Shakespeare and the Moving Image: The Plays on Film and Television [Hardcover]

Anthony Davies (Editor), Stanley Wells (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 25, 1994

Toward the end of the 1980s it looked as if television had displaced film as the photographic medium for bringing Shakespeare to the modern audience. In recent years there has been a renaissance of Shakespearean film by directors such as Kenneth Branagh, Franco Zeffirelli, Peter Greenaway, and Christina Ezard. In this volume, a range of writers study the best known and most entertaining film, television and video versions of Shakespeare's plays, with particular attention given to the work of Olivier, Zeffirelli and Kurosawa, and to the BBC television series. The volume also includes a survey of previous scholarship and criticism as well as a comprehensive filmography.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Given the recent explosion of interest in Shakespeare on film, this strong collection (which includes Graham Holderness and Christopher McCullough's useful compendium of Shakespeare on film) offers an excellent and timely overview." SEL

"Anthony Davies and Stanley Wells have assembled something like a compact encyclopedia of Shakepeare on film and video. ...the critical review and bibliography in the introduction as well as individual articles make the volume the most useful source book for this area up to 1994." R. Thomas Simone, Shakespeare Quarterly

Book Description

A range of writers study the best known and most entertaining film, television and video versions of Shakespeare's plays, paying particular attention to the work of Olivier, Zeffirelli and Kurosawa and the BBC television series. A comprehensive filmography is included.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 278 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (November 25, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521434246
• ISBN-13: 978-0521434249
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,749,984 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stanley Wells, described by Roy Hattersley as "Our greatest authority on Shakespeare's life and work," is Chairman of the Trustees of Shakespeare's Birthplace, Emeritus Professor of Shakespeare Studies of the University of Birmingham, and Honorary Emeritus Governor of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. He is the author and editor of many books including The Oxford Shakespeare: The Complete Works, 2nd Edition (OUP 2005); The Oxford Dictionary of Shakespeare (OUP, 2003); and Shakespeare in the Theatre (OUP, 1997).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars semi-comprehensive, September 30, 2009

By 

R. Osborn (La Canada, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shakespeare and the Moving Image: The Plays on Film and Television (Paperback)

This book certainly hits all the major adaptations, largely the ones you'd expect. But to give only a passing mention to FORBIDDEN PLANET (a sci-fi "Tempest") and to absolutely overlook the MOONLIGHTING episode of "Taming of the Shrew" makes you wonder what other gems were overlooked.