Silent Shakespeare: Such Stuff as Dreams Are Made on...

Director:
England. 1899-1911.
88 minutes. B&W, Tinted, Hand-stencil Color.

In the early days of the cinema, pioneer filmmakers created these seven charming, moving and magical films based on the plays of William Shakespeare. Considered a "lowbrow" medium, the fledgling movie industry sought to elevate its status by immortalizing the classics and hiring the greatest actors of the day. As most of these early photoplays were only one or two reels long, adapting the Bard proved to be both challenging and inspiring. Whatever these films gave up in language and length, they made up for in exuberance, cinematic artistry, visual wit and bravura acting.

Digitally restored to video by the British Film Institute's National Film and Television Archive, the tape features King John (Britain, 1899, with Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree), The Tempest (Britain, 1908), A Midsummer Night's Dream (USA, 1909), King Lear (Italy, 1910, with Francesca Bertini), Twelfth Night (USA, 1910), The Merchant of Venice (Italy 1910, with Francesca Bertini) and Richard III (Britain, 1911, with Sir Frank Benson).

Reviews

"A rare opportunity to see these beautiful early films." -Martin Scorsese

"Fascinating! Painstakingly restored... A priceless document in the history of both Shakespearean acting and the cinema." -London Daily Telegraph