Rent Silent Shakespeare (1911)
4.0 of 5 from 1 ratings
1h 28min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
This unique collection of early adaptations of Shakespeare works is accompanied by a new score specially commissioned from award-winning young composer, Laura Rossi. In the early years of the 20th century the film industry sought to elevate its lowbrow status by imitating theatre. While cinemas decked themselves out like theatres filmmakers signed up stage stars and turned to the classics. Shakespeare provided the greatest challenge, especially since many of the films made before the First World War were only one or two reels long. The films you will see on this video are from the National Film and Television Archive Collection.
Shorts Comprise:- The Tempest (1908)
- King Lear (1910)
- A Midsummer Night's Dream (1909)
- Twelfth Night (1910)
- The Merchant of Venice (1910)
- Richard III (1911)
- King John (1899)
Although the films are sometimes damaged they give us a unique record of a performance, together they show us the exuberance, invention ad conviction of these early filmmakers and demonstrate the possibilities of the Shakespearean text.- Actors:
- Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree, Dora Senior, F.M. Paget, James Fisher, Charles Kent, William V. Ranous, Maurice Costello, Walter Ackerman, Julia Swayne Gordon, Rose Tapley, Gladys Hulette, Ermete Novelli, Francesca Bertini, Florence Turner, Tefft Johnson, Olga Giannini Novelli, F.R. Benson, Alfred Brydone, James Berry, Eric Maxon
- Directors:
- Percy Stow, J. Stuart Blackton, Gerolamo Lo Savio, Charles Kent
- Producers:
- J. Stuart Blackton
- Narrated By:
- Judith Buchanan
- Writers:
- William Shakespeare, Eugene Mullin, Langford Reed
- Studio:
- BFI Video
- Genres:
- Classics, Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Collections:
- 10 Films to Watch if You Like All Is True, A History of British Queens in Film, Top 10 Films Set in Venice
