Sunday, October 23, 2011
SOME CUPID KILLS WITH ARROWS, SOME WITH TRAPS: Much Ado About Nothing is a favorite Shakespeare comedy, but we haven't had a film adaptation since 1993's Branagh/Thompson (and more sadly, Keanu Reeves) version, with a BBC TV version attempting to update it to the modern era in 2005. How do we feel about "Joss Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing," which is apparently real?
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There were so many Shakespeare references in "Buffy" that I'm willing to give this adaptation a go.
ReplyDeleteNothing will ever beat the opening 10 minutes of the Branagh version as pure cinematography chicanery, but I'm game for another go at Beatrice and Benedick.
ReplyDeleteRegrettably I am guessing that Whedon's dance card is full with The Avengers. Having looked on IMDB there's no mention of it anywhere.
ReplyDeleteFan-wank I am afraid.
Several cast members have confirmed on twitter, and Entertainment Weekly has a story about it. It is actually real.
ReplyDeleteI'm willing to give this a shot. Nathan Fillion and Amy Acker have enough good will stored up that I will watch it. One complaint. No NPH?!
I'm not sure this isn't the Whedonverse crew having a go with us, but why not? (And though the BBC version is not that great, it was part of an interesting series called ShakespeaRe-Told; highlights were a Taming of the Shrew with Shirley Henderson and and really excellent Macbeth with James McAvoy).
ReplyDeleteI read that it's already been filmed, over a 2-week period, at Joss's house.
ReplyDeleteThe Much Ado did have Damian Lewis, which made me incredibly happy. I'm bummed that I can't seem to find the series available anywhere; if you missed it on the BBCA airing, you're out of luck.
ReplyDeleteShakespeaRe-Told is availble at Netflix. It's been in my queue forever. Guess I need to bump it up.
ReplyDeleteThe great thing about Shakespeare is that it's been interpreted so many times, in so many ways that I have no issue with updating it to be a Weadonverse items. I'm a big fan of both artists and I think it could be fun.
ReplyDeleteI watched the Taming of the Shrew (which aslo has Rufus Sewell) four times before I sent it back and it was on streaming a while back which meant I watched it one or two more times. SO good! However, it is probably best if you just never watch the Midsummer re-told. It was awful. Macbeth was good, Much Ado missed the mark a bit but was still interesting. Midsummer v v v bad.
ReplyDeleteFWIW, Acker and Denisof are apparently Beatrice and Benedict (amusing to me since I'm pretty sure that when we studied Much Ado in High School, Acker was in that class with me), and Fillion is Dogberry.
ReplyDeleteDoes Joss realize that this is one of the ones in which most characters are NOT killed at the end?
ReplyDeleteI stand absolutely corrected and am now suitably excited.
ReplyDeleteLooks like it's legit:
ReplyDeletehttp://whedonesque.com/comments/27504
Love how Whedon finds non-traditional ways to put a project together, like with Dr Horrible`s Sing-a-long Blog. Kind of nice to have a surprise like this come out with no leaks before principal photography is finished. It`s almost like Joss got his phonebook out, made some calls, and said `Let`s go out to the barn and put on a show!
Yay! The last time I checked (which, admittedly, has been quite some time), it wasn't available.
ReplyDeleteThe Taming of the Shrew was my favorite as well -- a truly, successfully FUNNY adaptation. With crossdressing! I liked the Much Ado just fine (come for Damian Lewis's ridiculous puffy hairdo/cheeseball goatee; stay for the moment when he finally, wonderfully, recites actual Shakespeare), and I thought Macbeth had great atmosphere but floundered a bit because "evil" doesn't seem to be in darling James McAvoy's actorly toolbox. Agree that Midsummer was the pits.
ReplyDeleteEW's got pics (of Maher and Acker and Denisof) and interviews with Whedon, Maher, and Acker, including the name and part of a Whedon alum who had to drop out.
ReplyDelete