July 17, 2008 Comparison of Context, Sexuality and Comedy in Kenneth Branagh’s Films Peter’s Friends and Much Ado About Nothing The films Peter’s Friends and Much Ado About Nothing, by Kenneth Branagh, are two romantic comedies filmed back to back in the early 1990s. Peter’s Friends was the first filmed of the two and it was Branagh’s first complex location shoot. He used that experience to plan the more aggressive location of Much Ado About Nothing, shot in Tuscany. His Shakespearean background helped shape his interpretation of the script of Peter’s Friends. The goal of this paper is to contrast the film’s respective treatments of love as a unifying theme and to compare both to Shakespearean concepts of that emotion.
Baz Luhrmanns Romeo And Juliet Review Film Studies Essay Baz Luhrmann brings a unique visual style to William Shakespeare’s renaissance tragedy “Romeo and Juliet”. Set in a modern Verona Beach, Luhrmann sets the assertive and trendy tone of his adaptation within a decaying Miami City. Within minutes, the opening TV prologue hurls us into the white-hot intensity of the two warring families, bombarding the audience with chaotic action scenes and passion. Constructing an edgy and dynamic environment, his brash interpretation uses rapid cuts and erratic zooming techniques to create a comic strip style sequence against the multicultural backdrop of the graffiti scattered streets of Verona. Though effective, the restlessness of the camera becomes confusing, slicing the action into short, sharp images that can mystify rather than illuminate.
I choose to base my essay on the Italian Neorealism because it was one of the most important ways of making films in the post second world war period. It influenced the style and form of movies all around the world, introducing new techniques, issues and themes; as Kristin Thompson and David Bordwell argue: The most important filmmaking trend of the post WW2 era appeared in Italy during the years 1945-1951.Neorealism was not as original or as unified a movement as once we thought, but it did create a distinct approach to fictional film-making. Moreover, this approach had an enormous impact on cinema in other countries. My other main subject of study, Ken Loach, is considered one of the most important British directors, because of his intensely personal way of making movies that is unique not only in British cinema but in cinema throughout the rest of the world. The director from Nuneaton is well known for the social content of his movies sustained with a real-life style.
How effectively does Baz Luhrmann’s version of Romeo and Juliet interpret the theme of conflict in the play? Baz Luhrmann’s version of Romeo and Juliet uses modern film techniques to bring the original script to life to the 21st century audience. In my essay I’m going to show some of these techniques by looking at two types of conflict in the play. The first conflict on the film is a physical fight between the two gangs of boys. It takes place at a gas station.
It is located in Bell, California. The Los Angeles’ 38th Street neighborhood gang used the Sleepy Lagoon as a hang out spot. Hank Leyvas was one of the oldest and respected members of the neighborhood (Zoot Suit Riots). He and his girlfriend, Dora, went to hang out at the Sleepy Lagoon one night. They were attacked by a rival neighborhood.
The 1968 version of of Romeo and Juliet film was better because of its setting and the balcony scene. The area of the films that had the most difference is the setting. The setting of the 1968 film was set in the middle ages; which fits Shakespeare’s time closer than the 1997 version that was modernized. Although in both films the Capulets and Montagues had swords and daggers. In the 168 film they actually were swords and daggers; in the 1997 film the swords and daggers were the name of their guns.
In order to illustrate the structures involved I will be writing about the subjects of genre and genre transformation, the representation of gender, postmodernism and the relationship between style, form and content. Classical Hollywood Classical Hollywood is a tradition of methods and structures that were prominent American cinema between 1916 and 1960.Its heritage stems from earlier American cinema Melodrama and to theatrical melodrama before that. Its tradition lives on in mainstream Hollywood to this day. But what is it? Classic na... ... middle of paper ... ... Book,1st ed (BFI, 1990) 4.
Italian neorealist film style became world recognised in 1946 when Roberto Rossellini made Rome Open City. The film clearly depicted the venerable struggle of every day Italian people, as they try to resist the difficulties they faced under German occupied Rome. This changed film forever as it didn’t follow traditional cinematic trends. This opened doors for film makers, as realism as a style meant you could literally shoot anything. This gave them the opportunity to visually tell the true stories of human reality.
The throw-around use of the word Guido to describe the cast members immediately prompted New Jerseyians to shower MTV with criticisms regarding their marketing technique with the term. For example, few of the promotions for the show read as, "eight of the hottest, tannest, craziest Guidos," while another misleading advertisement stated, "[the show] exposes one of the tri-state area's most misunderstood species ... the GUIDO. Yes, they really do exist! Our Guidos and Guidettes will move into the ultimate beach house rental and indulge in everything the Seaside Heights, New Jersey scene has to offer." The term “Guido” is a historically racial slur coined against Italian Americans, especially those who reside in New Jersey.
Marriage is another thing to deal with but first comes dating. Although contemporary films do attempt to present Shakespeare's plays in a relatable manner, in their essence, they are still the same stories. You'd think the director would use a completely modern setting in the film, but he actually makes a few cheeky references to Shakespearean times! For example, Cameron's line "I burn, I perish, I pine" taken originally from Lucentios (suitor of Bianca)