Shakespeare - The Winter's Tale / Royal Shakespeare Company, Barbican Theatre
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Canada DVD detailsActor: Sir Antony SherBrand: Kultur DVD: Region Code 1 Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language) Format: Color, DVD, NTSC Picture Format: 1.33:1 Running Time: 170 minutes DVD Release Date: 2005-11-22 Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Studio: Kultur Video DVD Reviews of Shakespeare - The Winter's Tale / Royal Shakespeare Company, Barbican TheatreDVD Review: About as good as it gets...
It is a bit of a cliché to call A Winter's Tale a problematic play, but I'll confess I've always found it more interesting than truly masterful. This production, however, solves most of the problems I find just reading the words on the page. Of particular note is Antony Sher's Leontes, who manages to make the monarch's lightning turn from loving husband to jealous madman credible (as seemingly difficult as successfully carrying off Richard III's wooing of Lady Anne), and so well does this production sustain the tension that, when Hermione's death is announced near the end of the third act, the impact is visceral in its power. Acts IV and V, of course, display a radical shift in tone, but here the shepherd's interlude is genuinely entertaining (as opposed to tedious), helped in no small measure by Ian Hughes' scene-stealing turn as Autolycus. I was curious how the bear effect and disguises were going to be handled, and though I feared the worst, I was pleasantly surprised in both instances. This leaves only the resolution in Act V that I find (from the source material) rather drawn-out and silly; I understand it is only a "tale," but I just don't believe it really works. This production does nothing to change that view, although I'll freely admit, the fault is probably mine (it must be, since this is often called one of the most touching scenes in the canon). On the whole, this is about as good a filmed Shakespearean stage production as I have seen, and I would not hesitate to recommend it to those interested in the play. One quibble: there is no subtitle option, which would be useful were I ever to decide to teach the play in the future.
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