Russell Jackson – författare

Shakespeare and the English-speaking Cinema is a lively, authoritative, and innovative overview of the ways in which Shakespeare's plays have been adapted for cinema. Organised by topics rather than chronology, it offers detailed commentary on significant films, including both 'mainstream' and 'canonical' works by such directors as Laurence Olivier, Orson Welles, Franco Zeffirelli, and Kenneth Branagh, and such ground-breaking movies as Derek Jarman's The Tempest, Baz Luhrmann's William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet and Peter Greenaway's Prospero's Books. Chapters on the location of films in place and time, the effect of this on characterisation, and issues of gender and political power are followed by a discussion of work that goes 'beyond Shakespeare. A filmography and suggestions for further reading complete this stimulating, fresh, and accessible account of an important aspect of Shakespeare studies.

Shakespeare and the English-speaking Cinema is a lively, authoritative, and innovative overview of the ways in which Shakespeare's plays have been adapted for cinema. Organised by topics rather than chronology, it offers detailed commentary on significant films, including both 'mainstream' and 'canonical' works by such directors as Laurence Olivier, Orson Welles, Franco Zeffirelli, and Kenneth Branagh, and such ground-breaking movies as Derek Jarman's The Tempest, Baz Luhrmann's William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet and Peter Greenaway's Prospero's Books. Chapters on the location of films in place and time, the effect of this on characterisation, and issues of gender and political power are followed by a discussion of work that goes 'beyond Shakespeare. A filmography and suggestions for further reading complete this stimulating, fresh, and accessible account of an important aspect of Shakespeare studies.

Henry Arthur Jones was among the most prominent British dramatists of his day. A contemporary of Pinero, Wilde and Shaw, he did his best to elevate drama to the level of literature whilst constructing plays that were also successful in the commercial theatre. Though some of his contemporaries considered him cynical and daring, he strove to confront major issues without offending accepted social and dramatic conventions. This volume contains three of Jones's ninety-odd plays, representing the best of his work in different styles: melodrama and society drama. The Silver King (1882), the story of a man, falsely accused of murder, was Jones's first great success. It is one of the best melodramas ever written, and won high praise from Matthew Arnold for its literary merit and convincing characterisation. Jones's interest in the 'New Woman' of the 1890s is expressed in the lively dialogue of The Case of Rebellious Susan (1894), whose heroine is advised to renounce her new lover and return to her faithless husband - scarely a radical conclusion, but sympathetically handled. The Liars (1897) is a fine comedy of manners which again considers the question of marriage and the role of women in society. Dr Jackson's full introduction places Jones in the context of late Victorian society and theatre and describes his other literary activities - the published letters and essays on drama - as well as discussing some of the plays not included here. The volume is illustrated by contemporary production prints.

This is the second volume of essays by actors with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Fourteen actors describe the Shakespearean roles they played in productions between 1982 and 1987. The contributors are Roger Allam, Frances Barber, Kenneth Branagh, Niamh Cusack, Ben Kingsley, Ian McDiarmid, Daniel Massey, Edward Petherbridge, Alan Rickman, Fiona Shaw, Antony Sher, Juliet Stevenson, David Suchet and Zoe Wanamaker. Each gives a unique insight into the preparation and performance of a major Shakespearean role and how a character is created through responding to Shakespeare's text, within the context of a particular director's conception and the environment established by the designer. A brief biographical note is provided for each of the contributors and an introduction places the essays in the context of the Stratford and London stages, and of the music and design for the particular productions.

This is the third volume of essays by actors with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Thirteen actors describe the Shakespearian roles they played in productions between 1987 and 1991. The contributors are Roger Allam, Simon Russell Beale, Brian Cox, Gregory Doran, Penny Downie, Ralph Fiennes, Deborah Findlay, Philip Franks, Anton Lesser, Maggie Steed, Sophie Thompson, Harriet Walter and Nicholas Woodeson. The plays covered include Hamlet, Richard III, The Merchant of Venice, As You Like It, Much Ado About Nothing, Measure for Measure and important theatrical rarities such as Cymbeline, Titus Andronicus, King John and the Henry VI plays in the Royal Shakespeare Company's highly successful adaptation retitled The Plantagenets. A brief biographical note is provided for each of the contributors.

Film adaptations of Shakespeare's plays are increasingly popular and now figure prominently in the study of his work and its reception. This Companion is a lively collection of critical and historical essays on the films adapted from, and inspired by, Shakespeare's plays. Chapters have been revised and updated from the first edition to include the most recent films and scholarship. An international team of leading scholars discuss Shakespearean films from a variety of perspectives: as works of art in their own right; as products of the international movie industry; and as the work of particular directors from Laurence Olivier and Orson Welles to Franco Zeffirelli and Kenneth Branagh. They also consider specific issues such as the portrayal of Shakespeare's women and the supernatural. The emphasis is on feature films for cinema, rather than television, with strong coverage of Hamlet, Richard III, Macbeth, King Lear and Romeo and Juliet.

Shakespeare Films in the Making examines the production and reception of five feature-length Shakespeare films from the twentieth century, focusing on the ways in which they articulate visions of their Shakespearean originals, of the fictional worlds in which the films are set, and of the movie-makers' own society. Warner Brothers' 1935 A Midsummer Night's Dream and MGM's 1936 Romeo and Juliet were products of the Hollywood system and reflect the studios' desire to enhance their status with 'prestige pictures'. Olivier's 1944 Henry V was part of Britain's cultural war effort and embodies visions of the medieval past and ideal leadership. The Romeo and Juliet films of Renato Castellani (1954) and Franco Zeffirelli (1968) embodied visions of Renaissance Italy that contrast - in differing ways - with MGM's film. This book offers readings of these significant and influential films, supported by extensive archival research, including studio documents, script revisions, publicity materials and reviews.

Film adaptations of Shakespeare's plays are increasingly popular and now figure prominently in the study of his work and its reception. This Companion is a lively collection of critical and historical essays on the films adapted from, and inspired by, Shakespeare's plays. Chapters have been revised and updated from the first edition to include the most recent films and scholarship. An international team of leading scholars discuss Shakespearean films from a variety of perspectives: as works of art in their own right; as products of the international movie industry; and as the work of particular directors from Laurence Olivier and Orson Welles to Franco Zeffirelli and Kenneth Branagh. They also consider specific issues such as the portrayal of Shakespeare's women and the supernatural. The emphasis is on feature films for cinema, rather than television, with strong coverage of Hamlet, Richard III, Macbeth, King Lear and Romeo and Juliet.

Theatres on film is an innovative contribution to the study of both theatre and film history, with its detailed discussion of popular and influential films that have taken the theatre as their subject, informed by a strong sense of the cultural and historical background.This book focuses on the significance and effect of theatrical subject matter in key films in several genres, and range from Busby Berkeley to Ingmar Bergman, and from the haunted backstage world of The Phantom of the Opera to the sinister glamour of The Red Shoes and the theatrical politics of Mephisto and The Lives of Others. Theatres on film will appeal to film- and theatregoers, as well as to readers with an academic or professional interest in its subject.

Theatres on film is an innovative contribution to the study of both theatre and film history, with its detailed discussion of popular and influential films that have taken the theatre as their subject, informed by a strong sense of the cultural and historical background.This book focuses on the significance and effect of theatrical subject matter in key films in several genres, and ranges from Busby Berkeley to Ingmar Bergman, and from the haunted backstage world of The Phantom of the Opera to the sinister glamour of The Red Shoes and the theatrical politics of Mephisto and The Lives of Others. Theatres on film will appeal to film- and theatregoers, as well as to readers with an academic or professional interest in its subject.

Noël Coward combines a fresh appraisal of major plays by one of the twentieth century’s most popular dramatists, with an account of critical and theatrical responses to his life and work.For almost the entirety of the twentieth century, Noël Coward was one of the UK’s most popular and celebrated playwrights. Refracting, rather than directly reflecting the social and personal issues of his time, his plays reveal tensions and contradictions in the theatre world that surrounded them. As well as critical responses to his work and the key themes that it foregrounds, seminal productions of The Vortex, Private Lives, Design for Living, Hay Fever, Blithe Spirit and more are examined to further elaborate on the radicalism of his approach to personal and social relationships, and the ways in which directors and actors have sought to achieve a sense of the disquiet felt by critics and audiences when they were first produced. This book explores the question of what Coward’s work can speak to for today’s modern audiences, assessing his standing in terms of how conditions have changed in the theatre and society more broadly since they were written.Part of the Routledge Modern and Contemporary Dramatists series, Noël Coward provides undergraduate students on Theatre Studies degrees and Modern Drama courses an essential and accessible guide to the playwright’s work and illustrates the influence of his drama on what theatre can tell us about our society.

Noël Coward combines a fresh appraisal of major plays by one of the twentieth century’s most popular dramatists, with an account of critical and theatrical responses to his life and work.For almost the entirety of the twentieth century, Noël Coward was one of the UK’s most popular and celebrated playwrights. Refracting, rather than directly reflecting the social and personal issues of his time, his plays reveal tensions and contradictions in the theatre world that surrounded them. As well as critical responses to his work and the key themes that it foregrounds, seminal productions of The Vortex, Private Lives, Design for Living, Hay Fever, Blithe Spirit and more are examined to further elaborate on the radicalism of his approach to personal and social relationships, and the ways in which directors and actors have sought to achieve a sense of the disquiet felt by critics and audiences when they were first produced. This book explores the question of what Coward’s work can speak to for today’s modern audiences, assessing his standing in terms of how conditions have changed in the theatre and society more broadly since they were written.Part of the Routledge Modern and Contemporary Dramatists series, Noël Coward provides undergraduate students on Theatre Studies degrees and Modern Drama courses an essential and accessible guide to the playwright’s work and illustrates the influence of his drama on what theatre can tell us about our society.

The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare on Screen provides a lively guide to film and television productions adapted from Shakespeare's plays. Offering an essential resource for students of Shakespeare, the companion considers topics such as the early history of Shakespeare films, the development of 'live' broadcasts from theatre to cinema, the influence of promotion and marketing, and the range of versions available in 'world cinema'. Chapters on the contexts, genres and critical issues of Shakespeare on screen offer a diverse range of close analyses, from 'Classical Hollywood' films to the BBC's Hollow Crown series. The companion also features sections on the work of individual directors Orson Welles, Akira Kurosawa, Franco Zeffirelli, Kenneth Branagh, and Vishal Bhardwaj, and is supplemented by a guide to further reading and a filmography.

The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare on Screen provides a lively guide to film and television productions adapted from Shakespeare's plays. Offering an essential resource for students of Shakespeare, the companion considers topics such as the early history of Shakespeare films, the development of 'live' broadcasts from theatre to cinema, the influence of promotion and marketing, and the range of versions available in 'world cinema'. Chapters on the contexts, genres and critical issues of Shakespeare on screen offer a diverse range of close analyses, from 'Classical Hollywood' films to the BBC's Hollow Crown series. The companion also features sections on the work of individual directors Orson Welles, Akira Kurosawa, Franco Zeffirelli, Kenneth Branagh, and Vishal Bhardwaj, and is supplemented by a guide to further reading and a filmography.

Sir Trevor Nunn is one of the most versatile and accomplished directors in the English-speaking theatre. This book examines his achievements as a director of Shakespeare within the wider context of debates on the cultural politics of Britain’s theatrical institutions in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. His approach has been marked by the combination of close textual analysis with inventive theatricality, in performance spaces ranging from the large stages of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre to the intimacy of the companies’ studio theatres. The principal focus of the book is on Nunn’s work as director of Shakespeare during his artistic directorship of the RSC and the NT. The four core chapters focus in detail on major productions that can be said to have challenged and changed perceptions of the plays, including The Winter’s Tale (RSC, 1969), the ‘Roman Plays’ season (RSC, 1972) and All’s Well That Ends Well (RSC, 1982), and the studio productions of Macbeth (RSC 1976), Othello (RSC, 1989) and The Merchant of Venice (NT, 1999). The study draws on archive material, as well as reviews and other published commentary, including that of actors who have worked with him.

This is the first book-length work to draw extensively on unpublished archive material to document the composition and reception of some of Noël Coward's most significant plays. It examines his working practices as a playwright, from manuscript to performance. This study argues that, while he did not embrace any of the more radical theatrical ‘isms’ of his time, Coward experimented with both form and content. He adapted the familiar ‘well-made’ formulas, while also emphasizing theatrical self-consciousness and an exploration of radical social and sexual relationships.After an overview of Coward’s career and the reception of his plays, the work discusses selected texts from successive phases of Coward’s career, including some unproduced or uncompleted work and perennially popular plays such as The Vortex, Hay Fever, Private Lives, Design for Living, Blithe Spirit and Present Laughter. This study also explores how, in the aftermaths of two world wars, as major changes in social and political circumstances suggested new approaches to dramaturgy, Coward's post-1945 work failed to achieve the same success he had enjoyed in earlier periods. The final chapter examines Coward’s approach to his craft in response to the new theatrical and cultural environment, and the new freedom in the treatment of homosexuality represented by Suite in Three Keys and his final, uncompleted play, Age Cannot Wither.

This is the first book-length work to draw extensively on unpublished archive material to document the composition and reception of some of Noël Coward's most significant plays. It examines his working practices as a playwright, from manuscript to performance. This study argues that, while he did not embrace any of the more radical theatrical ‘isms’ of his time, Coward experimented with both form and content. He adapted the familiar ‘well-made’ formulas, while also emphasizing theatrical self-consciousness and an exploration of radical social and sexual relationships.After an overview of Coward’s career and the reception of his plays, the work discusses selected texts from successive phases of Coward’s career, including some unproduced or uncompleted work and perennially popular plays such as The Vortex, Hay Fever, Private Lives, Design for Living, Blithe Spirit and Present Laughter. This study also explores how, in the aftermaths of two world wars, as major changes in social and political circumstances suggested new approaches to dramaturgy, Coward's post-1945 work failed to achieve the same success he had enjoyed in earlier periods. The final chapter examines Coward’s approach to his craft in response to the new theatrical and cultural environment, and the new freedom in the treatment of homosexuality represented by Suite in Three Keys and his final, uncompleted play, Age Cannot Wither.

In their own distinctive manner, each of the four actors discussed in this volume have had a profound and innovative influence on the methods of Shakespearean performance, and thus on the appreciation and interpretation of his plays. Their careers encompass almost a century of theatrical experience, from John Gielgud’s childhood before the First World War to Judi Dench’s performances in the first decades of the new millennium. The volume affords invaluable insights into changing approaches to the actor’s craft, the aims and methods of the theatre, the institutions presenting productions and, above all, to Shakespeare’s plays themselves.