Study Guide
Grades 9-12, College, Adult
Directed by Eric Weinthal and Dug Rotstein
Produced by Eugenia Educational Foundation
DVD Purchase $79, Rent $45
US Release Date: 1995
Copyright Date: 1994
DVD ISBN: 1-59458-160-6
VHS ISBN: 1-56029-628-3
Subjects
English Literature
English Literature
Guidance and Counseling
Humanities
Language Arts
Performing Arts
Theater
Values
Awards and Festivals
EXEMPLARY: California Instructional Technology Clearinghouse
Bronze Apple, National Educational Media Network Competition
Hamlet
A video guide to Shakespeare's most famous play.
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"Makes the play much more accessible to...students." Chris M. Worsnop, English Coordinator, H.J.A Brown Education Centre |
Like the other programs in the series "A Taste of Shakespeare", the purpose of this video is to help modern audiences, especially students, identify with the universal themes in Shakespeare's plot line.
In HAMLET four actors tell the story, play some of the most famous scenes, and comment on important problems, motives, conflicts, and decisions.
Each actor plays multiple roles, each role being indicated by a simple change of costume or method of presentation. The setting is a high school auditorium, using the stage, seats, stairs and door to the outside. This technique emphasizes how little is needed in the way of props and set design to understand and enjoy a Shakespeare play.
Other titles in this ongoing series are:
The Merchant of Venice - A video guide to the play from Shylock's point of view.
A Midsummer Night's Dream - A video guide to the loveliest of Shakespeare's romantic comedies.
Romeo and Juliet - A video guide to this cautionary tale of teenage love.
King Lear - A video guide to one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies.
Macbeth - A video guide to Shakespeare's "tragedy of blood".
Othello - A video guide to one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies, dealing with revenge and pride.
Reviews
"Some very interesting potential for classroom use. Showing the film as a preview might provide just the 'frame' some students require to more fully understand and appreciate their in-class reading of the play..."
"Simple costumes, memorable props, and effective lighting enhance the fine portrayals, which allow focused discussion of specific parts of the play or make traditional reading assignments more accessible."
"A major virtue are the iterative questions posed by the cast as to whether or not Hamlet is mad or pretending with the implicit theme that there are no answers to the questions raised by Hamlet, the ultimate interrogative play."