Late night ramblings...

[shadowkat]

It is almost 1 am EST and I really should go to bed. Exhausting day, going up to Beacon to see kidbro, sisinlaw, and cedar. Hiked in the woods. Sort of damp and rainy and was accused by kidbro of being a city girl. Then journeyed home.
Where-upon I bought food (the cupboard was bare), wine, made dinner, watched JLA. Then came to livejournal to catch up on Flist - made it back to Dec 8th.
Very weird reading flist in this manner. For some of the entries - it's a bit like reading a story backwards. One group of entries, felt a bit like watching the story of It's a Wonderful Life backwards - which was really uplifting.
Particularly for me, who was feeling a tad on the low side of the totem pole this evening.

There's two memes floating around. The Shakespear Meme (which I can try to do but the truth is - I saw/read these plays so long ago that I can't really remember all of them.) and the meme about choosing a book next to you, flipping to page 123 and choosing the fifth sentence and posting it. This round the book next to me - actually provided an interesting sentence. So will post it:

"Our sex's weakness you expose and blame (Of every prattling fop the common theme), yet from this weakness you suppose is due, Sublimer virtue than your Cato knew." From "Epistle from Mrs. Yonge to Her Husband by Lady Mary Wortley Montague - The Norton Anthology of Literature by Women.

Sort of in keeping with two posts, one in redredshoes about how Muslim Women have an advantage on Western Women in that they can cover their
bodies. And how men have made us ashamed of them, because they don't fit the ideal of the adolescent female, once we become mature. (Fascinating - reminds me of the recent Entertainment Weekly Article in Dec 10th edition, about how many women in Hollywood are using botox and plastic surgery to remain young in order to get those younger roles - but can't because their faces look plastic and you can tell they got surgery. And the male execs justify their decision to hire younger women and write younger roles because they believe the market supports it and won't buy anything else. With this I strongly disagree - history has certainly proven it wrong - ie. Golden Girls, Designing Women, Murphy Brown, some of the films of the 70s. No, it is a self-fulfilling prophecy - people buy what you put out there. If all you put out there is teens and 20-somethings, they will see that. If those are the only interesting dramas? Ditto. People did not watch Buffy The Vampire Slayer because it starred a hot chick (okay maybe some people did) but because of the writing. Okay, not sure I stated that very well, but what the hell.) Then there's coffeeandink post about "shame in female sexuality or fantasy". And how we've dealt with it in fanfiction. Interesting.

On the Shakespear bit? I've seen and read a lot of these plays, plus two of Marlows. My take? Some were entertaining, some put me to sleep. It all depends on the performance. Only a couple were good reads. There are times I've thought Shakespeare a bit overrated, others brilliant. May be a mood thing.



(gakked from londonkds)

Antony and Cleopatra (1)(also read)
As You Like It (read only)
Hamlet (5 film versions:Olivier, Jacobi (BBC TV production in college), Mel Gibson, Ethan Hawk, and Branagh. Don't ask which was best - all very different. Also read three times. )
Henry IV Part 1 ( 1 TV)(read)
Henry IV Part 2 (1 TV)(read)
Henry V (3 - Olivier, Branagh, and a TV version)
Julius Caesar (read only)
King Lear (1 on stage with Hopkins, read)
Love's Labour's Lost (1 film - Branagh)
Macbeth (3 times. 1 audio with Burton, 1 on stage in college, 1 tv version. Also read)
Merchant of Venice ( 1 TV)
Midsummer Nights Dream (2 films, 1 tv, acted in scenes in the sixth grade, saw 1 all nude/homosexual version on stage - it was with a class )
Much Ado About Nothing (2 film versions)
Richard III ( 2 film - Ian McKellen version, PAcino (which I barely made it through and gave up on)
Romeo and Juliet (2 film versions, Dicaprio, best remains Zeferrilli's, read)
The Taming of the Shrew (4 times - Burton and Liz, 10 Things I HAte ABout You, Kiss ME Kate musical version, televised stage version, read)
The Tempest (1 stage, 1 film that was John Cassavetes, I believe. read)
Twelfth Night (2 times on stage (once in Stratford Upon Avon, once in Central PArk - preferred Central PArk version ironically enough) 2 film versions.)
Othello (1 film version - Branagh, read twice)
Anthony and Cleopatra (1 stage version - Judi Dench and Anthony Hopkins, and I didn't like it, blasphemy, I know. But it is a dull play.)


Film only

Titus Andronicus

(I may be leaving stuff out, don't know - some blend together in memory. I know in the Shakespear class I took in college we had to watch an incredible number of them on tape. About four had Derek Jacobi. Some were okay, some put me to sleep.)

Most entertaining?
Titus Andronicus by Julie Taymor
Hamlet - with Mel Gibson, also liked Ethan Hawk version weirdly enough
Branagh wasn't bad, just too old and too long.
Macbeth - the college version
Twelth Night - Shakespear in the PArk version
Othello - see the Branagh as Iago version and Laurence Fishburn as OThello, trust me
King LEar -stage version with Anthony Hopkins (who I fell a bit in love with in the role of Lear, weird I know)
Romeo and Juliet by Zefrelli
10 Things I HAte About You version of Taming of the Shrew tied with the Liz/Burton version and the Cybil Shepard/Bruce Willis version
Much Ado About Nothing - Branagh

Yes, I'm a play geek and an English major. Does it show?