Customer Reviews

Shakespeare Collection (Hamlet 1996 / A Midsummer Night's Dream 1935 / Othello 1965 / Romeo & Juliet 1936)

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3 star:		(1)
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I was very pleased with my "Literary Classics Collection" and "Motion Picture Masterpieces Collection" that I purchased from Warner's, and it looks like the studio originally known for gritty urban dramas continues to go highbrow with this collection of four movies featuring interpretations of works by the Bard. The press release by Warner Home Video has the following extras listed for each movie:

A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)
Cast includes James Cagney, Olivia de Havilland (in her screen debut), Joe E. Brown, and Mickey Rooney. The film was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It won for Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing.
DVD Special Features:
Commentary by film historian Scott MacQueen
Olivia de Havilland screen test
Vintage featurette "A Dream Comes True" (8 minutes)
Presenting... Gallery of 6 teaser trailers showcasing cast members
Warner Bros. Studio Café teaser trailer
Musical short "Shake Mr. Shakespeare"
Theatrical trailer
Subtitles: English, French and Portuguese (feature film only)

Romeo and Juliet (1936)
This was actually an MGM production. George Cukor directs with Norma Shearer and Leslie Howard in the title roles. Nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Picture.
DVD Special Features:
Vintage short "Master Will Shakespeare"
Classic MGM cartoon "Little Cheeser"
Theatrical trailer
Subtitles: English (feature film only)

Othello (1965)
Lawrence Olivier in the title role, Maggie Smith as Desdemona, Joyce Redman as Emilia, and Frank Finlay as Iago. All four performers were nominated for Academy Awards for their performances.
DVD Special Features:
Vintage featurette "Olivier Talks About Othello"
Theatrical trailer
Subtitles: English (feature film only)

Hamlet 2-Disc Special Edition (1996)
Cast includes actor/director Kenneth Branagh, Kate Winslet, Derek Jacobi, Julie Christie, Robin Williams, Jack Lemmon, Billy Crystal and Charlton Heston. This rendition is set in the 19th century.
DVD Special Features:
Introduction by director/star Kenneth Branagh
Commentary by Kenneth Branagh and Shakespeare scholar Russell Jackson
New digital transfer from original 70mm elements
Soundtrack remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1
Featurette "To Be on Camera: A History with Hamlet"
1996 Cannes Film Festival promo
Shakespeare movies trailer gallery
Subtitles: English, French and Spanish subtitles. (feature film only)

This box set from Warner Brothers is the absolute bargain of the century.
I was in the market to purchase A Midummer Night's because it was Max Reinhardt's underrated fantasy spectacle of the 30's. The toast of Hollywood on the Hollywood Bowl stage, the writer's say. The screen version shows it off. Don't beleive the nay-sayers, all the actors are great in their parts, although they are cast against type, except for Mickey Rooney, of course.
Anyway, I also got Othello, Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet, and all of these movies are worth collecting individually.
The one worry I had with this box set is the condition of the discs themselves, and they are in fine shape. You see, about 5 or 6 years ago, my wife bought me the Stanley Kubrick collction from Warners, and I made the mistake of not watcing some of the individual discs for several months, so I couldn't return the product, but 3 of the discs included in the set were unplayable, still to this day!
So all I'm saying is that this bargain set is a little payback for all the heartache Warner's has caused me in the past.
Oh yes, Sir Laurence Olivier is the best actor I have had the pleasure to watch. We miss you Larry!
PS 04-10-08 Charlton Heston just died. His performance in Hamlet is the best of his career!

Olivier's Othello is a masterpiece. Branagh's Hamlet is opulent. The 30's takes on R&J and Midsummer Night don't hold up as well but are still worth watching.

This is a wonderful collection. The Branagh "Hamlet," alone is almost worth the price. I would have liked to have seen Branagh's "Henry V" in the collection, also.

This product was a gift for my father. It arrived earlier than it had stated. I was happy with the price, shipping and all that was included.

I had previously purchased MGM's opulent Romeo and Juliet(1936) and Warner's equally opulent and ethereal A Midsummer Night's Dream(1935) under separate packaging. Both pictures were wonderfully entertaining and had outstanding ensemble casts that illustrated perfectly that film personalities can not only act but often have serious stage backgrounds that serve them well when translated to film. Based on their close timing, it can be assumed that film goers had some appreciation of Shakespeare and classical theater in the 1930's.
The other two film offerings, which are more contemporary, are moodier. However, both are equally engrossing in their own right. Both lead actors were well schooled in Shakespeare and had substantial stage training in the U.K. Kenneth Branaugh portrays the soliary Dane in Hamlet(1996) and compares favorably to Olivier's 1948 film Hamlet which is considered by many to be the definitive screen version. Laurence Olivier's driven to the brink Othello (1965) is at least equal to Orson Welles' version, but to my mind is probably better because when it comes to Shakespeare I absolutely love Olivier who has total command of the part as well as his audience.
The good news regarding this specially priced set is that it is very affordable in comparison to buying each film separately. All of the inclusions are well-done and the only obvious criticism I had was that Norma Shearer and Leslie Howard's Romeo and Juliet stretched credibility a bit because both actors were far from being teenagers in 1936.
The copies are clean and the sound quality is good. This is a good choice for anyone who likes Shakespeare and wants to snag a deal.

This series (The Shakespeare Collection) was recommended in the Wall Street Jounral. So far this series is excellant and we agree wholeheartadly with the WSJ. The costuming was spectacular.

We are looking forward to watching the rest of the DVDs in the Shakespeare Collection.

Purchased for Renaissance & Reformation home education study including Shakespeare. Hae not watched all yet, but will before the end of the study year.

The Texas Refugee also makes claims of "Warner going highbrow." What pray tell that this have to do with this unreleased box set? Warner is simply plowing through their own libraries and the MGM one they bought, without any specific attention to genre, age, original studio, or whether it's high-brow, low-brow or mid-brow.
My rating in in "anticipation" of a fine release with expected transfers of a high level of excellence.

Funny how the "Texas Refugee" has bought this box set that has not been released. Hmmm.

I am looking forward to seeing the 1935 A Midsummer Night's Dream and the 1996 Hamlet again. I have not seen MND for a very long time, but I have very fond memories of it. The 1996 Hamlet is arguably the best on film.

(Why do I have "Peter Jackson" in my badge?)