“I am not in the giving vein today” (4.2.118)

• “I am not in the giving vein today” (4.2.118)

• “Thou troublest me. I am not in the vein” (4.2.120)

Olivier’s eyes

McKellen’s mouth

What kind of creep?

• Olivier’s “too tidy and one-dimensional . . . the film domesticates the character he created on stage, partly by cutting so many significant lines, but also by bringing him in close so often that his insinuating charisma casts an implicit spell and makes the audience guilty complicit.” (Bevington, ed. p. 886)

• v. McKellan’s neo-Nazi, who is always hateful.

Creepy creep v. lovable creep

• McKellen “compared Richard to the fascist leaders of the mid-twentieth century. . . [and] underscores Richard’s malignant sexuality, his outrageous humor, and his status as an alienated outsider.”

• v. Olivier’s strong character, who “quickly shakes off whatever fear his bad dreams have brought to him” to fight like a demon.

Strengths of Modern Version

• Allows audience to follow story of warfare• duplicates Shakespeare clearly good, clearly evil

dichotomy of character.• Avoids problem of guessing how Shakespeare

imagined the period from 1471-1485.• Great movie techniques, use of place, close-ups,

music, costumes, multiple shots instead of shaped scenes.

• Makes what sounds archaic seem up to date.

Weakness of Modern Version

• McKellen portrays Richard as a despicable neo-Nazi, using the neo-Realist film convention of making all Nazi villain’s vaguely homosexual and creepy.

• 1930’s setting eliminates possibility of mixed-race casting.

• Leaves out sense that God chooses Richmond to prepare England for Queen Elizabeth’s peaceful reign: suggests instead that a good looking Navy man can marry a good looking girl and get to be king if he plays his cards right.

Weakness of Modern Version, 2

• Makes women sex objects (stewardesses) instead of victims of male violence, the function of 4.4, the scene of moaning women that the film was unable to figure out.

• Eliminates genuine sense of superstition--witchcraft, curses that work--that made action so difficult in Elizabethan era.

• Too much mouth, not enough eyes.

Film v. Stage• pp. 47-48, 57-65: too many points to list here:

make a short list to use as an introductory paragraph to your exam essay.

• Focus on one point, perhaps, for your thesis statement, the use film clips as evidence to back up your point.

• It is OK to doubt.

Film v. Stage• Issue of close-ups for intimacy depends on size of stage:

Olivier was used to large theaters; today we have experimental venues too.

• verbal v. visual medium: single space v. multiple spaces• scenes v. shots: example of Olivier’s wooing of Anne,

which he cut in half to explain her yielding to his charm, in contrast to McKellen, who bullies her

• p. 55: “alternative historical period” allows swordplay and militarism ( Richard’s horse)

• p. 57: Designers: example of Olivier’s shadow that captures in a single image what a speech must describe at length