Okay, so I have a Masters degree in English, literature specifically, which means there are certain things that I should just not watch. “Shakespeare in Love” – it might have been a delightful movie but it had nothing to do with Shakespeare. Except for the fact that the lead character was named Shakespeare and he wrote plays. I found the movie insufferably annoying. If they had just titled it “Bill, a guy who writes plays and is in love” I probably would have liked it a lot better. So tonight, upon the prodding of my students, I am watching “A Knight’s Tale”. For some reason my students actually believe this has something to do with Chaucer and the Canterbury Tales. Let me assure you that it has NOTHING to do with Chaucer or the Canterbury Tales. I am sitting here horrified. The opening sequence includes “We Will Rock You” by Queen and Chaucer with a gambling problem. Really? Chaucer was a well-educated local politician who traveled extensively due to his job. His tales are legendary due to their reflection of late medieval society and his political commentary. I admit that I’m a literature snob and yet I love reality tv. How does that happen?
My favorite part of Shakespeare in Love was the end, where it “showed” him getting the inspiration for Twelfth Night. Which is one of my favorite Shakespeare adaptations (the HBC one).
I had issues with Becoming Jane for similar reasons. But loved the Rene Zellweger Beatrix Potter movie recently. Probably because I was lucky enough not to know anything about her life. (and not really even love her work, either).
I am just catching up with this blog but your comments about these idiotic attempts by Hollywood to try to captialize on quality literature is right on. These people seem to try to show how literate they are by writing such drivel as Shakespeare in Love. Very few of these efforts ever come close to the actual work and Frankenstein is a fine example.