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See also BBC Shakespeare Plays
All's well that ends well. 2000. 1 videodisc (141 min.). William Shakespeare's comedy about Helena, the new wife of Count Bertram, who resorts to chicanery to win the respect and affection of her husband.DVD 3191
All’s well that ends well. 1980. The complete dramatic works of William Shakespeare. 1 streaming video (142 min.). William Shakespeare’s comedy about Helena, the new wife of Count Bertram, who resorts to chicanery to win the respect and affection of her husband. Streaming video
Antony and Cleopatra. 2001. 1 videodisc (183 min.). Shakespeare's drama of Mark Antony's obsessive passion for Queen Cleopatra, and how it leads to the tragic downfall of both. DVD 1310
As you like it. 2002. 1 videodisc (97 min.). An adaptation of one of Shakespeare's comedies about the star-crossed lovers Orlando and Rosalind. DVD 130
As you like it. 2003. 1 videodisc (150 min.). Shakespeare at his funniest, posing serious questions in the most lighthearted tone. Is there a "natural difference" between a Duke's daughter and a commoner? Are men really stronger than women or is it just their roles in society? Some of these characters briefly discard the roles they've played in life, while others adopt new ones. In the end, they all learn something about themselves. DVD 3193
As you like it. 1978. The complete dramatic works of William Shakespeare. 1 streaming video (151 min.). A dramatization of Shakespeare’s comedy (a pastoral romance set in the Forest of Arden in medieval France) about all kinds of love--physical and intellectual, sentimental and cynical, enduring love between friends, and romantic love at first sight. Streaming video
The comedy of errors. 1983. The complete dramatic works of William Shakespeare. 1 streaming video (111 min.). Presents a dramatization of William Shakespeare’s farce about two pairs of twins involved in an elaborate series of mistaken identities. Streaming video
Coriolanus. 2001. 1 videodisc (145 min.). The last of Shakespeare's tragedies, in which Coriolanus, a strong and cruel soldier, brings about his own downfall through the flaws in his character. DVD 3195
Early English Aloud and Alive The Language of Beowulf, Chaucer, and Shakespeare. 1991. 1 streaming video file (29 min.). Cultivating an appreciation of the English classics requires studying the mother tongue as it was originally spoken. In this program, Dr. Joseph Gallagher brings language to life by reciting examples of Old, Middle, and Early Modern English in their original dialects. In addition, he discusses the evolution of English syntax and morphology. A dramatization of a portion of Beowulf is also included, along with visits to historic literary sites important to the study of English, such as the Sutton Hoo burial grounds, Canterbury, and the remains of the Globe Theatre. Includes subtitles in Modern English, where necessary. (29 minutes). Streaming video.
The Elizabethans (1558-1603). 1 streaming video file (26 min.). Elizabethan dress is of particular interest to students of Shakespeare, for in his time, his plays were performed in contemporary clothes. This program explains the court clothes, how they were made and given shape; who wore what, and what kind of nonverbal messages clothing sent; how complicated it was to dress and, once dressed, to move about; how children's clothes reflected their role as miniature-version adults. (26 minutes). Streaming video.
The famous history of the life of King Henry the Eighth. 2001. 1 videodisc (165 min.). One of Shakespeare's most elaborate 'pageant' plays, chronicling the life of an extraordinary English king.--Container insert. A dramatization of William Shakespeare's historical play, which tells of the intrigues during the first part of Henry's reign, his divorce from Katharine of Aragon, and marriage to Anne Bullen, who gives birth to a baby girl, Elizabeth. DVD 3204
From Page to Stage A Guide to Student Productions. 2009. 1 streaming video file (29 min.). Staging a successful play takes time, energy, and wisely used resources-whether the production is on Broadway or at a high school. This program shows how to select an appropriate script for a student theater group and produce the play in an organized, efficient manner. Viewers receive information on casting, planning and conducting rehearsals, and how to utilize the strengths and limitations of the performance space. The film also explores prop and costume decisions, illustrates smart publicity and marketing methods, and includes interviews with students, drama teachers, and theater professionals. Clips from student productions of various Shakespeare plays are featured. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. A part of the series Treading the Boards: Theater Fundamentals. (29 minutes). Streaming video.
Hamlet. 2007. 2 videodiscs (242 min.). In this first-ever full-text film of William Shakespeare's work, the Prince of Denmark, Hamlet, returns home to find his father murdered and his mother remarrying the murderer. Meanwhile, war is brewing. DVD 3386
Hamlet The Royal Shakespeare Company Production Starring David Tennant. 2009. 1 streaming video file (215 min.). Called the greatest Hamlet of his generationby Guardian reviewer Robert McCrum, Scottish actor David Tennant headlines this edgy film version of the acclaimed 2008 Royal Shakespeare Company stage production. Tennant is supported by a host of gifted players-including the impeccable Patrick Stewart as Claudius and Oliver Ford Davies in an astonishing performance as a doddering yet strangely leonine Polonius. Modern costumes, shrewd textual abridgements, and a recurring motif of high-tech video surveillance all connect the play to 21st-century anxieties, but these attributes in no way eclipse Tennant's forceful mixture of rage, sorrow, and manic humor. Original broadcast title: Hamlet. An Illuminations/Royal Shakespeare Company Production. (2 parts, 88 minutes and 94 minutes). Streaming video.
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. 1980. The complete dramatic works of William Shakespeare. 1 streaming video (215 min.). A Danish prince avenges the murder of his father, the king, by killing his uncle Claudius who murdered the king, usurped the throne, and married Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude. Hamlet, considered the most complex of all Shakespeare’s characters, examines the fundamental issues of justice, guilt, and death. Streaming video
Henry VI Part I. 2000. 1 videodisc (185 min.). A dramatization by Shakespeare of King Henry VI's early days as king and the beginning of the long civil wars between the Houses of York and Lancaster. In the war with France, England is being driven off French soil. True to the popular view of the time, the French heroine Joan of Arc is characterized as a "minister of hell" and a wanton. DVD 3201
Henry VI Part II. 2000. 1 videodisc (212 min.). A drama of the civil war between The House of York and The House of Lancaster. Henry marries Lady Margaret of Anjou, but she despises him for his meekness and takes Suffolk as a lover. The new Queen, who also hates the Yorks (the White Roses), becomes the inspiration of the Lancastrians (the Red Roses). She and her followers are pitted against Richard, Duke of York, and his supporters, who include the Earl of Warwick, also known as "the King maker.". DVD 3202
Henry VI Part III. 2000. 1 videodisc (210 min.). Concludes the King Henry VI chronicles with the War of the Roses. York, as victor at St. Albans, contemptuously forces Henry to give him succession to the crown. The merciless Margaret captures and kills York, only to be captured herself and compelled to watch as the Yorkists slay her son. In a powerful soliloquy, the vile Duke of Gloucester reveals his plans to murder Henry VI. DVD 3203
The History of Theater. 2009. 1 streaming video file (30 min.). From the Greeks to the present, this program explores the evolution of play structure, staging techniques, and acting styles. Viewers learn about the following innovations, movements, and artistic figures: the open air amphitheater and its central role in the work of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides; the use of the chorus and masks; the role of theater in ancient Roman society; morality and mystery plays in medieval England; the Italian Renaissance and the innovations of Commedia dell'Arte; James Burbage and London's first permanent playhouse; Shakespeare and the Globe Theatre; the closing of London theaters in 1648 and their return under King Charles II; the naturalism of Chekhov and Ibsen; and Stanislavsky and method acting. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. A part of the series Treading the Boards: Theater Fundamentals. (30 minutes). Streaming video.
The Hobart Shakespeareans. 2005. 1 videodisc (57 min.). About Los Angeles elementary school teacher and winner of the American Teacher Award, Rafe Esquith, who teaches his students to understand and perform Shakespeare as a motivational teaching tool and unique method of education. DVD 2057
Ian McKellen acting Shakespeare. 2009. 1 videodisc (86 min.). Actor Ian McKellen performs scenes from Shakespeare's plays and reads selections from the sonnets, with supporting lecture material on the linguistic and cultural background of Shakespeare's work and on dramatic technique. DVD 7026
In search of Shakespeare. 2003. 2 videodiscs (240 min.). Hosted by Michael Wood, this four-part history series explores the life of the world's greatest writer. Mixing travel, adventure, interviews and specially shot sequences with the Royal Shakespeare Company on the road, the series sets the life of Shakespeare in the turbulent times in which he lived--a time of surveillance, militarism and foreign wars. The Bard lived through the Spanish Armada, the Gunpowder Plot and the colonization of the New World, and saw firsthand England's Cultural Revolution, which led the English people into a new Protestant future. --taken from amazon.com. DVD 4044
In the Steps of William Shakespeare London and Stratford. 2004. 1 streaming video file (43 min.). An aromatic stew of biography and local color, this program will give viewers a sense of the London and Stratford of Shakespeare's time. The section on London visits 18 major sites associated with the Bard and his plays, including the Tower of London, St. Paul's Cathedral, the Middle Temple for law students, George Tavern, Southwark Cathedral, and the Globe Theatre site. The section on Stratford conjures up the presence of young Will through a journey around Warwickshire, featuring Shakespeare's birthplace, the baptismal font and tomb at Trinity Church, the King Edward VI Grammar School, Anne Hathaway's cottage, Shottery, Wilmcote, Kenilworth Castle, the Mary Arden Farm, and many other significant locations. (42 minutes). Streaming video.
Julius Caesar. 2001. 1 videodisc (161 min.). Breaking all conventional rules of drama, Shakespeare creates neither a clear-cut hero nor a villain. Instead, this great tragedy presents complicated human beings in agonizing conflict with one another, and themselves. DVD 3205
Julius Caesar. 1979. The complete dramatic works of William Shakespeare. 1 streaming video (161 min.). Details the transformation of a noble Athenian from a reckless spendthrift to a mad misanthrope. A play about power, assassination and revenge. Presents a broad range of historical personalities as complicated human beings in agonizing conflict with one another and themselves. Streaming video
Julius Caesar A Critical Guide. 1997. 1 streaming video file (33 min.). This work-the only Shakespeare tragedy considered to have its roots in the classics-is a study in contradiction. Though it is about the character of Brutus, it has Caesar as its dominant figure. This and other complexities and themes of the drama are investigated through the performance of key scenes by noted Shakespearean experts from the Shakespeare Centre and the Shakespeare Institute, Stratford-upon Avon. Themes and topics include politics and the corruption of power; the play as drama, history, and art; the persona of Brutus as noble but self-deluded; Cassius as an opportunistic prime mover; the rhetorical skills of Brutus and Antony as pivotal to the action; and Shakespeare's use of dramatic effect in key scenes, such as the appearance of Caesar's ghost. (33 minutes). Streaming video.
King Lear. 2009. 1 videodisc (155 min.). Proposing to divide his vast kingdom amongst his three daughters, Goneril, Regan and Cornelia, Lear devises a test for his offspring to convince him of their suitability and compassion for rule. Goneril and Regan's true colors emerge, they uncover a vast conspiracy of greed and cruelty within the once loyal dynasty. DVD 6793
King Lear. 2009. 1 streaming video file (150 min.). William Shakespeare's King Lear is considered one of the playwright's most haunting and enduring works, and its title role is a formidable rite of passage for any great Shakespearean actor. This 2008 PBS telecast marks the return of the legendary Sir Ian McKellen to the Royal Shakespeare Company, a reunion that features his tour-de-force achievement as the abused and tormented monarch. After a world tour that included New York, Los Angeles, and Melbourne, the RSC production concluded with sell-out performances in London's West End, then went straight to Pinewood Studios for this special recording. Co-directed for television by Sir Trevor Nunn and Chris Hunt. Distributed by PBS Distribution. (150 minutes). Streaming video.
King Lear. 2000. 1 videodisc (185 min.). Shakespeare's plays in which tragedy occurs when an old king divides his kingdom between his daughters. DVD 3207
King Lear. 1982. The complete dramatic works of William Shakespeare. 1 streaming video (186 min.). Shakespeare’s plays in which tragedy occurs when an old king divides his kingdom between his daughters. Streaming video
The life of Henry the Fifth. 1979. The complete dramatic works of William Shakespeare. 1 streaming video (164 min.). Young King Henry of England asserts a hereditary claim to the throne of France, gathering an army and embarking on a course that will lead to one of England’s greatest battlefield triumphs and forever change the face of Europe. Follows King Henry V as he unites his people, deals justly with traitors, leads his soldiers to victory, and ensures peace by marrying a French princess. Streaming video
Looking for Richard. 2005. 1 videodisc (112 min.). Richard III, Shakespeare's gripping play about a deformed, devious man whose lust for power knows no bounds, is illuminated in this film that marks Pacino's directorial debut. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 4982
Love's labour's lost a romantic musical comedy. 1999. 1 videodisc (ca. 94 min.). The King of Navarre (Alessandro Nivola) and his friends think that they cannot love again. When the Princess of France (Silverstone) and her attendants arrive for a visit, their plans are completely turned upside down. DVD 194
Love's labour's lost. 2000. 1 videodisc (120 min.). A satire directed against intellectual pride and pedantry. The King of Navarre and three of his lords vow to spend three years in study and not to see any women. But when the Princess of France arrives with her three ladies, the men break their vow and fall in love with them. DVD 3208
Macbeth. 2000. 1 videodisc (107 min.). Welles shot his first Shakespearean project for the screen in just 21 days in the summer of 1947 on a Western backlot of the small 'B' studio Republic, producing a far more cinematic reworking of his subject than Olivier's contemporary and relatively conventional Hamlet. Through inventive use of camera, lighting, sets and music, Welles created a hellish world that reflected Macbeth's tortured state of mind. DVD 8187
Macbeth. 2007. 1 videodisc (110 min.). Shakespeare's tale of greed and ambition is set amidst the hyper-violent drug gangs of modern Australia. HOME USE COLLECTION DVD 4713
Macbeth. 2003. 1 videodisc (148 min.). This savage tragedy is one of Shakespeare's most enduringly popular. Told by a trio of witches that he is fated to become King of Scotland, the warrior Macbeth, aided by his wife, in his quest for power murders his king and assumes the throne. The two embark on a guilt-ridden reign of terror. DVD 3209
Macbeth. 1982. The complete dramatic works of William Shakespeare. 1 streaming video (148 min.). Driven by ambition and an unscrupulous wife, Macbeth murders the King of Scotland and claims the throne for himself. Haunted by ghosts and vexed by witches, he and his wife descend into the depths of madness and paranoia as they crumble beneath the weight of their crimes. Streaming video
Macbeth A Critical Guide. 1997. 1 streaming video file (33 min.). In this program, the major themes of Shakespeare's most popular tragedy are investigated by noted experts. Analyzing key scenes from an award-winning film production, Professor Robert Smallwood of the Shakespeare Centre and Professor Stanley Wells of the Shakespeare Institute examine how the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth changes during the course of the play; how Banquo's character serves as a counterpart to Macbeth's; whether Macbeth's character is at all admirable; and whether the play confirms that all tragedies are uniformly pessimistic. Host Graham MacTavish, an actor with the Stratford Shakespeare Company, establishes context and background for the play. (33 minutes). Streaming video.
Macbeth Shakespeare for the Modern Age. 2003. 1 streaming video file (37 min.). This condensed adaptation of Macbeth, performed by experienced Shakespearean actors of the innovative Big Adventures Theatre Company, uses the Bard's own immortal words to tell the story of Duncan King, head of King Enterprises, and his scheming employee, Macbeth, recently awarded the coveted Cawdor contract. After Macbeth's fateful meeting with three saucy witches-not on the heath, but at the Heath Nightclub-the tragedy unfolds, leading to the inevitable showdown in which Macduff shoots Macbeth. E-mail, cell phones, and stretch limos all have their place in this intriguing film. Guaranteed to catch the interest of teenage and adult viewers alike. (37 minutes). Streaming video.
Measure for measure. 1979. The complete dramatic works of William Shakespeare. 1 streaming video (145 min.). Cruel Angelo is left in charge of Vienna when the Duke pretends to leave town. Angelo revives an old law against fornication and sentences Claudio to death for seducing Juliet, Claudio’s betrothed. Claudio’s sister, Isabella, pleads for his life and Angelo offers to spare him in exchange for her virginity. Angelo’s corruption and severity are punished when the Duke reveals that he has witnessed it all. Streaming video
The merchant of Venice. 1980. The complete dramatic works of William Shakespeare. 1 streaming video (157 min.). Blending tragedy and comedy, this play presents contrasts and ambiguities, the complexities of which lie in the character Shylock, its captivating villain. Is he a villain, a buffoon, or tragic hero? Streaming video
Measure for measure. 2001. 1 videodisc (145 min.). Cruel Angelo is left in charge of Vienna when the Duke pretends to leave town. Angelo revives an old law against fornication and sentences Claudio to death for seducing Juliet, Claudio's betrothed. Claudio's sister, Isabella, pleads for his life and Angelo offers to spare him in exchange for her virginity. Angelo's corruption and severity are punished when the Duke reveals that he has witnessed it all. DVD 3211
Medieval Drama From Sanctuary to Stage. 2000. 1 streaming video file (48 min.). This definitive program traces the development of medieval drama, from Hildegard von Bingen's musical morality play Ordo Virtutum (The Ritual of the Virtues) to the seminal Everyman. Featuring extended excerpts from these influential works, as well as from The Second Shepherd's Play and the 1998 staging of the Mystery Cycle in York, England, the video also establishes the genre's socioreligious context. Expert commentary from a variety of scholars, including Meg Twycross of Lancaster University and Alexandra Johnston of the University of Toronto, as well as interviews with theater staff help to capture the vitality of an art form that bridges dramatic history from the Classical Age to Shakespeare. A Films for the Humanities & Sciences Production. (48 minutes). Streaming video.
The merchant of Venice. 2003. 1 videodisc (157 min.). Blending tragedy and comedy, this play presents contrasts and ambiguities, the complexities of which lie in the character Shylock, its captivating villain. Is he a villain, a buffoon, or tragic hero? DVD 3212
The Merchant of Venice A New Perspective. 2009. 1 streaming video file (177 min.). Shakespeare's tale of love, betrayal, and retribution is perhaps best known for the tormented and implacable character of Shylock. This adaptation of The Merchant of Venice, directed by University of Cambridge visiting scholar Douglas Morse, focuses on Portia's story as well as the play's essential humor-aspects frequently given short shrift in other productions. Filmed in an intimate, cinematic style at Cambridge's renowned ADC Theatre, the program gives students the opportunity to closely examine one of Shakespeare's most complex, multilayered works. The DVD version offers additional educational features, including a quick-access menu to important scenes and monologues and a 44-minute conversation with Shakespeare scholar Dr. Phyllis Rackin. (133 minutes + 44 minutes of bonus material). Streaming video.
The merry wives of Windsor. 2000. 1 videodisc (167 min.). Sir John Falstaff, knowing that Mrs. Ford and Mrs. Page control the money in their respective households, decides to seduce them, but they learn of his scheme and resolve to make a fool of him. A comic series of disguises and misadventures follows. This program views the Merry wives of Windsor as Shakespeare's attack on middle class propriety and hypocrisy. He challenges the belief that fidelity is mere lip service and a result of arranged, loveless marriages. DVD 3213
A midsummer night’s dream. 1981. The complete dramatic works of William Shakespeare. 1 streaming video (112 min.). Shakespeare’s play about devilish fairies, bedeviled lovers and tradesmen-actors. Plots intertwine as entangled love affairs, the comical performance of a "play within a play" by the tradesmen of Athens, and the antics in fairyland among King Oberon and his queen Titania produce a bizarre series of entanglements, but all ends happily. Streaming video
Much ado about nothing. 2000. 1 videodisc (120 min.). Claudio and Hero are engaged, but the jealous Don John tries to thwart the wedding by denouncing Hero as unchaste. Meanwhile, Beatrice and Benedick, who scorn each other, become betrothed as a result of the schemes of their friends. DVD 3215
Much ado about nothing. 2003. 1 videodisc (111 min.). With his wedding a week away, Claudio can't wait to marry the beautiful young Hero. To distract him, his best friend Don Pedro devises mischief: a romantic trap for the sharp-tongued Beatrice and the man she loves to hate, Benedick. Their amusement is almost spoiled by the jealous scheming of Don John, but love and laughter prevail when the local constable unwittingly exposes the plot--and all the trouble proves to be much ado about nothing (111 min.). DVD 1295
Much ado about nothing. 1984. The complete dramatic works of William Shakespeare. 1 streaming video (149 min.). Claudio and Hero are engaged, but the jealous Don John tries to thwart the wedding by denouncing Hero as unchaste. Meanwhile, Beatrice and Benedick, who scorn each other, become betrothed as a result of the schemes of their friends. Streaming video
A Muse of Fire. 1986. 1 streaming video file (59 min.). As the landscape of the New World awakened England's imagination, so did a new landscape of words-in the English of William Shakespeare and the King James Bible. This classic PBS program describes the spread of English to North America and explains how Shakespeare's prodigious vocabulary filled the language with startling new words, phrases, and constructions. Recording strong echoes of Shakespearean English in the little villages lying near Stratford, the program also describes the making of the Authorized Version of the Bible-the only great work of literature ever created by committee-and examines the linguistic dissent perpetrated by the Puritans. (59 minutes). Streaming video.
My Shakespeare. 2006. 1 videodisc (90 min.). Follow a group of amateur actors from a poor neighborhood in London as they prepare for a performance of Romeo and Juliet. Director Baz Luhrmann oversees the actors as they go through intense rehearsals to ingrain within themselves the significance of Shakespeare's play. DVD 4416
Olivier's Hamlet. 1988. 1 streaming video file (148 min.). Winner of five Academy Awards, the International Grand Prix of Venice, the New York Film Critic's Award, and the Parents Magazine Award for Extraordinary Merit, Olivier's Hamlet is no doubt the premier teaching tool for Shakespeare classes-Olivier's breadth of view of both the protagonist and the entire play will be enjoyed again and again by the teacher, while making the text comprehensible and exciting to students. Streaming video.
Olivier's Henry V. 1 streaming video file (136 min.). Is there a Shakespeare lover who does not know this superb film? Two entire generations were introduced to Shakespeare by this expansive production, which is as fresh and dramatic and deeply touching today as when first it ushered in the contemporary style of Shakespearean production and taught us to see the vast and rich panoply beyond the lines of Shakespeare's Henry V. Streaming video.