Shakespeare in Performance: Film

Making Shakespeare (1987, Brian Musgrove)

Description

Explores the idea of Shakespeare as the British "National Poet" and the ideological assumptions growing out of that status. The film investigates the many contexts in which the image of Shakespeare is constructed—theatre, film, classroom, college and public life. It then attempts to relate this wide range of influences to the ways in which Shakespeare is "taught" in the English educational system. Focus of the discussion is Othello because it introduces issues of importance to a newly emerging multi-cultural society in Britain. The panelists include such British "cultural materialists" as Jonathan Dollimore and Raymond Williams and well-known actors and directors as Sam Wanamaker and Jonathan Miller. Although aimed at a British audience, there is much here that would seem to be of interest to Americans concerned with a critique of "National Totenism."

Description from Shakespeare on Screen : an International Filmography and Videography by Kenneth S. Rothwell and Annabelle Henkin Melzer. ©1990 Kenneth S. Rothwell. Cited by permission. — Added 2008-11-14

Cast Overview

Production Team and Crew Overview

Company Overview

Production information courtesy of: Kenneth Rothwell