To me, this essay is basically a rant against the film industry - the fact that the author has used 'Romeo and Juliet' to illustrate her point is neither here nor there.The most ironic aspects of this essay are that 1) the author accepts that a vast number of people are left befuddled and dazed by the olde-english-style of Shakespeare, and then attacks the film-makers for updating the language; and 2) the author uses such high-brow prose herself, that many readers may be just as confused by the end of the essay as if they had just read the great man's complete works!Whilst I accept that glorification of violence can never be a good thing, I also found the prophecy of the downfall of the American youth a tad melodramatic. I believe most level-headed, reasonably-educated individuals will be able to take the film for what it is, whilst still enjoying the theatre production/book. I know of several people who have read (and are still reading) Tolkein because of the 'Lord of the Rings' movie trilogy.In a nutshell, I guess 'each to their own' sums up my view on the matter... nobody forces one to watch a movie...
- 20/05/2004
- 09:12:02
- Score: 7 out of 7 people found this comment useful.