"For those of us who love the works of William Shakespeare, his reputation is both a blessing and a curse. Yes, there are abundant fellow travelers along the lifelong road of understanding his plays, and you rarely have to justify your passion for him, even to our anti-human tech overlords. And yet, it can be nearly impossible to see his plays clearly underneath the thick crust of received wisdom that covers them,"
"The first-let's call it the Oliverian tradition, after Sir Laurence-is impressive, elegant, and bloodless. Olivier's Hamlet, which won Best Picture in 1949, is a tasteful but inert series of poses, constructed out of conventional notions of what makes for "good" Shakespeare. It feels as invested in impressing us as it is in exploring an essential truth about the human condition."
"This year, history may repeat itself as , Chloé Zhao's film about the domestic life of William and Agnes Shakespeare and their radically different responses to the death of their son, appears to be the film standing between One Battle After Another and the industry's highest honor, especially after it was the only other film to win Best Picture at Sunday's Golden Globes."
Shakespeare's reputation functions as both advantage and obstacle, attracting passionate audiences while obscuring his plays beneath received wisdom and institutional prestige. Two cinematic traditions respond to that prestige: an Oliverian style that is impressive, elegant, and bloodless, favoring composed poses and conventional notions of "good" Shakespeare, and a Wellesian approach that is chaotic, bawdy, and vividly alive. Olivier's Hamlet (1949) exemplifies the former; Welles' Chimes at Midnight exemplifies the latter. Shakespeare-themed films frequently enter awards conversations, with Shakespeare in Love (1998) altering Oscar outcomes and a recent Chloé Zhao film again positioned between rivals for Best Picture honors.
Read at Slate Magazine
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