Film Adaptation Essay

 Even in the early modern period, Shakespeare’s plays were performed with a variety of settings, ancient and contemporary, and as new dramatic technologies were developed they were quickly incorporated into these performances. His plays have been adapted to film since the early days of the technology, sometimes in modernized forms, and almost always in ways that reveal as much about the culture producing the film as on Shakespeare’s play itself. You will be viewing a film adaptation of one of the plays we are reading in the first five weeks of class (Much Ado About Nothing, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Henry V, or Romeo and Juliet) and writing a 4-5-page essay in MLA format making an argument about the film’s interpretation of Shakespeare’s text. Comparison and contrast will be a part of this, but it’s not enough to simply write an essay that lists similarities and differences. You will need a specific thesis about the film’s interpretation supported by close readings of scenes in the film and in the play’s text. Ask yourself the question: what does this difference, or this casting choice, or this change in the order of lines, or this filmic setting, or this particular delivery of lines by an actor, do? What is its effect upon you as a viewer and upon the meaning and impact of the play and adaptation? You may wish to consider, for example, questions of character portrayal; setting and staging; sections that are cut, kept, emphasized, or deemphasized; and the use of language. Do the filmmakers’ choices emphasize a particular character more than the written text would lead you to expect––or a particular side of a character? Look for creative adaptation choices and moments that stand out to you. You may also argue that a particular adaptation choice reflects an aspect of the society in which the film was created. You may use outside secondary sources to enrich your essay, but they are not required. This is not a film class; it is appropriate, but not required, to use technical or semi-technical film terminology in this essay. You can still excel at this assignment by using only the terminology of literary study and describing what is happening on screen in detail (even if you don’t happen to know that you’re seeing a “mid shot” or that you’re experiencing “syncresis”). This essay is different from a film review, since you are writing about the relationship between the written text and the adaptation. Good phrases to use in your thesis include: “This choice emphasizes… or deemphasizes _________” “This choice highlights…” “…creates a _________ tone or mood.” “…communicates a theme of ________.” “Casting Emma Thompson as Beatrice, combined with her acting choices, emphasizes the _________ aspect of her character.” “The choice of filming in black and white…” “The modern setting combined with Shakespearean language produces _________ effect.” “The close-up of _________’s face while delivering ________ line…” “Cutting ________ lines and moving _________ lines earlier shifts the focus to…”