An abundance of Shakespeare

Yesterday brought the conclusion to my second quarter of Shakespearean study. I have to admit that I was a bit sad to finish. I enjoy reading and studying Shakespeare; I love watching Shakespeare even more. And this winter has been absolutely full the Bard's lovely dramas.

In my Late Shakespeare course, we read Othello, Macbeth, King Lear, Measure for Measure, The Winter's Tale, and The Tempest. Three tragedies and three late comedies, or problem plays. As Lear was my favorite play of the quarter, I chose to write my longer paper on Peter Brook's film adaptation.
 

The adaptation drew mixed critical responses. Some reviews praised the film’s cinematography and Brook’s reinterpretation of the play. Others criticized Brook’s unconventionality or found fault in his drastic cuts to the original text. At first, I found the textual cuts and scene jumping rather distressing; and Paul Scofield’s Lear seemed too subdued or flat. But eventually, I stopped trying to follow along with the text, set aside my copy of Lear, and allowed myself to be taken in by Brook’s stark and cruel universe. Because I was particularly struck by Brook’s creation of the storm sequence, I decided to undertake a closer examination of these scenes.

Throughout the scenes on the heath, Brook uses what R.B. Parker calls a “layering effect” (Parker 80). In his article “The Use of ‘Mise-en-Scène’ in Three Film of ‘King Lear,’” Parker quotes Brook explaining how his camera technique mirrors Shakespeare’s language:

If you could extract the mental impression made by the Shakespearean strategy of imagery…you would get a piece of pop collage. The effect is like a word whose letters are written across three overlapping pictures in the mind. You see the actor as a man standing in the distance and you also see his face very, very close to you—perhaps his profile and the back of his head at the same time—and you also see the background (Barker 80).

To capture this impression, Brook uses metacinematic cuts, close ups, angles, and lighting throughout the storm scene. Many shots appear fuzzy and indistinct because of rain-blurred lens or significant fog levels. 

The storm often seems to have control over what we see: flashes of lightning illuminate Lear’s face and the rain blurs our entire view. Even when the camera drifts away from the king, as if blown off course, a crack of thunder summons us to a quick shot of Lear.  As the storm worsens and Lear’s mind deteriorates, the cutting becomes faster and faster. Sometimes, Brook quickly alternates between two profile shots, and the effect is one of Lear arguing with himself.  Later on, he will use a similar camera strategy with some of Edgar’s “Poor Tom” speeches. By using these film and editing techniques, Brook reinforces the storm as an externalization of the king’s madness, and creates a distinct visualization of his breakdown. 

Here's a longish clip of the storm scene:

I rewatched what I think is my favorite version of King Lear... the 1998 Ian Holm adaptation. I really like Ian Holm as Lear. And I like the minimalistic scenery. Also, guess who plays Kent... David Burke! He plays a wonderful Dr. Watson in the Sherlock Holmes adaptations produced by Granada Television. I was pleased as punch to make this discovery.

Still planning on watching the Ian Mckellen Lear. Next on my list. 

Moving onward.

A few weeks back I went to see Ralph Fiennes' Coriolanus. It was most brilliant and now I want to read the play... of course. The film had an amazing cast as well: Ralph Fiennes, Gerard Butler, Vanessa Redgrave, Brian Cox, and Jessica Chastain.

And... last Friday, I saw the UW Undergraduate Theater Society's production of Macbeth. I was absolutely blown away by their performance. 

When I read Macbeth for the first time, the play didn't appeal to me. But I think that was because the play relies heavily on visual spectacle... something you miss completely when reading. UTS's adaptation was stunning and creative and very very moving. I was glued to my seat throughout the entire second half of the play. Moved to tears by Macduff. Breathless by the end. 

Photos courtesy of UW Student Life 

Macbeth lying in a pool of blood

The Macbeths

The witches (& Banquo, off to the side)