Guide to Shakespeare
for GCSE English
Enrichment
20th Century Fox © (1996) All rights reserved
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Guide to Shakespeare for GCSE English Enrichment
Guide to Shakespeare
for GCSE English Enrichment
Key Stage Target: KS4
Curriculum Links: English Language, English Literature
This resource is designed to enhance the teaching of Shakespeare’s plays at GCSE level by encouraging students to
think critically about film adaptations and the director’s interpretation of the play as a performance piece. It will appeal
to all students aged 14-16, regardless of ability, due to the universal appeal of film to engage, enthrall and inspire.
The films for this resource are adaptations of a wide variety of the most popular plays at GCSE level, compiled in
response English teachers’ preferences. The adaptations vary greatly in terms of their country of origin and approach to
the original Shakespeare play. Film can generate a multitude of discussions ranging from the interpretation of a play by
a director, the suitability of actors to portray the play’s characters, to how effectively the ideas, themes, settings, social,
cultural and historical contexts are shown in the film through elements such as soundtrack, lighting, script, structure and
camera shots.
Running an Into Film film club in your school can enrich the curriculum, allow young people to experience cultures
beyond their own, explore a wide variety of issues and stimulate their imaginations. After watching a film, students can
comment during a post-screening discussion with their peers, before writing reviews on the Into Film website (which
has a real audience of other young people) where they can analyse the film and develop their independent critique
while relating it to the original play. Above all, students and teachers can enjoy the shared experience of watching
and discussing a film together. Young people can then go on to make their own films using free filmmaking resources
available on the Into Film website.
Please visit www.intofilm.org for further details.
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Guide to Shakespeare for GCSE English Enrichment
The films in this resource are:
Macbeth
1971 | Cert: 15
Caliban Films, Columbia pictures © (1971) All rights reserved
William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet
1996 | Cert: 12
20th Century Fox © (1996) All rights reserved
Dil Chahta Hai
2001 | Cert: PG based on Much Ado About Nothing
Excel Entertainment © (2001) All rights reserved
She’s The Man
2006 | Cert: 12 based on Twelfth Night
DreamWorks © (2006) All rights reserved
Caesar Must Die
2012 | Cert: 12A based on Julius Caesar
Kaos Cinematografica, Sacher Distribuzione © (2012) All rights reserved
The Lion King
1994 | Cert: U based on Hamlet
Walt Disney © (1994) All rights reserved
Ran
1985 | Cert: 12 based on King Lear
Toho Company © (1985) All rights reserved
10 Things I Hate About You
1999 | Cert: 12 based on The Taming of the Shrew
Walt Disney Motion Pictures/Touchstone Pictures © (1999) All rights reserved
Forbidden Planet
1956 | Cert: U based on The Tempest
MGM/Warner Bros © (1956) All rights reserved
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
1996 | Cert: PG
FilmFour © (1996) All rights reserved
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Guide to Shakespeare for GCSE English Enrichment
Macbeth
1971 | Cert: 15
Enrichment Focus
This film resource is aimed at GCSE English students. Suggested subjects for discussion are
Macbeth and adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays.
Columbia Pictures © (1971) All rights reserved
What’s this film about?
Lively version of the famous Shakespeare tragedy about a Scottish general intent on becoming king at any cost.
Why this film?
William Shakespeare gets the Roman Polanski touch in this energetic version of the Scottish play, and that means that
while there’s always respect for the exquisite text, there are also some modern touches, flashes of violence and notably
quite a lot of nudity. The cast is excellent if at times eccentric, with Jon Finch in good form as Macbeth, Francesca Annis
believably ambitious and insane as Lady Macbeth, and TV stars Martin Shaw and Keith Chegwin turning up as Banquo
and Fleance, respectively.
What the critics think
“Polanski has increased the film’s barbaric realism and
fills the screen with blood, mud and brooding atmosphere.”
- Film4 Online
“This is an original film by an original film artist,
and not an ‘interpretation.’”
- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times Online
Columbia Pictures © (1971) All rights reserved
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Guide to Shakespeare for GCSE English Enrichment
Discussion Questions
1.
Watch the opening scene and title credits. How does Polanski set the tone for the film straight away?
2.
Do you think that this version of Macbeth is too violent?
3.
How have special effects been used in this film? Are they successful?
4.
In your opinion, is this a good adaptation of Macbeth?
Teacher Notes
1.
When the witches are on the beach the air is full of dust and smoke which makes it mysterious and seem very bleak.
It also brings the line “through the fog and filthy air” come alive. It also foreshadows Macbeth because at the same
time he is fighting in the fog of war and immediately links him with the witches.
2.
This version does show the horrors of war. In the play they are merely described by other characters but in the film
we can actually see the actions. This gives us a deeper understanding of Macbeth as not only a good soldier but a
violent warrior as his job called for. However the battle scene uses dialogue from the play which students may find
detracts from the action of the scene.
3.
In the film we actually see the imaginary dagger that leads Macbeth to Duncan’s chamber, but when he stabs the
king the action is very staged. The soliloquies are part of the voice-over soundtrack rather than spoken to one side
as it would be in the theatre.
4.
The ending of the film shows Malcolm’s brother going to consult the three witches and indicates that history
will repeat itself. However in the play all we know is that Malcolm becomes king. Also, in the film Ross is one of
Macbeth’s henchman but in the play he only has a minor role. Shakespeare’s stage directions do not say that Lady
Macbeth sleepwalks in the nude but this is Polanski’s addition to the play.
Next Steps
1.
Get your students’ voices heard by starting an Into Film club and writing reviews at www.intofilm.org
2.
Watch Throne of Blood (1957, PG) How does this adaptation of Macbeth compare to Polanski’s?
See, think, make.
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Guide to Shakespeare for GCSE English Enrichment
William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet
1996 | Cert: 12
Enrichment Focus
This film resource is aimed at GCSE English students. Suggested subjects for discussion are
Romeo and Juliet and adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays.
20th Century Fox © (1996) All rights reserved
What’s this film about?
Highly original, loud and colourful adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic play about two young lovers from
bitterly feuding families.
Why this film?
Bold, bright, fast and frantic, this adaptation of Shakespeare’s tale of star-crossed lovers is about as far from traditional
theatre as you could imagine. Played by Leonardo Di Caprio and Clare Danes, the young couple at the centre of the
story must still overcome their families’ bitter feuding in order to be together, but now they do so in violent Verona
Beach, Florida, a place where swords have been replaced by guns, and where their soundtrack is blazing rock music.
What the critics think
“I had two controlled assessments on the play I found the movie a great
help in understanding the storyline and the language.”
- Into Film club member, Shabina, aged 14.
“Luhrmann and his two bright angels have shaken up a 400-year-old play
without losing its touching, poetic innocence.”
- Peter Travers, Rolling Stone Online
20th Century Fox © (1996) All rights reserved
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Guide to Shakespeare for GCSE English Enrichment
Discussion Questions
1.
How does the first scene in the film show that this is a modern adaptation of the film?
2.
How is love represented in Romeo + Juliet?
3.
How are relationships between the sexes portrayed in the film?
4.
How does the modern setting of the film reflect Shakespeare’s original setting for the play?
Teacher Notes
1.
It starts with Benvolio and the Montague boys pulling up to a gas station, where they get into a fight with Tybalt,
Abra and the Capulets. The scene is fast-paced due to quick cuts between camera shots. The pistols that they use
are called swords as they are using Shakespeare’s original text for the dialogue and they bear the names of the
houses on them. The costumes also show the modernity of the adaptation because the Montagues have bleached
hair and Hawaiian shirts while the Capulets wear leather and Cuban heels. The language is Shakespearean but the
accents are American (standard and Hispanic accents).
2.
In the party scene that corresponds with Act 1, Scene 5 of the play, the burgeoning love between Romeo and Juliet
contrasts the hate in the scene caused by the Montagues gatecrashing the Capulet party. The party is very fast
paced and frantic, but, in contrast, when Romeo and Juliet meet across the fish tank, the pace slows down. Close
ups of their faces show that they are falling in love and the fish in the tank make it seem more romantic as they try
to look at each other. The famous balcony scene also takes place in water as they both fall into the swimming pool
where time moves slowly and their love is romantic and all-consuming.
3.
Romeo and Juliet have a romantic relationship, even though during their first meeting he is very keen on her
from the outset whereas Juliet is more reserved. However Juliet’s parents do not appear to have such a loving
relationship and her mother cannot bear to be left alone with her daughter without her nurse. Women are not
well respected as seen when the Nurse is made fun of by the Capulet boys and Juliet has to marry the man of her
father’s choosing, even though she does not want to. The same occurs in the play.
4.
The play is set in Verona Italy, but Luhrmann has set the film in Verona Beach, which is a seedy part of Los Angeles
in America. It is a modern area with high rises and some areas in ruin so it fits in with the film where the civil war
between the Montagues and Capulets has been raging for years. Juliet’s bedroom is similar to any teenage girl with
trinkets everywhere. The Church is neutral ground where Romeo and Juliet can meet with no fear of danger even
though they only go there twice, firstly to marry and secondly when they both die.
Next Steps
1.
Get your students’ voices heard by starting an Into Film club and writing reviews at www.intofilm.org
2.
Watch Romeo and Juliet by Franco Zefferelli (1968, PG). How is this different to Luhrmann’s adaptation?
Which do you prefer?
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Guide to Shakespeare for GCSE English Enrichment
Dil Chahta Hai
2001 | Cert: PG
Enrichment Focus
This film resource is aimed at GCSE English students. Suggested subjects for discussion are
Much Ado About Nothing and adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays.
Excel Entertainment © (2001) All rights reserved
What’s this film about?
Three friends’ relationships are put to the test when they discover they have very different beliefs in this gripping
Bollywood drama.
Why this film?
In this buddy movie with a dramatic twist, Akash, Sameer and Siddharth are long-time best friends with a world of
things in common. However, the three have very different views of love. Soon their already complicated personal lives
are about to be entangled, as each becomes involved in relationships that will make them rethink their beliefs - and
test the bonds they have with each other. Dil Chahta Hai is a gripping drama from start to finish. Voiced in Hindi,
subtitles in English.
What the critics think
“This is a very good movie. It is Bollywood.
It is very different”
- Into Film club member, Hanna, aged 9
Excel Entertainment © (2001) All rights
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Guide to Shakespeare for GCSE English Enrichment
Discussion Questions
1.
How are the characters similar and different to those in Much Ado About Nothing?
2.
How are women portrayed in the film?
3.
Does it work to set the film in modern India?
4.
Do you think that this is a good adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing?
Teacher Notes
1.
Akash is like Benedict as they are both mischief makers and they both do not believe in love. Akash only keeps
girlfriends for a maximum of 2 weeks and Benedict exchanges insults with Beatrice. Sameer is like Claudio as they
are both very romantic and fall in love very easily. Sid is the most mature and focuses on his work rather than love
and is like Don Pedro. In Dil Chahta Hai the friends fall out over an older lady but in Much Ado About Nothing they
fall out over a young lady called Hero.
2.
Dil Chahta Hai is set in modern India and the women are seen to be dating men and also having arranged
marriages. In the film Shalini chooses Akash over her fiance Rohit. In Much Ado About Nothing Hero is bound by
what her father says and he tells her to agree to marry Claudio; “if the prince do solicit you in that kind, you know
your answer”. Innocent Hero’s humiliation and rejection by both her father and Claudio is the most shocking part of
the play.
3.
India is shown as a cosmopolitan, urban and vibrant country. The characters are all wealthy and travel to Goa and
Australia. The majority of the characters wear Western clothes and socialise in clubs with their friends. Sameer
agrees to have a traditional arranged marriage to Pooja but he ends up falling in love with her.
4.
The film is only loosely based on Much Ado About Nothing due to the relationship between the three main male
characters. There are Bollywood song and dance numbers but this does link in with the play where there are songs
in the text. There is no character that parallels Don John who is the villain of the play, and there is no equivalent of
Dogberry and The Watch to provide comic relief in the darker parts of the film.
Next Steps
1.
Get your students’ voices heard by starting an Into Film club and writing reviews at www.intofilm.org
2.
Watch Much Ado About Nothing (1993, PG). How good an adaptation of Shakespeare’s play is it?
Do you prefer it to Dil Chahta Hai?
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Guide to Shakespeare for GCSE English Enrichment
She’s The Man
2006 | Cert: 12
Enrichment Focus
This film resource is aimed at GCSE English students. Suggested subjects for discussion
are Twelfth Night and adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays.
DreamWorks © (2006) All rights reserved
What’s this film about?
A teenage girl poses as a guy for two weeks while her brother sneaks off, but problems arise when she develops
a crush on her football teammate!
Why this film?
Viola’s twin brother, Sebastian, persuades her to pose as him for a fortnight while he sneaks off to London. He is about
to start a new school anyway, so it’s easy for Viola to fool the teachers and students, particularly when she displays her
impressive soccer skills. Uncomfortable near-misses and romantic complications threaten to derail the ill-conceived
masquerade when Viola develops a crush on her teammate, Duke, who in turn fancies Olivia – while Olivia is smitten
with...Sebastian (who, of course, is really Viola).
What the critics think
“This is a perfectly pleasant, entertaining and often
witty romp with engaging performances.”
- Claudia Puig, USA Today Online
“Fails to make the most of its source material by trimming
Shakespeare’s plot and squeezing it into a vacuous high
school comedy.”
- Anna Smith, Film4 Online
DreamWorks © (2006) All rights reserved
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Guide to Shakespeare for GCSE English Enrichment
Discussion Questions
1.
How are the character names used to indicate a clear link to Shakespeare’s play?
2.
How are the roles of the female characters affected by the modern setting?
3.
How is the character of Viola portrayed in the film compared to the play?
4.
Do you think that this film is a good adaptation of Twelfth Night?
Teacher Notes
1.
In the play, Viola uses Cesario as her alias, but in She’s The Man she takes on the persona of her own twin Sebastian.
Viola’s school is called Illyria, which is the land where the play is set. Sebastian’s new school is called Cornwall,
which is where Cesario and Viola are from in the play. Antonio helps Olivia with her scheme but in the play he is
more important and involved in the plot. Malvolio was the name of the tarantula in the the film.
2.
Viola is shown to be a tomboy and even her mother gets her confused with her brother. She is the direct opposite
of her twin brother’s girlfriend Monique who is concerned only with her appearance. Viola also stands up to her
ex-boyfriend Justin who cannot admit that she is a good football player to his teammates. When she cross-dresses
she treats women badly to fit in with the guys. The camera angles show that she too objectifies women in her role.
3.
In the play Viola is obedient, loyal and virtuous, which was the ideal role for a woman in the Elizabethan age. She
has no option but to dress as a man after the shipwreck in order to protect herself from potential harm. In She’s
The Man, Viola is brash and unfeminine and has no desire to be a debutante. She dresses as her twin in order to
prove herself on the football pitch. At the end of the film she attends the ball with Duke and happily takes on the
stereotypical female role in their relationship.
4.
She’s The Man is not as tense or as dramatic as the play, which starts with Viola and Cesario being shipwrecked and
thinking that each other is dead. In the film, Viola knows that Sebastian will be back from London, and the dramatic
highlight is his early return on the twelfth night.
Next Steps
1.
Get your students’ voices heard by starting an Into Film club and writing reviews at www.intofilm.org
2.
Watch Twelfth Night (1996, U). How is this different to She’s The Man? Which do you prefer?
See, think, make.
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Guide to Shakespeare for GCSE English Enrichment
Caesar Must Die
2006 | Cert: 12A
Enrichment Focus
This film resource is aimed at GCSE English students. Suggested subjects for discussion are
Julius Caesar and adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays.
Kaos Cinematografica, Sacher Distribuzione © (2012) All rights reserved
What’s this film about?
A quasi-documentary following a re-enactment of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar in a high-security Italian prison,
with prisoners playing the roles.
Why this film?
The film won the Berlin Film Festival’s 2012 Golden Bear award and is inspired by the dichotomy of teaching murderers
how to murder, Caesar Must Die marks a profoundly moving return to the big screen for master filmmakers Paolo and
Vittorio Taviani. The twist lies in the fact that the players are prisoners and the backdrop is a high security prison in
Rome. The in-mates’ crimes (some Mafia related, including murder) appear to dramatically inform their understanding of
Shakespeare’s characters. In Italian with English subtitles.
What the critics think
“The Tavianis come not to use or mangle
Shakespeare but to honor him”.
- Anthony Lane, The New Yorker Online
“It ranks among the most involving adaptations of
Shakespeare ever put on screen”.
- Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times Online
Kaos Cinematografica, Sacher Distribuzione © (2012) All rights reserved
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Guide to Shakespeare for GCSE English Enrichment
Discussion Questions
1.
What effect does the prison setting have on the film?
2.
How do the actors’ real-life stories influence their portrayal of the characters?
3.
Even though the film has a documentary style, parts of it have been staged. Does this spoil your
enjoyment of the film?
4.
In your opinion, is this a good adaptation of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar?
Teacher Notes
1.
The atmosphere in prison is one of betrayal, friendship and conspiracy which are also themes in the play. The film
shows the prisoners rehearsing in their environment in the cells, corridors and exercise yards. At the end of the film
when the prisoners return to their cells after their performance the viewer feels sorry for them.
2.
The actors are real-life prisoners jailed for crimes such as murder, drug smuggling and Mafia involvement. The
actors can see links between their own lives and the play. They use their own regional accents in rehearsals because
some of them are from Southern Italy and that region is associated with the criminal class. During the stabbing
scene, the directors ask them to draw on their experience of violence to make it more realistic.
3.
The Taviani brothers’ films often use a mix of factual and fictional filmmaking and this is also evident in Caesar
Must Die. The sections shot in colour are the performances in front of an audience and the black and white
sections show the harsh reality of the prisoners lives, the casting process and the rehearsal process in their prison
environment.
4.
The film is not a direct adaptation of Shakespeare’s play but it is very interesting to see their interpretation of
Shakespeare’s text.
Next Steps
1.
Get your students’ voices heard by starting an Into Film club and writing reviews at www.intofilm.org
2.
Rescript a short scene from the play set in a prison but in modern English. How does the environment change the
way in which the characters respond to one another? Perform the script to your class.
See, think, make.
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Guide to Shakespeare for GCSE English Enrichment
The Lion King
1994 | Cert: U
Enrichment Focus
This film resource is aimed at GCSE English students. Suggested subjects for discussion are
Hamlet and adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays.
Walt Disney © (1994) All rights reserved
What’s this film about?
Song-filled Disney classic about a lion cub who runs away from the pride allowing his evil uncle to become king.
Why this film?
On its release, The Lion King was hailed as an instant classic from Disney. This animated epic is not only beautiful
visually, but the story is equally captivating. Lion cub Simba runs away from his pride, believing he caused the tragic
death of his beloved father King Mufasa. With Simba away, his evil uncle Scar can become king. However, while
wandering in the African wilderness, Simba meets Pumba and Timon, two colourful characters, whose friendship gives
him the strength to face his destiny.
What the critics think
“I think this film is unbelievable. It includes sadness
and euphoria, conflict and love, villains and heroes.”
- Into Film club member, Emily, aged 14
“A classic story told through immersive visuals, great voice work and
some of the most memorable songs in movie history.
The Lion King defines animated classic.”
- R L Shaffer, IGN DVD
Walt Disney © (1994) All rights reserved
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Guide to Shakespeare for GCSE English Enrichment
Discussion Questions
1.
How is the plot similar and different to Hamlet?
2.
How is Sarabi the lioness portrayed in the film? Are there any differences to Shakespeare’s portrayal of
Gertrude in Hamlet?
3.
Do the songs in The Lion King make the themes in the film less serious than in Hamlet?
4.
The ending of The Lion King is uplifting and happy compared to the ending of Hamlet - why do you think this is?
Teacher Notes
1.
Simba, like Hamlet, loses his father and becomes depressed because he has nobody to teach him how to become
king. They both run from their responsibilities with Simba retreating from his past and Hamlet retreating into
madness.
2.
Sarabi is the Queen of Pride Rock and she is a good queen lioness, who continues in her role after the death of
Mufasa and is influential to the other lionesses. She is nearly killed by Scar, showing how males are more powerful
than females in the lion pride. In Hamlet, Gertrude is Queen of Denmark and also maintained her position after the
death of her husband by marrying her brother-in-law Claudius. Her actions cause Hamlet to become even madder
because her actions are a betrayal of his father. Even though Sarabi does not remarry, both Hamlet and Simba are
upset at how their mothers are they are treated by Claudius and Scar.
3.
The songs in the film were written by Sir Elton John and Sir Tim Rice and do fit in with the themes in the play. Songs
like Hakuna Matata and I Just Can’t Wait to be King are upbeat in tempo and may not feel right in a tragedy, but
show how Simba is feeling about dealing with depression and his rightful place as king after his father’s death. The
Circle of Life and Can You Feel the Love Tonight are more serious songs.
4.
The film was created by Disney and their films are known for having happy endings. The audience for their films are
young children so it needs to be uplifting so that they will not be upset. Also the ending of the film leaves room for
a sequel in The Lion King 2.
Next Steps
1.
Get your students’ voices heard by starting an Into Film club and writing reviews at www.intofilm.org
2.
Watch Hamlet (2000, 12). How is this different to The Lion King? Which do you prefer?
See, think, make.
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Our downloadable resources are designed to be used in conjunction with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.filmclub.org
Guide to Shakespeare for GCSE English Enrichment
Ran
1985 | Cert: 12
Enrichment Focus
This film resource is aimed at GCSE English students. Suggested subjects for discussion are
King Lear and adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays.
Toho Company © (1985) All rights reserved
What’s this film about?
An epic film set in medieval Japan and based on Shakespeare’s King Lear, in which an ageing man splits his land
between his three sons, resulting in war.
Why this film?
Shakespeare’s King Lear is the basis for this spectacular epic set in medieval Japan. The ageing Hidetora splits his
land up between his three sons, hoping that they will preserve his legacy and let him live out his years in comfort and
with respect. However, his well-intentioned gesture only leads to brutal war and the betrayal of the old man. The
film combines this tragic personal story with some of the greatest battle scenes ever shot, all made without a single
computer trick. Voiced in Japanese, subtitled in English.
What the critics think
“Few other directors had Kurosawa’s ability to convey the intimate
as well as the epic, to handle stillness as well as violence.”
- Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
“The battle scenes the most ghastly ever filmed, and
the outcome is even bleaker than Shakespeare’s.”
- Time Out Online
Toho Company © (1985) All rights reserved
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Guide to Shakespeare for GCSE English Enrichment
Discussion Questions
1.
How is the family relationship portrayed in Ran in comparison to King Lear?
2.
How are women represented in Ran?
3.
How similar is the film to the story of King Lear?
4.
How does the setting of Ran enhance the film?
Teacher Notes
1.
The patriarch of the family is Hidetora and his three sons Taro, Jiro and Sabora have parallels with King Lear and his
daughters Goneril, Regan and Cordelia. Like Lear, after he banishes the children they do not support him and two of
his children turn against him whilst third supports him.
2.
Sué and Lady Kaede are the two main female characters and both of them had their families killed and castles taken
over by Hidetora. Sué has a good nature and is only seen in the distance and often prays to Buddha. In contrast
Lady Kaede refuses to give up her position by manipulating and seducing her brother-in-law. She wears layered
clothing to symbolise the different layers of her personality and her duplicity. Ask students how she is similar to Lady
Macbeth. Despite Sué and Lady Kaede being polar opposites both of them suffer the same death by beheading.
3.
Ran has condensed the dialogue from the play to just the bare minimum as opposed to the lengthy dialogue that
helps to reveal the characters in Shakespeare’s text. In King Lear, Lear is portrayed as a fool whereas Hidetora is an
ageing cruel warrior who is ridiculed by his fool Kyoami in his decrepit state. The character of Lady Kaede who is
married to Hidetora’s ambitious son Taro has been added to the film by Kurosawa. She is more ambitious and evil
than both Goneril and Regan in the original play and she is reminiscent of Lady Macbeth when she pushes those
around her to murder so that she can can control and ultimately destroy the Ichimonji clan.
4.
The exterior scenes are set in wide open spaces in the countryside and show how inconsequential Hidetora and his
sons’ squabbling is compared to the wider world. The breaking clouds are a visual representation of the breaking
bonds within the family. Inside the castles the rooms are empty, minimalistic and symmetrical like a theatre set.
This creates an artificial feeling and the castle is destroyed by the violent battle scenes. The weather becomes
progressively stormier as the film progresses and in the final scenes there is a red sunset to highlight how small
and insignificant Hidetora has become over the course of the film.
Next Steps
1.
Get your students’ voices heard by starting an Into Film club and writing reviews at www.intofilm.org
2.
Create a storyboard for a modern adaptation of King Lear. How would you make it relevant to people today?
See, think, make.
Imagine
www.intofilm.org
Our downloadable resources are designed to be used in conjunction with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.filmclub.org
Guide to Shakespeare for GCSE English Enrichment
10 Things I Hate About You
1999 | Cert: 12
Enrichment Focus
This film resource is aimed at GCSE English students. Suggested subjects for discussion are
The Taming of the Shrew and adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays.
Walt Disney Motion Pictures/Touchstone Pictures © (1999) All rights reserved
What’s this film about?
10 Things I Hate About You recreates Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew in the setting of a modern American
high school.
Why this film?
The fast-paced and very funny 10 Things I Hate About You combines the Bard’s dialogue with a brilliantly up-to-date
attitude. When new boy Cameron arrives at Padua High School, he instantly falls for Bianca Stratford - but his hopes
of winning her heart take a tumble when he learns that Bianca will never be allowed to date by her father until her
rebellious older sister Kat has done so first. And so, without her even knowing it, the search for a suitable boyfriend for
Kat begins.
What the critics think
“This is a brilliant film, which is not your average cheesy teen flick!
It’s hilarious and edgy, and the main characters are outcasts
- so not your typical popular kids.”
- Into Film club member, Lauren, aged 16
“With the present deluge of teen angst films now on the market,
this one is perhaps the best available in terms of plot, script,
acting and direction.”
- Paul Clinton, CNN Online
Walt Disney Motion Pictures/Touchstone Pictures © (1999) All rights reserved
See, think, make.
Imagine
www.intofilm.org
Our downloadable resources are designed to be used in conjunction with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.filmclub.org
Guide to Shakespeare for GCSE English Enrichment
Discussion Questions
1.
How is the relationship between Kat, Bianca and their father in the film similar or different to the play
The Taming of the Shrew?
2.
How is the character of Patrick portrayed in the film?
3.
What does Kat’s poem at the end of the film show about how she has changed since the beginning?
How does the viewer feel about this?
4.
Do you think that this film adaptation successfully reinterpret’s The Taming of the Shrew for a modern audience?
Could any improvements be made?
Teacher Notes
1.
In the play, Katharine and Bianca are bound by societal conventions of the time, which dictate that women must be
married and must do what their father wants. He wants to marry off his eldest daughter because she is considered
his property to give to somebody else. In the modern film adaptation, their father forbids them from dating boys
and from going to parties because of his fear of them getting pregnant, losing their independence and being unable
to make their own decisions in life.
2.
Patrick seems full of himself but he is an outsider in Stratford because he is an Australian and the new boy at school.
In The Taming of the Shrew Petruchio is pompous, only after Katharine’s dowry and is cruel to her by depriving
her of food. However Patrick actually falls in love with Kat and by the end of the film he is not in charge in their
relationship.
3.
She has softened as a result of falling in love with him but she still maintains her feminist ideals. In the play Katharine
submits completely to her husband and accepts that she must marry him for life and submit to him. Due to the
social and historical period when the original play is set, if she stayed a shrew then she would not have a place in
society and being a servant to man seems better than nothing. The viewer will feel happy for Kat at the end of the
film because she is asserting herself and making her own choices, however they are likely to feel sorry for Katherine
as she has no option but to submit to her husband.
4.
Students may find the musical set pieces a distraction from the plot and they may enjoy the film for its portrayal
of teenage relationships. They may find that the film is quite dated and the links to the original texts are not very
obvious.
Next Steps
1.
Get your students’ voices heard by starting an Into Film club and writing reviews at www.intofilm.org
2.
Write the script for a scene after the end of the film. How has Kat and Patrick’s relationship developed?
See, think, make.
Imagine
www.intofilm.org
Our downloadable resources are designed to be used in conjunction with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.filmclub.org
Guide to Shakespeare for GCSE English Enrichment
Forbidden Planet
1956 | Cert: U
Enrichment Focus
This film resource is aimed at GCSE English students. Suggested subjects for discussion are
The Tempest and adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays.
MGM/Warner Bros © (1956) All rights reserved
What’s this film about?
Classic sci-fi movie about a rescue team that arrives on a distant planet in search of lost humans.
Why this film?
A rescue team arrives on a distant planet to see what happened to a group of human colonisers. The only survivors are
the strange Dr Morbius and his daughter, although they do have a massive robot to help them out. Commander Adams
has to figure out why Morbius’s companions all died (and why he survived), and what is threatening his crew. Classic scifi movie with an ahead-of-its-time electronic soundtrack.
What the critics think
“This film is a fantastic, brilliant, mind-boggling, epic, science fiction
adventure. I really enjoyed this film and think you will too.”
- Into Film club member, Liam, aged 11
“Imaginative gadgets galore, plus plenty of suspense and thrills,
make the production a top offering in the space travel category.”
- Variety Online
MGM/Warner Bros © (1956) All rights reserved
See, think, make.
Imagine
www.intofilm.org
Our downloadable resources are designed to be used in conjunction with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.filmclub.org
Guide to Shakespeare for GCSE English Enrichment
Discussion Questions
1.
What are the similarities and differences between The Forbidden Planet and The Tempest?
2.
How is the theme of nature versus technology used in the film?
3.
How far is Dr Morbius to blame for the destruction of the planet?
4.
In your opinion, is this a good adaptation of The Tempest?
Teacher Notes
1.
The character of Dr. Morbius is like Prospero as they are both living in a place that on first impressions looks like
paradise along with their daughters who are Altaira and Miranda respectively. In both the play and the film a group
of young men arrive on the scene who are sailors stranded by the tempest in the play and a space crew on a
mission in Forbidden Planet. The main difference is that Prospero uses magic to control, the elements of the island
which are personified in Caliban the monster whom he has enslaved. However, in the film Dr Morbius is a scientist
who uses technology to control the environment around him.
2.
The tigers on the island are like domestic cats, however when Altaira is attacked by a tiger, the Commander blasts it.
This shows that technology is dominant over nature.
3.
Dr Morbius doubled his intelligence by using the Krell’s plastic educator and as a result of this encounter, the
creature that threatens to kill everyone at the end is an extension of his own mind. Robby the Robot is unable to kill
it because he realises that it is part of his human master. Dr Morbius stops the monster but then has to activate the
self-destruct button to destroy the planet. At the end of The Tempest, Prospero destroys his magic staff and magic
book.
4.
Dr Morbius shows what can happen when technology is allowed to increase without human control. It gets out of
hand eventually leading to the planet of Altair IV being destroyed. Ask students if they think that this can still relate
to modern life today?
Next Steps
1.
Get your students’ voices heard by starting an Into Film club and writing reviews at www.intofilm.org
2.
Create a storyboard of a scene from Robby the Robot’s perspective. How different is it to the original film?
See, think, make.
Imagine
www.intofilm.org
Our downloadable resources are designed to be used in conjunction with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.filmclub.org
Guide to Shakespeare for GCSE English Enrichment
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
1996 | Cert: PG
Enrichment Focus
This Film Resource is aimed at GCSE English students. Suggested subjects for discussion are
A Midsummer Night’s Dream and adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays.
FilmFour © (1996) All rights reserved
What’s this film about?
Shakespeare’s famed comedy about a boy’s dream featuring feuding fairies is here performed by a great Royal
Shakespeare Company cast.
Why this film?
This fits somewhere between a filmed theatrical production of Shakespeare’s comedy and a full movie adaptation but is
completely enchanting. Following the logic of the title, the fact that there are several different stories including a playwithin-the-play and feuding fairies is explained with the idea that this is all a boy’s dream. The cast do a fine job with
what is a tricky task: making a 16th-century comedy seem actually funny to a modern audience.
What the critics think
“The latest version of Shakespeare’s play is guaranteed to bring
a smile to your face, makes you laugh, makes you giggle and
brightens your day”.
- Into Film club member, Paige, aged 12
“A framing device whereby a young boy dreams the play is the film’s
one piece of invention, the rest is reverential and stagy”.
- Film 4 Online
FilmFour © (1996) All rights reserved
See, think, make.
Imagine
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Our downloadable resources are designed to be used in conjunction with selected film titles, which are available free for clubs at www.filmclub.org
Guide to Shakespeare for GCSE English Enrichment
Discussion Questions
1.
Why do you think the small boy was included in this version?
2.
What special effects are used in this version to make it less of a staged performance?
3.
How do the costumes reflect the character’s personalities?
4.
In your opinion, is this adaptation effective?
Teacher Notes
1.
The boy is the person who is having the dream and we watch the action that takes place in the play alongside him
starting from when he wakes from his bed with a copy of the text and enters the room where the action begins. His
interaction and proximity with the actors makes it less staged. At the end when Oberon speaks directly to the boy,
the viewer may be left wondering whether he is the changeling boy that is mentioned in Shakespeare’s text.
2.
The room that is the setting for the opening of the play is very much like a traditional stage play. Later in the play
the doors are a replacement for the trees and branches in the wood. The lighting is dark when Oberon and Puck are
scheming together but colourful and bright when Titania and the fairies are on the screen. The fairies are separated
from the mortals as they appear in bubbles which implies that they can magically appear. The Mechanicals have a
motorcycle that flies through the air to give the impression of speed.
3.
The Mechanicals wear modern dress to reflect the fact that they are practical and not at all associated it the fairy
world. The fairies wear brightly coloured outfits and feathers to indicate that they have the ability to fly. Puck is the
only exception and has a punk-style haircut instead to show that he is rebellious. The outfits that the Lovers wear
looks like nightwear and reinforces the dream theme even further.
4.
Students may feel that this adaptation is too stage-like as it is literally the filmed version of the stage play. The
double casting of Hippolyta / Titania, Theseus /Oberon and Puck/ Philostrate adds an interesting dimension to the
play and create parallels between the sets of characters.
Next Steps
1.
Get your students’ voices heard by starting an Into Film club and writing reviews at www.intofilm.org
2.
With a group create the trailer for a Hollywood blockbuster adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. How will
you modernise the film for today’s audience?