10 Irresistible Movies Inspired By The Genius Of Shakespeare
1. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
Shakespeares Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were the supposed friends of Hamlet, in Shakespeares play, who were actually acting as spies for King Claudius. Here, Tom Stoppard re-invents the two as witty explorers of the existential absurd. Their brilliantly timed rambles and retorts tackle ideas of free will, luck and a whole lot of metatheatre as the two constantly swap intelligence roles and confuse their own identities. All the while they are unaware of their overall importance in the action which surrounds them; Hamlets revenge.
Polonius famous wordsThough this be madness, yet there is method in't could easily be adapted and applied to this brilliantly written work, as Tim Roth and Gary Oldman bring the two eponymous characters to life. Gary Oldman shines as Rosencrantz who repeatedly stumbles upon inventions and theories (such as inventing the burger and discovering the law of gravity) only to stumble away again as reaches the final hurdle and fails.
Most of the negative criticism regarding the film tend to say it doesnt quite hold up to the stage play. As I have not seen the play, perhaps that is why I hold this film in such high esteem. I can only assume the heavy dialogue of a play orientated script was not expected in the cinema at the time. I simply can not agree with this, for an example of some of the fun that can be had with the wordplay in this film, watch the scene in which the two play a game of Questions on indoor tennis court. Roth and Oldman bounce of each other rather well as the duo caught unaware.
Did we miss any of your favourite movies based on Shakespeare? Share your own picks below in the comments thread.