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Reviews
A Tale of Two Cities (1958)
This English teacher presents the grade of F.
Alas, this version is FAR FROM FAITHFUL. This version is so mixed up that any child who watched it in an effort to fake their way through a report without reading the tome would fail. Parts of the story are out of order, characters consistently appear in places they do not appear in the text, and Lucie does not meet Darnay on the Dover Mail in the text. Instead, she meets him on the packet from Calais, when she returns to England with her father after collecting him in St. Antoine. This misguided interpretation has her seeing Sydney long before the trial that opens Book the Second and mistaking him for Charles. Those are just a few of the large number of inaccuracies found throughout the film. As an English teacher who holds this as one of her favorite books of all time, I wish I had never watched this version. Go watch the one from 1935 or even the Masterpiece Theatre version from the 1989. No film interpretation is ever spot on, but those two have far fewer inconsistencies than this one.
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1996)
True to Shakespeare's original...much better than the latest version...
The Royal Shakespeare version of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is highly conceptual; in fact it is quite abstract. However, as an English teacher I prefer this version over the Michelle Pfeiffer/Calista Flockhart/Rupert Everett version; mainly because it does not mess with Shakespeare's text. My students have watched both versions as they studied "Midsummer..." (although it should be noted at this point that this version is a bit naughty...the Royal Shakespeare Company brings out that quality which is found in Shakespeare's comedies). During the viewing I suggested that they tried to follow along in their texts. We quickly found that the latest film version rearranges chunks of text freely (for example part of Helena's last speech in Act I: Scene I occurs after Act I: Scene II where the rustics are introduced). I did not find this interpretation disappointing at all. One must remember that it is based on a stage production. Perhaps the fact that I hold a degree in Theatre is the reason I found it so enjoyable. I agree that the adding of the boy is a nice touch for the film; however, it did confuse some of my students. This version provides a nice contrast to some of the other versions.