Looking for Richard -- Discussion has begun!

......King......Richard
LooKing for Richard

Some Americans love Shakespeare. They love his language, wit and insight into human behavior. Others find his work intimidating and too difficult.
Take Richard III. On the one hand it is a simple story: Richard lies, cheats and murders to become king; after gaining this power he self destructs and is killed. On the other hand it is a confusing mass of names, places and events. (i.e.: George's last name is Clarence? Richard's last name is Gloucester? How are they related? They're brothers?!?! And who is this Buckingham guy? Doesn’t he have a palace to look after?)
How can it be made interesting and accessible to an American audience? Can it be done without the “I’m so English it hurts” accents? Without snobbery about “high art” or “the theater?” Can it be done without dumbing it down (i.e.: changing the opening monologue to: “I’m ugly, I never get laid.”)
Al Pacino to the rescue! Pacino gives us what I wish every movie production, live performance and reading of Shakespeare would: the background information we need to understand the characters and plot. When I was in school Cliff Notes tried to do that, but I used them to avoid reading the play, not to understand it. Pacino does not let us get away with that.
He gives us a real chance to learn and enjoy Shakespeare by going through a scene several times. First using modern clothing and language, then with lots of “OK audience, this is what’s going on and this is who these people are.” Only when we have sufficient background does he give us the poetry, the costumes and the ACTING.
In this film Pacino raised many questions about Richard III and Shakespeare in general. Here are some that grabbed my attention (and a few of my own). Any thoughts on these?
*Why was Lady Anne (Wynona Ryder) walking around town with her father-in-law’s corpse? How long has she been doing this?
*Have you ever had a nightmare like Richard’s? (“Despair and die!”)
*“Was ever woman in this humor wooed? Was ever woman in this humor won?”
*Americans loved Shakespeare in the 1800s. What happened?
*And what about the quote by one of the men on the street that the crew spoke with, "If we felt what we said we'd say less and mean more"?


Written by David Greenberg for Lee Paris/Films off the Beaten Path

Children of Heaven -- Discussion has begun.

I watched 'Children of Heaven' when it first came out and the faces of Ali and Zahra have stayed with me ever since.
What I loved most was seeing their expressions of grief and sadness transform into ones of pleasure and delight. How many times the two of them quietly stared into each others’ pained eyes, seeming to reassess each other, to dig deep into their long held closeness and trust and suddenly the sun would burst forth again from their reassured faces. And each time I waited for that light, for their joy and sense of peace to return, and for mine to return as well.
I think my favorite part was when Ali and his dad drive their bike to the city looking for work. Like much of life, it was filled with a rich mixture of pathos and comedy .
Watching them go through their day I remembered the time when my partner and I , unable to pay our bills, decided to go to the wealthiest neighborhood we knew of and hang our flyers (for house painting) on their door knobs. I remember how humbling it felt walking from one sprawling lawn to another keeping our heads held high though something inside both of us was melting down. My mantra as I stood at each door was, “there will always be those that have more than us, there will always be those that have less.” (Of course, the thought that we were lucky to have comfortable shoes to be walking in while looking for work did not occur to us. The concept of ‘having’ and ‘not having’ are relative. Once we obtain the basic essentials it becomes a matter of perception.)
I remembered this day as Ali and his dad went from house to house, hot and tired and yet filled with hope I wonder where Ali and Zahra are now? Upon what ground do their shoes walk? Does the sun still pour from their faces? Do they still have that hope? Do I?
As long as people keep making films such as this, and as long as there are still fish that nibble at our tired feet, I’d have to say I do.