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1971, by Roman Polanski

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• PLOT: Macbeth, Thane of Glamis, is coming back from battle with his friend Banquo when they meet three witches. They predict that Macbeth will be Thane of Cawdor and then King, while Banquo’s sons will be kings. A messenger from the King arrives and calls Macbeth Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth is puzzled by the truthfulness of the prediction. When King Duncan decides to stay at Macbeth’s castle, Macbeth kills him with the help of his wife. Duncan’s sons escape. Macbeth is elected King, but the prophecy continues to worry him. He sends two killers to murder Banquo and his son, Fleance, but Fleance escapes. From this moment on Macbeth’ s career of crimes and murders has no end. When he orders to murder Lady Macduff and her children, Macduff, Duncan’s sons and other expatriate lords lead an army against him. Macbeth asks the witches again about his future, and learns that he cannot be defeated by any man born of woman. He feels safe, but Macduff, born by Caesarean section, will kill him in the final battle.

• FILM SEQUENCE (con sottotitoli ingl.): Titolo: Banquo’s Ghost Act III , scene IVMinuti 1.15.23 - 1.18.15

• FILM REVIEW > Film Review Macbeth (Allegato 3)

• TEXT ANALYSIS > PDF Macbeth (Allegato 4)

Completamento di Cinema

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2006, by Geoffrey Wright

Scritto e letto:Macbeth by Geoffrey Wright is an Australian adaptation of Shakespeare’s play that takes place in the criminal world of Melbourne. Macbeth is a loyal under-boss to his crime boss Duncan. Three school girl witches in a cemetery tell him that he will one day get great power. Motivated by the prophecy, Macbeth’s wife plans to kill Duncan and take the leadership of the gang for herself and her husband. Macbeth's passion for her leads him to agree to her murderous plan, but he soon discovers that maintaining power requires a lot more than he first imagined. Instead of battles the play shows drug parties and gunfights between the gangs; Cawdor is a club and the news of battles are given on TV. The final conflict takes place at Macbeth’s house and he dies in the cellar at Lady Macbeth’s side while Banquo’s son, Fleance, becomes the gang leader.

Macbeth

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1999, by Michael Hoffman.

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• PLOT: Hermia, a girl of high social class, refuses to marry Demetrius, the man chosen by her father, because she is in love with Lysander. Hermia and Lysander run away and hide in the forest. Helena, Hermia’s friend, rejected by Demetrius, reveals the plan to him and they follow Hermia and her lover. Meanwhile, to punish Titania, the Queen of fairies, King Oberon asks Puck to pour a potion into her eyes while she is sleeping. It will make her fall in love with the first living thing she sees on waking. But Puck pours the juice on the wrong people: Lysander and Demetrius fall in love with Helena, and Titania falls in love with Bottom. He is an artisan-actor rehearsing in the forest with his company and Puck transforms his head into a donkey’s. Eventually all misunderstandings will be cleared and the couples will be reunited.

• FILM SEQUENCE (con sottotitoli ingl.):

Titolo: Puck’s SpellAct III, scene IMinuti: 0.48.38 - 0.60.00

• FILM REVIEW > Guide (Allegato 1) + Reading Form (Allegato 2)

• TEXT ANALYSIS Non ci sarà

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Scritto e letto:In 2007, the ballet company, chorus and orchestra of the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, performed the two-act ballet A Midsummer Night’s Dream choreographed by George Balanchine. Balanchine used Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy's incidental music for Shakespeare's play and other music by the same composer. The world of the fairies and elves is represented by a large children's corps de ballet.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

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PLOT: After attending his daughter's wedding in Tunis, Africa, King Alonso of Naples sails for Italy with his court and Antonio, Duke of Milan. They encounter a violent storm, and are shipwrecked on a strange island inhabited by the magician Prospero, who has provoked the storm. Prospero – former Duke of Milan exiled by Antonio – and his daughter Miranda live on the island together with Ariel, a spirit at Prospero’s order, and the ugly, half human Caliban. After various adventures and magic tricks, Prospero pardons Antonio, gives up his magic art and sails for Naples to celebrate the marriage of Miranda and Alonso’s son Ferdinand.

• FILM SEQUENCE (con sottotitoli ingl.):

Titolo: Ariel’s Song Act I, scene II Minuti: 21.40 - 24.20

• FILM REVIEW > Guide (Allegato 1) + Reading Form (Allegato 2) • TEXT ANALYSIS Non ci sarà

2010, by Julie Taymor

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Tempest

1982, by Paul Mazursky

Scritto e letto:Tempest is an American comedy-drama film directed by Paul Mazursky. It is a very loose adaptation of Shakespeare’s play, starring John Cassavetes, Gena Rowlands and Susan Sarandon. Set in New York City, the movie tells the story of Philip Dimitrius, a middle-aged architect facing a difficult crisis. He leaves his unfaithful wife and moves to a Greek island with his teenage daughter, Miranda. In Athens he meets Aretha Tomalin, a singer, and they become lovers. The island is inhabited by Kalibanos, an eccentric hermit. Dimitrius is happy, but one day his wife, her new lover Alonzo and Alonzo's son are shipwrecked on the island.

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PLOT: Iago is Othello’s officer and expects to be promoted to lieutenant. When the African General gives the post to Cassio, Iago plots revenge on both of them. He has Othello denounced for an illicit relationship with Desdemona, but Othello proves that their love is innocent and asks to marry her. The Duke orders Othello to sail to Cyprus and stop the Turkish invasion. In Cyprus Iago gets Cassio drunk so that Othello deprives him of his rank. Then Iago convinces Cassio to ask Desdemona to plead for him. In the meantime he insinuates to Othello that Desdemona is Cassio’s lover and even builds up evidence of her unfaithfulness.Othello, eaten up with jealousy, kills Desdemona in her bed and commits suicide when he discovers the truth.

• FILM SEQUENCE (con sottotitoli ingl.):

Titolo: Desdemona Is Dead Act V, scene IIMinuti: 0.46.30 – 0.49.00

• FILM REVIEW > Guide (Allegato 1) + Reading Form (Allegato 2)

• TEXT ANALYSIS Non ci sarà

1995, by Oliver Parker

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2001, by Tim Blake Nelson

Scritto e letto:“O” is a 2001 American loose modern adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello directed by Tim Blake Nelson, based on a screenplay by Brad Kaaya, starring Mekhi Phifer as Odin/Othello, Josh Hartnett as Hugo/Iago and Julia Stiles as Desi/Desdemona. Set in a contemporary high school, Othello is Odin James ('OJ'), the only African American student and best athlete of the basketball team in the school. Desi is the dean's daughter and Odin's girlfriend. Hugo is the coach's son who uses steroids to improve his way of playing basketball. He is jealous of Odin’s ability and makes unpleasant insinuations about Desi’s friendship with Michael Cassio, a basketball player and close friend to both Odin and Desi. Hugo uses his girlfriend Emily (Emilia in Shakespeare), Desi's best friend, to carry out his plan.

• FILM SEQUENCE (con sottotitoli ingl.): Titolo: Desdemona Is Dead Act V, scene IIminuti: 1.11.05 – 1.20.10

• MODERN ADAPTATION “O”

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PLOT: Verona. The noble families Capulet and Montague have been feuding for a long time. Romeo, the son of the Montagues, and Juliet Capulet meet at a ball, fall in love and decide to get married at once with the help of Friar Lawrence. Unfortunately Romeo is involved in a duel between his friend Mercutio and Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin. When Tybalt kills Mercutio, Romeo attacks Tybalt in a fury and kills him. To punish Romeo for breaking peace in Verona, the Prince banishes him to Mantua. Juliet wants to reach Romeo and asks Friar Lawrence to help her. The Friar gives her a sleeping potion which makes her fall into a deep sleep similar to death. Romeo, hearing that Juliet is dead, rushes to her tomb and, after a last kiss, drinks poison and dies. When Juliet awakes, she sees Romeo’s body and stabs herself.

• FILM SEQUENCE (con sottotitoli ingl.):

Titolo: Friar Lawrence’s PotionAct IV, scene IMinuti 1.44.50 - 1.47.48

• FILM REVIEW > Guide (Allegato 1) + Reading Form(Allegato 2)

• TEXT ANALYSIS Non ci sarà

1968, by Franco Zeffirelli

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Scritto e letto:Romeo + Juliet is an adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedy by Baz Luhrmann starring Leonardo Di Caprio and Claire Danes in the leading roles. Set in a contemporary fictional town in the U.S.A., Verona Beach, the film maintains the original Shakespearean dialogues. The Montagues and the Capulets own two great business companies fighting for power; the heads of the two families are Fulgencio & Gloria Capulet and Ted & Caroline Montague. Friar Lawrence becomes Father Lawrence, and Prince Escalus is Captain Prince. The weapons they use are modern guns. A meaningful detail is added at the end: Juliet awakens just as Romeo poisons himself and the two see each other alive before he dies and she commits suicide.

• FILM SEQUENCE (con sottotitoli ingl.):

Titolo: Friar Lawrence’s PotionAct IV, scene IMinuti 1.25.22 – 1.26.43

• MODERN ADAPTATION 1996, by Baz Luhrmann

Romeo + Juliet

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PLOT: Bassanio, a young Venetian gentleman, asks Antonio for money to court the heiress Portia and gets it from Shylock using the merchant’s name and guarantee. Shylock is a Jewish money-lender who hates Antonio because the merchant abuses him and gives out money without interest. His daughter Jessica elopes with Lorenzo, a friend of Bassanio’s, and the couple find refuge in Belmont where Bassanio lives with his recently conquered wife Portia. News that Antonio cannot pay the money back reaches Bassanio and he hurries to Venice to help Antonio. His wife Portia, disguised as a lawyer, defends Antonio from Shylock's legal request of a pound of flesh. Accused of attempting the life of a Venetian citizen, Shylock is deprived of all his properties and forced to become a Christian.

• FILM SEQUENCE (con sottot. ingl.):

Titolo: Shylock’s MonologueAct IV, scene Iminuti: 1.36.15 - 1.40.00

• FILM REVIEW > Guide (Allegato 1) + Reading Form (Allegato 2)

• TEXT ANALYSIS Non ci sarà

2004, by Michael Radford

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2002, by Don Selwyn

Scritto e letto:The Maori Merchant of Venice by Don Selwyn gives an exotic look, a musically rich soundtrack and an exceptional cultural mix to Shakespearean’s play. It combines the passion for Shakespeare with the revitalisation of the New Zealand old culture, as the story is told in the Maori language with modern English subtitles.Set in the 17th-century cosmopolitan trading port of Venice, the film has perspective, connected with the present world. It’s about religious discrimination, revenge for past wrongs, and unfair business deals. The worlds of law and business, justice and mercy meet the worlds of love, of religious barriers and of the heritage on an individual’s life decisions.

The Maori Merchant of Venice• MODERN ADAPTATION

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. PLOT: King Lear decides to retire and to divide his kingdom amongst his three daughters – Goneril, Regan and Cordelia – according to which one makes the best declaration of love. Goneril and Regan first pretend to love him but later treat him cruelly. King Lear disinherits Cordelia, loyal and unselfish, confusing her honesty with insolence. At the end he will recognize Cordelia’s virtues but too late: Cordelia dies and King Lear, now a brokenhearted man, also dies.

• FILM SEQUENCE (con sottot. ingl.):

Titolo: King Lear in the Storm Act III, scene IIMinuti: 1.06.48 - 1.08.53

• FILM REVIEW > Guide (Allegato 1) + Reading Form (Allegato 2)

• TEXT ANALYSIS > PDF King Lear (Allegato 5)

1971, by Peter Brook

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1997, by Jocelyn Moorhouse

Scritto e letto:A Thousand Acres by Jocelyn Moorhouse tells the story of King Lear from the viewpoint of the two elder daughters. Larry Cook, a powerful Iowa farmer, decides to retire and divides his land among his three daughters, Ginny, Rose and Caroline. Ginny and Rose happily accept to live and work on the farm while Caroline abandons farming for a law career. Larry, consumed with rage, rejects Caroline, leaving Rose and Ginny to run the farm with their husbands. The two sisters reveal that they had been sexually abused by their father when they were children, while Caroline had escaped this fate. Larry tries to regain his patriarchal control, and asks Caroline for help. The lawsuit divides the family forever.

• MODERN ADAPTATION A Thousand Acres