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Reviews
Shakespeare: The Animated Tales (1992)
Specifically Regarding The Taming of the Shrew
Relatively recently, the BBC has become a beacon of popular culture. The television channel broke into this category with the aid of shows with cult followings and well-known actors- remakes like Doctor Who (2005), re-imaginings like Sherlock (2010), and historical dramas like Downton Abbey (2010). Before this modern era of broadcast, the BBC produced a slew of well-received and painfully detailed (at least, to my younger, crankier self who used them to stay up past bedtime) miniseries. Some examples that come to mind are the 1973 four hour long Jane Eyre and the 1995 six-episode Pride and Prejudice. Around that same time, apparently, they cut Shakespeare's plays to under a half an hour (25:47, to be exact) and filmed them using Claymation. Clearly the second half of the twentieth century was a branching point for the BBC, turning away from animation films (short though they may have been) and towards live-acted series with big name actors (for example Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle in P&P, way to start that trend with a bang!). Since the BBC's Animated Tales recounting of The Taming of the Shrew is so shortened, it is understandably a bit simplified. The enveloping narrative gets a bit rushed through, with only the barest bones of that story line coming through. The drunkard is found, the lord decides to play his trick, and the scene cuts to him passed out in a poster bed. From there, his name is only mentioned in passing, no one dresses up as Christopher-Sly-turned-Lord's wife, and he never leaves his borrowed bed or changes from his borrowed pajamas. Once the play within the play begins, the simplification continues. Kate and Petruchio's portion of the play becomes the meat of the entire twenty five odd minutes. Both Bianca's complicated story with her multiple suitors and Lucentio's subterfuge in swapping places with his servant in order to woo her under her father's nose become background noise. The only times they come into clarity are when they feed back into the drama of the "taming." First, Bianca's situation and her options are used as a way to introduce Kate and establish her as her sister's foil. Then, the two marriages other than the focus couple's and the ways they come about (sneakily dating and older widow as backup plan) are sped through in order to bring said couple back to Padua and lay the groundwork for the competition of wives. Even so, the explanation of these side tales is delivered through the tiny narrator who seems to exist in both the play and reality, without a clear position in either. The "taming" itself is even condensed. This begins on their wedding day, when Petruchio refuses to allow Kate to eat or celebrate with their guests. Instead, Petruchio manhandles a protesting Kate out of the hall, onto a horse, and through a thunder storm. They arrive at their home to find frenzied servants, whom Kate meets in complete disarray from a tough journey that included rough riding, falling from her horse, and more water and mud than her bridal getup could survive. From there, Petruchio refuses her food under the pretense that it is burnt and flings her bedclothes from her chamber. He also rips and tears her new clothes in front of her. There is also the argument the two have over whether it is the moon or the sun in the sky. These last two seem to have the greatest impact on Kate. In the first night, she responds to the food withholding with the normal despair of someone who had traveled in less than ideal circumstances. We Don't see her reaction to her room being turned upside down because she is in the room. When her clothes are ripped, though, she falls immediately into despair. She gently touches the scraps and weeps that they were the finest she'd ever seen. While debating the time of day, Kate puts up what seems like a token resistance before claiming to believe whatever he husband says. Even then, though, she doesn't appear fully "tamed," so the competition scene seemed a little abrupt to me. A huge difference I noticed between this adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew and others I've seen (Kiss Me Kate and the version with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton come to mind), is the lack of emphasis placed on spanking. The only time Petruchio hits Kate in such a way is when they first meet and exchange barbed words while dancing. He pats her behind when he says that everyone knows where the wasp keeps its stinger. I'm assuming this change in emphasis stems both from the fact that they're not people and from the evolving ideas regarding women and men's interactions in the 30 odd years between the films were produced.
Romeo Must Die (2000)
Not exactly Romeo and Juliet
Despite the title, "Romeo Must Die" is not truly an adaptation of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet." While the main characters are children of two families of equal standing and bodies accumulate throughout the film, that is where the similarities end. In fact, contrary to Kai's initial exclamation of "there's a war going on," the families' heads are actually in a business partnership when the film opens. Even the underlings seem to be working in tandem, with both Kai and Mac killing the sons of their bosses in order to further their "careers." There is some fighting between the two groups (both with martial arts and with automated weapons, prompting the ever-popular "guns don't kill people, people kill people"), but it seems to be over turf disagreements more so than any real hatred.
Han, son of the Asian gang boss, is like Romeo in that he is not present for the initial fight scenes and rising action. Unlike Romeo, he is not away on the waterfront mourning a love unrequited. Instead, Han is serving time in a Hong Kong prison for having protected his brother and father from the barred enclosure. He is much less sheltered than Shakespeare's Romeo, an effect brought about by Han's older age, work as a police officer, and lack of reluctance to violence. Han is also more isolated than Romeo. Where Romeo has a good relationship with his parents and his gang of friends like Mercutio and Benvolio, Han's mother is dead and his father betrayed him and Kai, the friend he thought he could trust, murdered Han's brother because he was getting in the way of business.
Trish, daughter of the African American gang boss Isaak O'Day, is like Juliet in her beauty but little else. Where Juliet is passive, Trish makes her own decisions at every turn. She runs her own business, has her own apartment, and avoids her father's men whenever she can. Unlike Juliet, Trish stands firm in her romantic prospects. When the Paris figure (who also seems to embody Tybalt), propositions her over a meal, Trish continuously shuts him down using dry wit, sarcasm, and a disgusted sneer.
These representations of Romeo and Juliet, Han and Trish, do not have the all-consuming, riotous emotions typical of Shakespeare's protagonists. In fact, the two seem to use one another to fill the gap left by their deceased siblings. They team up to get to the bottom of the two murders, fighting and joking together, but never showing romantic inclinations. At one point, Han and Trish literally fight as one entity so that Han can avoid hitting a girl. Trish kills her other "suitor" in order to save Han, much more active and protective than other interpretations of Capulet's fair daughter. In both cases, Han tries to protect Trish from the horrors of death by turning her attention from the body. He tries to protect her in more ways than just physically. "Romeo" gets confused and then angry by Maurice asking if Han had really thought that he "was gonna get them panties, now did you?" While this could simply be a translation issue, the fact that the reunion of the "star crossed lovers" was not sealed with a kiss hints at a more platonic interpretation.
Without the completely biased and long standing war between families and the all-consuming love between doomed lovers, "Romeo Must Die" is really only linked to Shakespeare given the number of times people derisively call Han "Romeo." Despite the expectation (and subsequent let down) of this film being a "Romeo and Juliet" adaptation, it is an interesting watch. A mix between mystery, mob, and martial arts, "Romeo Must Die" is an engaging, fast-paced, violent two hours.