLO: The original cast and soul-shattering impact of the play's 1964 staging by the National Theatre of Great Britain are captured on film. As the valiant war hero swept into a maelstrom of jealousy and revenge, Olivier won his seventh Academy Award? nomination.* The movie's Desdemona (Maggie Smith), Emilia (Joyce Redman) and ""honest Iago"" (Frank Finlay) also captured Oscar? nominations.* And the result, Bosley Crowther wrote in The New York Times, is that ""this Othello is one of the boldest you'll ever see."" A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM: Love is blind, fickle and true. And under the sway of capricious fairies it becomes blinder (a queen romances a donkey), more fickle (best friends swoon over each other's beau) and truest of all (lovers repledge their devotion). ""Lord, what fools these mortals be!"" in Shakespeare's bewitching comedy. James Cagney, screen- d" ]]>
ASIN: B000QC6O98
VSKU: DBV.B000QC6O98.G
Condition: Good
Author/Artist:Kenneth Branagh|Laurence Olivier
Binding: Dvd
Note: Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.
Condition Notes: Individually inspected: Guaranteed to play perfectly or your money back. Case may show wear and may be in library packaging. Ships Fast!