While on break from filming The Avengers, Joss Whedon decided to do what every other filmmaker would do, make another movie. This time he got his friends together (including Clark Gregg and Nathan Fillion) and shot an adaption of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing at his house. You know, what everyone does on vacation.
Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing was released on June 7th for those lucky people in Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco. The rest of us peasants have to wait until June 21st for the wide release.
To quell your lust for a Shakespeare adaption, here are nine movies based on plays by The Bard.
1. The Lion King (1994)
It’s been debated weather or not Dinsey’s The Lion King was intentionally based on Hamlet, but there are some glaring similarities. The basic storyline is pretty much the same, Uncle kills the King and takes over the kingdom, while a young prince mourns the loss of his father. There are ghostly images of the dead father and a pair of friends to provide comic relief. Sadly the play and the movie do not have talking and singing animals in common.
2. West Side Story (1961)
Probably one of the most famous Shakespeare adaptions, West Side Story is based on Romeo and Juliet. Duh. Besides the dancing and snapping street gangs West Side Story is the same tale of Star Crossed Lovers. Two families, or street gangs in this case, that have an ongoing feud. Tony (Romeo) and Maria (Juliet) are on opposite sides of the feud but sill come together in love. Spoiler Alert, they both die just like their Shakespearian counterparts.
3. Ran (1985)
Japanese film director Akira Kurosawa was inspired by Shakespeare for a few films but his most famous is Ran. Ran is based on King Lear, and while King Lear isn’t about quarreling Samurai, there are some fundamental similarities. A father splits a kingdom between his three offspring (daughters in the play, but sons in Kurosawa’s film), and the three quarrel among themselves, turning against their father and dying. The same themes of addiction and pride are glaringly apparent in both.
4. 10 Things I Hate About You (1994)
Surprisingly, one of the most faithful adaptions (considering) of a Shakespeare play, 10 Things I Hate About You is a teen romantic comedy based on The Taming of the Shrew. Man tries to get woman (the “shrew”) to marry (or date) him while suitors compete for the love of the “shrew’s” younger sister. Several of the names are similar also, the main character is Kat (short of Katherina) and the younger sister shares the name Bianca. The influence of Shakespeare is a theme throughout the movie, even the character Cameron describes his love for Bianca with a direct quote from the play: “I burn, I pine, I perish.”
5. My Own Private Idaho (1981)
One of Keanu Reeve’s earlier movies is based on Henry IV and V. Keanu Reeves plays a young hustler who is just waiting around for the large inheritance he’s supposed to get when he’s 21. The play features a Prince who likes to drink and party. Basically the same thing right? The film also uses several paraphrased quotes from the plays it was based on.
6. O (2001)
Another teen movie, based on Shakespeare. This time Othello. O is a tragic story of a young basketball star Odin who is manipulated by the steroid addicted Hugo until jealously gets the better of him and he murders himself and his girlfriend “Desi” (Desdemona). Pretty close the original right?
7. She’s the Man (2006)
Shakespeare really likes his teen movies, doesn’t he? She’s the Man stars Amanda Bynes as a girl who disguises herself as her brother so she can play soccer. Pretty much the plot of Twelfth Night. Which is pretty close to the original when a girl dresses as a eunuch to get a job with the duke. There are many similar names and romance plots along with probably the play’s most famous line “Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.”
8. Strange Brew (1983)
This is a weird one, but stay with me. A brewery owner is murdered by his brother, and then the brother marries his sister in law. The daughter of the late brewery owner speaks to the spirit of her father. Sounds a lot like Hamlet, right? If you need anymore proof, the name of the brewery is Elsinore.
9. Warm Bodies (2013)
A recent adaption that might not be so apparent. Yes it is a zombie movie but it’s a love story too. Warm Bodies is totally heavily based on Romeo and Juliet. First there are the warring “families,” the humans and the zombies, and two people from those “families” fall in love, R and Julie. Look at their names too: R(omeo) and Julie(t). While the outcomes of the play and the movie are different, the story of the star crossed lovers is still there. There is a freakin balcony scene for crying out loud!