Shakespearean Films

This semester I am taking a Film as Communication class, and these past two weeks we have been discussing theatrical films. In other words, plays and musicals that have been adapted to the big screen. We tried to compare Polanski's 1971 The Tragedy of Macbeth to Morrisette's 2001 Scotland, PA, however, this comparison seemed to be extremely difficult. Polanski's version is quite traditional and very closely related to Shakespeare's original work. It is seemingly set in the correct time period, has all the characters of the play, uses the play's exact storyline, and sticks to Shakespeare's iambic pentameter. When looking for a close adaptation of the original work, this film is probably your best best.... However, its 140 minutes seem to drag on when you are watching it, (especially since Polanski decided to add some scenes that were not originally supposed to take place on stage, meaning there is no dialogue).
Scotland, PA, on the other hand, is the exact opposite. Set in the 1970's, instead of fighting over a kingdom, Joe "Mac" Mcbeth and his scheming wife fight for a burger-chain restaurant. The plot gets more ridiculous as the movie goes on, but its absurd hilarity keeps you entertained. While the film is entertaining and seemingly everything a fun movie should be, it has little relation to the original play.
This kind of leaves you in a catch 22. Which version is more appropriate (from a learning standpoint) to show my students?
Obviously, Polanski's version is truer to the original work, and could perhaps enhance student understanding, but would student's be moved to replace the play with the film...and would they completely despise Shakespeare because they were bored out of their skulls? Then there is Scotland, PA, which I found myself wanting to classify as a "stupid comedy." Could that really hold any purpose in the classroom? I think the answer to that question is yes. Despite the fact that Scotland, PA, was not as closely related to the original work I found many of Macbeth's major themes visible throughout the film. I could also see the possibility of using the film to exemplify satire, as well as, showing how change genre and other narrative aspects.
While many teachers might frown on using the pop culture movies based on Shakespeare such as Scotland, PA; 10 Things I Hate About You (based on Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew) and She's the Man (based on Shakespeare's Twelfth Night), I find real merit to these films in terms of motivating students to actually get interested in Shakespeare's plays. I still remember my best friend groaning about how much she despised Shakespeare, but her interest in Taming of the Shrew was perked at the mention of 10 Things I Hate About You, a movie she had watched at least a dozen times. This just seemed like yet another glaring example of how teachers need to keep an open mind and explore alternative options to teaching classics. (Hint: This link will take you to the Shakespeare In Modern Dress page at IMDB.com, which exhibits a collection of more modern-timed films based on Shakespeare's plays).

Cleveland Film Festival... "Ask Not"

The Friday before Spring break, I went to the Cleveland Film Festival. I went to see "Ask Not" a documentary about the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy in the military. While I knew that the U.S. Military had this policy, it was really interesting to get a personal look at how this policy effects actual people. The documentary followed three main groups of people. The first group was made up of former members of the military that traveled across the country visiting colleges to tell about their experience. Most of the members of that group were dishonorably discharged for being homosexual even though they were highly qualified. One of the members of this group was a linguist who spoke five languages including Arabic! The second group was also primarily made up of members who had been dishonorably discharged. This group went to military recruiting offices across the country and attempted to sign up to serve, and when they were denied the right to enlist because of their sexuality they would hold sit ins in the recruitment offices. Most often this would lead to their arrest by local law enforcements. The third group focused on a man who was gay who went back into the closet in order to serve in the military. It showed him throughout his tour in Iraq. What I found most interesting about this man was when he had been in Iraq for a while, he said something along the lines that he wasn't a gay man anymore, just like he wasn't a son or a brother; he was a soldier, that was the only identity he really had while over in Iraq. Throughout the documentary there were some staggering statistics of qualified soldiers being discharged from the military because of the sexuality. With the low enlistment rate and the need for troops over seas, this documentary seems to ask all the right questions as to why this policy is still intact.
As a future educator, I can see the value of having students go to a film festival. Obviously, this is something that not every student would experience without the initiative of a teacher. It offers the opportunity to experience different cultures and different mindsets. Not to mention, the atmosphere of a film festival in its self. Also, it is a really great way to incorporate film into a classroom. As an educator if I could find a film festival that offers programs such as the Cleveland Film Festival's "Film Slam" I think I would definitely consider taking my students!