Caitlin and I have been watching the 2009 BBC production of Hamlet. (Because we have a difficult time finding an uninterrupted 3-hour window, we are watching it in three one-hour installments.) Our watching of this version of the play follows our reading of it and our watching of the Franco Zeffirelli/Mel Gibson version. It is interesting to compare/contrast the different presentations, and of course, each subsequent experience with the play results in increased understanding.
Last night while we were watching, Evan remained in the room. This may not seem significant, but it is. My "highly sensitive child" is extremely wary of anything on the screen to which he does not have previous exposure. He generally self-excludes when the big people decide to watch a movie. But last night he stayed. He wasn't watching, really--just doing his own thing at the computer. I did see him turn around a few times to see what was happening.
Tonight at supper I told him we would be watching another installment and said, "You didn't mind it last night, did you?" He replied, "Well, I was a little disturbed by the violence and the cursing. But it didn't bother me too much."
Tonight he watched almost the entire hour with us. I think he's in for the balance tomorrow night, violence and cursing notwithstanding. Everything is just easier to take in Elizabethan English, isn't it?
2 comments:
It is easier.
Which makes me think, first, "Would we Christians refuse to watch Shakespeare if he was performing today?" But second, "It's not a fair comparison-- why don't any of the raunchy or bawdy comedies today have depth, deep perception of human nature, or anything else enduring?"
Exactly!
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