Silent Shakespeare

Synopsis

A compilation of seven early silent versions of Shakespeare plays, created from nitrate prints held in the BFI National Archive. They include examples of hand-stencilled and tinted prints, and, though sometimes damaged or incomplete, provide a unique record of a performance.
The films are: 1) KING JOHN (GB, 1899, director W-K L Dickson, production company British Mutoscope and Biograph Company) - the first Shakespeare film ever made, featuring Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree; 2) THE TEMPEST (GB, 1908, director Percy Stow, production company Clarendon Film Company, Croydon; 3) A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM (USA, 1909, directors J Stuart Blackton and Charles Kent, production company Vitagraph Company of America; 4) KING LEAR / RE LEAR (Italy, 1910, director Gerolamo Lo Savio, production company Film d’Arte Italiana; 5) TWELFTH NIGHT (USA, 1910, director Charles Kent, production company Vitagraph Company of America; 6) THE MERCHANT OF VENICE / Il Mercante di Venezia (Italy, 1910, director Gerolamo Lo Savio, production company Film d’Arte Italiana; 7) RICHARD III (GB, 1911, production company F. R. Benson Company for the Co-operative Cinematograph Company).

Country

Great Britain

Medium

Video

Technical information

Black-and-white / Silent

Year of release

2004

Year of production

1899-1911

Notes

DVD extras: commentary by Dr Judith Buchanan.
The films are available to download and stream on Globe Player. https://globeplayer.tv/videos/silent-shakespeare (accessed 8/2015).

Subjects

Drama; Media studies

Keywords

early cinema; Shakespeare, William (1564-1616)

Credits

Director

Charles Kent; Gerolamo Lo Savio; J. Stuart Blackton; Percy Stow; William Kennedy-Laurie Dickson

Writer

William Shakespeare

Music

Laura Rossi

Cast

F. R. Benson
Herbert Beerbohm Tree

Distribution Formats

Type

DVD

Format

Region 2 PAL

Price

£19.99

Availability

Sale

Duration/Size

88 minutes

Year

2004

Type

VHS

Format

PAL

Price

£15.99

Availability

Sale

Duration/Size

88 minutes

Year

2004

Distributor

Name

BFI Video

Email

video.films@bfi.org.uk

Web

http://www.bfi.org.uk External site opens in new window

Phone

020 7957 8957

Fax

020 7957 8968

Address

21 Stephen Street
London
W1T 1LN

Distributor (Sale)

 

Available from retail outlets