I have a new second-favorite Shakespeare play! Obviously, Hamlet is always my favorite, but I periodically decide I really like another of his plays. For a while it was The Merchant of Venice. Then Much Ado About Nothing, then King Lear. Now it's Henry V. I haven't read it yet, but on a whim I picked up the Kenneth Branagh version at the library last night. I mostly got it cuz Christian Bale and Dame Judi Dench are in it. Whenever I'm not watching a Kenneth Branagh Shakespeare movie, I always have this "who does he think he is?" attitude toward him. And then when I'm watching one of his movies, I realize who he is--a guy who really likes bringing Shakespeare to the big screen. Which can be way fun--I love his versions of Much Ado and Love's Labour's Lost. His Hamlet is okay, but some of the cameos annoy me.
Anyway, last night I watched Henry V and I adored it! Any play that begins with "O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend/The brightest heaven of invention"--yeah, that's just gotta rock! And people talk all the time about the St. Crispin's Day speech...there's a reason they do that.
I'd ramble on some more, but Cowboy wants to go grocery shopping...
...revealing my thoughts about movies, writing, and life to the audience...
I saw this in the cinema when it came out and loved it. My personal favorite Shakespeare film is Laurence Olivier's "Richard III". It is a nasty, nasty bit of film with Sir Larry shining like a sun.
ReplyDeleteGord
My bff saw this over and over in the theater. If I'd been of an age to go to the theater by myself, I would've too.
DeleteI haven't seen Olivier's RIII, but I thought Ian McKellen's was terrifying and awesome.
McKellen's version is quite tasty, but, personally, I still prefer Sir Larry's take on the play. Having said that, a person could not go wrong with either one.
ReplyDeleteGord