a_t_rain

tempestsarekind posted a link to this trailer for the film Anarchy, which is -- although you'd never know it if they didn't tell you -- an adaptation of Cymbeline. I did not have high expectations for the creative team of Almereyda and Hawke, having once made the mistake of seeing their Hamlet*, but I think they just went straight through the floor.

But, you know, one bad Hamlet is fine. There are so many good Hamlets on film that it doesn't matter. Why -- why -- does the only film version of Cymbeline outside of the BBC Complete Works have to be something you'd have to be drunk to watch? Among other things, this pretty much guarantees that nobody else will come along and make a better one.

:: grump ::

(Also, as long as I'm making random demands, could someone PLEASE make a good film version of Measure for Measure and set it on the Gulf Coast? Preferably with all-Southern actors who can use their natural accents and won't put on stupidly wrong ones? I have my eye on Houston native Lynn Collins for Isabella.)

* To put this in perspective: I have nothing against modern-dress, modern-setting Shakespeare. I LOVE that sort of thing if it's done well, and have nothing against it even if it's not-totally-successful on the conceptual level but well-acted. I'm one of the handful of people who like the Julie Taymor Tempest. And I usually notice something thought-provoking and interesting even when I'm watching not-very-good film versions of Shakespeare. That Hamlet was seriously bad.

This will be pretty scattered, as it is Tuesday night and I can't usually do anything but scattered on Tuesdays. Short version: I liked it, but I'm not as much in love with it as the last two Shakespeare plays to hit Great Performances.

( Performance spoilers beneath, in case anybody minds )