In today’s modern world, many people enjoy the benefits of living in a digital age. In this new era, people have access to more materials at their fingertips than ever before. That includes film and theatre. Film is a relatively new art form that has only been around for about a century or so, while theatre dates back to ancient Greece. Film has been steadily growing in popularity for a long time, but since the 1990’s it has become a much more common medium of entertainment, eclipsing theatre.
Film has grown so popular that its influence is now felt even in people’s choice to go to a theatre or watch a film. It was recently announced that two “Much Ado About Nothing” productions will be released this summer, one as a feature-length film and the other as an independent play. In comparing these two productions it becomes evident which medium is superior: Film One example of film being superior to theatre is the length. Film makes use of much more time to tell a story than does theatre. Film can take days or weeks to complete while plays only last hours at best.
Film is a much more efficient way of telling a story, and can tell a bigger one in less time. Film also makes use of special effects that cannot be done on stage such as music, lighting, and soundtracks. Film also does not have to worry about the limits of the stage such as set design, costume design, and prop design. Film can do all these things while still maintaining its own identity where theatre must rely on the strengths of their actors and actresses or else risk losing attention from their audience (which is called “breaking the fourth wall”).
Film also has an advantage over theatre when it comes to accessibility; film can be viewed by anyone with access to a television, computer monitor ,or projector while theatre requires people to physically go to a theatre. Film is also less expensive to make than a stage play—a lot of the budget for film goes towards visual effects, lighting, soundtracks, and special effects with budgets typically ranging from about $0-3 million while many plays fail to receive funding at all.
Film’s budget can be as high as $150 million such as “Titanic” (1997) but this is still smaller than theatrical budgets which often reach up to $20 million or more such as The Lion King (1994). Film has an advantage over theatre when it comes to accessibility; film can be viewed by anyone with access to a television , computer monitor ,or projector while theatre requires people to physically go to a theatre.
The Film It takes a lot to make a film that will stand the test of time, if not even take people away from their everyday lives and distractions. The Film version of Much Ado About Nothing accomplishes this in spades. The Film is much easier to follow along with due to its lack of an overwhelming number of characters, which is a major difference from the play. This Film is a love story that is incredibly refreshing and approachable for people who do not normally appreciate the classics.
The Film also manages to capture some of the original language, which can be very helpful in understanding what Shakespeare meant when he wrote certain words or phrases. In conclusion, this Film version of a classic tale succeeds where many a Film has failed: It tells a great story without alienating viewers with strange accents or over-the-top use of costumes and make-up. This Film offers an excellent modern retelling of Much Ado About Nothing at a time when people are looking for anything good on TV. The Play Although it may seem as though the Film captures every detail from its source material, the Film does leave out some details.
The play is much more complex than the Film, with an extensive use of subplots and multiple interwoven storylines. The Film has only one storyline, which makes it easy for viewers to follow along; but without these other plot points, some character development between Benedick and Beatrice may be lost. Even though the Film gets rid of many little characters like Borachio (and his sidekick Conrade) and Dogberry (and his dim-witted watchmen), their dialogue can be helpful in understanding how Beatrice and Benedick are feeling about each other at certain times throughout the play.
These seemingly small characters contribute a great deal toward building tension between Hero and Claudio for most of the play, which is removed in the Film. This Film version of Much Ado About Nothing has an incredible cast that really understands what they are doing, and it is easy for viewers to tell that this Film will be enjoyable even before watching it. The Film’s characters look like people who would actually be hanging out together in real life; even though there may not be as much tension between Beatrice and Benedick (or Claudio and Hero) in this Film, their banter between each other can still make anyone laugh at its quick wit.
This Film also does a great job of showcasing its locations through beautiful cinematography. Anyone looking to watch Much Ado About Nothing will enjoy both versions, but the version is more accessible than ever before. Film version gets 4/5 stars; Play version gets 5/5 stars. The play may be more complex, but the Film is more accessible (and easier to watch in my opinion). For anyone looking for an approachable classic with incredible acting and cinematography, you cannot go wrong with this Film! This Film version of Much Ado About Nothing brings its characters down to earth in a wonderful way that is easy for viewers to relate to.
If you are someone who normally doesn’t like viewing classics, give this Film version of Much Ado About Nothing a chance! I enjoyed both versions of Much Ado About Nothing equally–which is very surprising if I’m being because I was expecting to love one more than the other just because it was my favourite Shakespeare play. I enjoyed both versions of Much Ado About Nothing equally–which is very surprising if I’m being honest with you because I was expecting to love one more than the other just because it was my favourite Shakespeare play.
The Film and Play were both funny and clever in their own ways, and each version presented something different about its characters which added a unique perspective when seeing this story from multiple points-of-view. As someone who normally hates watching Shakespeare plays (because they are usually quite long), I definitely recommend this Film to anyone looking for a shorter way to enjoy such an amazing classic tale. It is important to bear in mind that we can’t judge only on the basis of watching the Film version–we must also consider that this is a different adaptation, so it may not be entirely accurate to what Shakespeare intended.
I’m glad I watched both Film and Play version of Much Ado About Nothing because they were both good in their own ways. The Film was easy to watch but definitely left out some important details which were included in the Play; however, the Film made up for these omissions with its fantastic cast and beautiful cinematography. Sometimes when we can’t get through all of Shakespeare’s plays (or just think they are too long), it is much easier to enjoy his work when it’s adapted into film form because that way we don’t have to spend hours reading or watching it!
