In collaboration with the English Department, Hebrew University, Jerusalem
In 2023, the world celebrated the 400th anniversary of the release of William Shakespeare's First Folio, the first published collection of plays by the Bard. This program was supposed to take place at the end of last year, but due to current events, it was postponed. The program includes ten adaptations of some of Shakespeare's most significant and influential plays - some that take a traditional approach and bring to the screen a direct and faithful adaptation of the source material and adaptations based on the writings, but take them to a new, different, and unique place.
It is especially interesting to compare the adaptations of the same play, West Side Story (2021), Steven Spielberg's version of the classic musical and film, which reimagines "Romeo and Juliet" on the streets of New York in the 1950s, against the Australian Baz Luhrmann's pop version of the great tragedy. Alongside the two variations of "Hamlet," the first by Kenneth Branagh is a dazzling adaptation that brings the play to the screen word for word, against Michael Almerida's almost documentary approach, which transfers the events of the Kingdom to the corporate world of New York City at the beginning of the millennium.
Shakespeare was a wordsmith, inventing words and sayings used to this day, and though some would find his language, at times, challenging, the essence of his works has touched readers and viewers across the world. In Ran, Japanese master Akira Kurosawa moves the story of "King Lear" to 16th century Japan and dives into evil to learn about its power. Shakespeare's historical plays are always beyond another story about kings and battles, and Branagh's adaptation of "Henry V" examines the essence of lust for power to a brilliant cinematic result.
Shakespeare's distinctive humor, wit, and romance bring to the screen several contemporary adaptations of the playwright's brilliant comedies - 10 Things I Hate About You, the cult film that celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, is a contemporary adaptation of "The Taming of the Shrew" and Anyone but You, one of this year's best surprises, is a romantic comedy loosely based on "Much Ado About Nothing." Shakespeare's genius did not escape Orson Welles, one of the most prominent directors of all time. Chimes at Midnight, Welles' take on the character of Sir John Falstaff, who appears in several of Shakespeare's plays, is a sensory experience that some would say is the pinnacle of Welles' career and perhaps the best adaptation of Shakespeare ever produced. This is a rare opportunity to view this masterpiece. Lastly, the electrifying stage adaptation of "Macbeth," starring Ralph Fiennes, brings the core of Shakespeare's eminent tragedy to the present day.
Shakespeare's words have inspired dozens of films, adaptations, and interpretations by some of the most renowned directors and actors; the selection here, which will be accompanied by lectures by the faculty of the English Department at the Hebrew University, is just a taste of the Shakespearean feast.
