Cinematic Shakespeare (P00433)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 11 ? Acronym : LLC-P-P00433

The course focuses on the cinematic treatments of Shakespeare's plays over the last fifty years, a period which has seen some remarkable interpretations and appropriations of Shakespearian drama. Following an initial engagement with some basic issues in film theory, the course examines in detail film versions of eight plays, looking at the work of directors such as Laurence Olivier, Orson Welles, Baz Luhrmann, and Kenneth Branagh. In addition, the course examines films such as Al Pacino's Looking for Richard, which need to be understood as something other than adaptations. In doing so, it explores the cultural and formal significane of film, the relationship between film and literature, and the various meanings and functions of Shakespeare in contemporary culture.

Entry Requirements

? Costs : Purchase of essential texts as required.

Subject Areas

Home subject area

English Literature, (School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures, Schedule G)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : Postgraduate

? Delivery Period : Not being delivered

? Contact Teaching Time : 2 hour(s) per week for 10 weeks

? Other Required Attendance : 2 hour(s) per week for 1 weeks

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, the students should have acquired an understanding of the key issues relating to the adaptation of Shakespeare's plays for the cinema. In addition, the students should have a familiarity with the broader cultural questions pertaining to Shakespeare in today's world: the meanings he has acquired, and the interpretations and appropriations to which he has become subject. In addition, they should have gained a detailed knowledge of the work of a number of directors who have adapted Shakespeare's work for the screen, and the ability to relate the work of individual directors to more general intellectual and cultural trends.