Modern Adaptations.....Ever too much?

It seems as if the modern adaptation of Shakespearean plays into films has become a popular genre these days. With films such as Ten Things I Hate About You, Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet, and Michael Almereyda's Hamlet, Shakespeare's plays are constantly being updated with the latest slang and hippest clothes, all the while continuing to create buzz about Shakespeare. It's remarkable just to think how teenagers today can relate so easily to literary stories that were written hundreds of years ago.Yet, these films help to reawaken these ideas and show how they are still present in today's society. But do these adaptations ever go too far with the whole creative license concept?

I know when my high school engish class watched Michael Almereyda's Hamlet, many of my friends believed the director took the film too far in trying to be creative that he lost the whole Shakespearean feel to it. They felt as if it was just some knock-off trying to be creative all the while placing the name Shakespeare on it to get attention. Although it's certainly not one of my favorite movies, it does contain one of my favorite scenes in a movie. Ethan Hawke delievers the infamous "To be or not to be" speech all the while inside a Blockbuster store. I found the symbolism in these scene to not only be imaginative and creative, but just pure genius. I loved how he had Hamlet, this character who is trying to figure out his future and make the right decision, placed in a Blockbuster store where there are hundreds of possible decisions to be made. The whole point of a Blockbuster store is to choose what type of movie you want, what type of future you will have.

Many of my fellow classmates felt as if Michael Almereyda got out of control with this film, just trying to be as creative and different as possible, all the while, devaluing the original intent of Shakespeare's plays. So, do these modern-day film adaptations cheapen all that the original works had to offer? I feel like sometimes filmmakers just want to make this type of movie because of the Shakespearean name attached to it. This being said, I think many of them are the inventive works of people who truly care about and are interested in the parrallels that can be made between the Shakespearean themes and today's society.

Tim Blake Nelson's O does a great job at distinguishing these parallels, while still respecting the original literary piece. I also appreciate how the writer, Brad Kaaya was able to keep a lot of the original things, yet update them to fit into the 21st century. He's able to successfully transport Shakespeare's classic tale into American society by making these updates. One is how the actors don't speak in Skakpearean script. This allows the audience to relate more to the characters and events occuring. Kaaya also takes the liberty to make some alterations to the classic take of Othello. In the film, O is very cocky and full of himself. In Othello, however, Othello is very humble and it is his honorable background that wins the heart of Desdemona. O's background is very different and certainly not one filled with honor.