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Uncovering Shakespeare on PBS - Fridays at 9 p.m.

2K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  Norman_C 
#1 ·
I know that some of you had more than enough of Shakespeare while growing up, but I found this British documentary series on PBS very rewarding.
I only caught the last 3 (of what I suspect were many more) but I found these one-hour journeys hosted mostly by well-known British actors (Jeremy Irons covering "Richard III" and David(Doctor No)Tennant covering "Hamlet") very informative and , shall I say, enlightening, and once I started watching - I was riveted.
They struck a very good balance between providing background in Shakespeare's life, step-by-step analysis of what the plays are all about, and combined them with footage of modern-day stagings of the plays(and films), including some from our own (Stratford,Ontario) performances, all the way up to how working on these timeless dramas affected the actors.
Even though the series seems to have run its course for now - I'm quite sure it will be re-run sooner or later, and you might be able to catch or PVR it then.
So if you have any appreciation for the Bard and his works - I'm sure you won't be disappointed.
 
#2 ·
Here's the link to the episodes. So far we have watched Richard II & The Henrys. We're ready to watch Hamlet and The Tempest, which are on the PVR. We have not yet recorded the other two - not sure if they've been on yet.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01k7blq/episodes/guide

Hamlet & The Tempest are airing on Sunday on KCTS (Seattle). I usually record that channel anyway...
 
#6 ·
Season 2 now on PBS

In case you havent noticed - Season 2 of Shakespeare Uncovered is now running on PBS. So far I have been able to catch Midnight Summers Dream with Hugh Bonneville(Downton Abbey), King Lear with the majestic Christopher Plummer, Taming Of the Shrew with Morgan Freeman, and Othello with David Harewood(one of the lesser known Brit actors).
Next weekend is Anthony and Cleopatra with (gulp) Kim Cattrall and Romeo and Juliet with Joseph Fiennes.
All the usual high quality analysis with snippets of past TV and film versions of the respective plays, but the one that most resonated with me was King Lear.
 
#7 ·
So far we've only watched Lear, which was good. I always fine the various interpretations by the actors interesting. It was also interesting to find that the play was presented with a "happy ending" for many years.

I've got another couple on the PVR that we'll watch as time permits, with more to come.
 
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