Classy Movies for Classy People: Shakespeare Edition

Welcome to Classy Movies for Classy People. You are reading this, so we shall assume you are a classy sort. Why else would you click on an article specifically labeled for “Classy People?” If you are not classy, I please ask you to leave. We’ll have no lowlifes here.

As a person of class, surely you constantly ask yourself, “I love the cinema, but what films can I watch without tarnishing my upstanding reputation?” You’ve come to the right place. We here at the Movie Mezzanine sympathize with your plight, and so we provide these recommendations (and helpful food tips!)

This week, being columns inauguration, we thought it best to start with that classiest of all subjects: Elizabethan theatre and royalty.

So many films have been made on the plight of those beautiful souls gifted with the throne. There’s no question these people deserve our celebration and attention. Shakespeare understood this better than anyone, which is why we’re going to start you off with some film adaptations of the Bard’s work.

First, and most importantly, is the work of the great thespian, Laurance Olivier. His three films of Shakespeare—Henry V, Hamlet and Richard III—are glorious achievements in the art of translating the stage to the screen. The style of theatrical acting is maintained, but the scope widens and changes into something more realistic while simultaneously more visually abstracted. Henry V is a particular accomplishment in its design. The film begins in 1600 at the Globe Theatre where the play is being staged, as the film goes on the artifice of the stage gives way to an extraordinarily realized rendition of The Battle of Agincort. The whole enterprise is a stylistic masterstroke and one of the best adaptations of Shakespeare ever done.

Food Tip: While watching any of Olivier’s Shakespeare films, we recommend sipping on fine red Bordeaux.

Maybe you’re a classy person who prefers a challenge, though. In that case, Olivier might not be quite up to the task. Enter: Kenneth Branagh. Mr. Branagh’s version of Hamlet is a challenge indeed, at over four hours in length. This 65mm epic, almost in response to Olivier’s cut down adaptation, features every single line from Shakespeare’s great text. It’s an opulently rendered film, with stunning sets and costumes and beautiful photography. It will also give you the chance to boast that you’ve watched the longest screen version of the play; surely a sign of your undeniable class.

Food Tip: Viewers of Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet are encouraged to prepare a roast prior to beginning, and then order up a bread pudding during the intermission.

Ah, but it’s so easy to say you’ve watched a normal adaptation of Shakespeare. Any normal, publicly educated bloke can claim that. In that case, what you need is a foreign film. Nothing says class like “I had to read subtitles for several hours.”

Thankfully, our good friend Akira Kurosawa covered that for you. He made three loose adaptations of Shakespeares work: Throne of Blood (Macbeth), The Bad Sleep Well (Hamlet), and Ran (King Lear). Of the three, Ran, is likely the easiest to recommend. It’s a grand epic story set in feudal Japan. The three daughters are now sons, and some of the story is changed, but the heart of King Lear is ever-present. The colorful cinematography is a real treat, as well.

Food Tip: Kurosawa was Japanese, so… something teriyaki, or maybe sushi. A bottle of hot sake is, of course, always welcome.

There are numerous other fine adaptations of Shakespeare plays, and many awful ones as well. The ones we’ve recommended are the classiest. They are the ones with distinction, and grace, and they are well deserving of your precious time.

So go on and venture forth into the world of Shakespeare, and until next time, you stay classy, Internet.