Watch Shakespeare Uncovered

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Shakespeare ~ between the lines

Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2017

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The target audience of this series is pretty straightforward: fans of the Bard who want to gain a better understanding of his plays. The present DVD dissects 3 of his plays; 1 comedy (A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM), 1 history play (ANTHONY & CLEOPATRA) and 1 tragedy (KING LEAR). We get an actor's perspective of the plays from myriad talented thespians such as Christopher Plummer, Ian McKellen, Kim Cattrall, Joseph Fiennes and Hugh Bonneville. We also get the perspective of directors and professors of literature as well.

This series offers trenchant insight into the plays as well as historical nuances and allusions which most modern day spectators would not be apt to pick up on as some of these subtle aspects have been lost-in-time. Seeing the play through the eyes of the audience of the late 1500s and early 1600s is quite fascinating!

All in all, if you're a fan of William Shakespeare then this series is a MUST have!!

14 people found this helpful

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RANDEL

GENERALLY INSIGHTFUL - BUT NOT ALWAYS HELPFUL

Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2020

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Obviously, a wonderful actor with a long experience of playing some of Shakespeare's great roles is going to have some valuable insights into the plays in which they've performed. Happily, most of the hosts of these various episodes succeed admirably in communicating their enthusiasm and love for the material. This series would be a wonderful gift for anyone who had a lackluster high school teacher who was NOT personally enthusiastic about Shakespeare and failed to bring the material to life in an exciting or challenging way. But I have to take off at least two stars for the episode on RICHARD II in which Derek Jacobi smugly proclaims himself to be an Oxfordian - someone who believes that the plays of Shakespeare were written - not by Shakespeare - but by the 17th Earl of Oxford, Edward de Vere. [This is a theory that was first advanced by a man - not insignificantly - named "Looney" (Thomas J. Looney.)] The dotty Sir Derek may believe what he likes, but why the producers felt the need to let him air his peculiar theory in a program supposedly celebrating Shakespeare's work simply dumbfounds me.
If the producers are seriously interested in the various "alternative authorship" theories, they should have made a nice hour-long stand-alone program on the subject and not adulterated a program on the Bard.

2 people found this helpful

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The Yellow House

Interesting anecdotes from actors about specific plays

Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2016

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Interesting anecdotes about acting in specific plays from well-known actors (each actor speaks about one play in particular) with some background/history about each play, but not meant to be a documentary for going into depth about the facts of Shakespeare's life. If you are teaching this subject, this is more of a supplemental video about specific plays rather than a real teaching tool. For example, I was covering Othello, and that segment was a nice way to round out what we had already talked about.

13 people found this helpful

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great resource for teachers or students

Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2019

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Shakespeare Uncovered is a great resource for teachers or students who want to examine why characters are portrayed in certain ways over the years, what may have influenced the plays or characters, or why different things are emphasized. Each episode is less than an hour long, and they can be watched quickly without the viewer getting bogged down in material. Series 2 is heavy on the tragedies - 4 of the 6 episodes concern one of Shakespeare's tragedies.

One person found this helpful

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Joshua

Entertaining and Educational

Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2014

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I must preface my comments about the show by stating that I love Shakespeare's work, but I am far from being an expert. With that said, I have found the episodes that I have watched packed with information not only about the plays themselves but also about specific characters or important themes that run through the plays. It is not just a boring documentary, though. The shows are guided by actors or directors who have had intimate involvement with the plays and characters that they are presenting. There are numerous clips from different performances and interviews by various actors to portray characters or perform in the different plays. All of this gives a broad picture of what Shakespeare was likely trying to do in the plays. The show seems to approach the plays not just as literature but also as performances which is precisely what Shakespeare wrote them to be. Rather than giving definitive explanation of the plays, the show fleshes out for a modern audience the questions that were being asked giving us, the audience, opportunity to make up our own minds and consider more fully the questions woven into some of Shakespeare's greatest plays.

8 people found this helpful

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J.C.

so you can really enjoy the show

Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2015

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A truly captivating, entertaining and greatly informative series that makes Shakespeare's plays accessible to all, young and old. The series includes Interviews of famous actors who have played the roles with clips from many of the movies of each play that is discussed, as well as experts on the play. The narrator is someone well-known who conducts the interviews and is a person who will be performing the role. An absolute must for anyone contemplating attending one of the plays covered in the series, as it goes behind the scenes and explains all the key issues of the play. I highly recommend this series.

11 people found this helpful

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Brian

He does a great job of tackling the difficult subject matter of the ...

Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2016

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I teach Taming of the Shrew to high schoolers, and the episode on it is hosted by Morgan Freeman. He does a great job of tackling the difficult subject matter of the play, and my students were all paying great attention, and had an excellent discussion afterwards. Great wrap-up to the unit.

13 people found this helpful

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M. McCord

Somewhat disappointing

Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2019

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Importantly, my rating of mediocre is based on the only two stories I have watched so far--"Macbeth" and "Richard II." The subtitle "The Stories Behind the Bard's Greatest Plays" is misleading, at least in the two I watched. Those were the stories not behind the plays themselves, but behind how the actors of the leading roles approached their roles. I found it interesting, but not what I expected.

One person found this helpful

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Heather Ranger

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 11, 2016

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Very happy with product. Would be happy to buy from you again. Thank you.

alessandra

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 4, 2015

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an amazing glimpse on shakesperean actors and plays

Gayle Gibson

Elegant, insightful, and fun

Reviewed in Canada on May 6, 2013

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The six films in this series are a touch uneven, but all are good, and Jeremy Irons on the Hollow Crown and Derek Jacobi on Richard II are wonderful beyond expectation. Joley Richardson's commentary on the comedies, with the help of her grandmother Vanessa is charming and presents points of view not often heard. The other three are just fine, and well worth the watching.
Each film uses clips from many different versions of the plays - Hamlet, Tempest, Macbeth, Henry IV and V, Richard II, As You Like It and Twelfth Knight, to illustrate different ways to approach and interpret the texts. I found it interesting to see that, though acting styles change, the best actors always pull us in to the world of their character. Every episode is a testament to Shakespeare's living genius. The best of writers and the best of actors - what more could anyone want?

17 people found this helpful

Lindsay Bryan

Great accessible introduction (and more) to Shakespeare's plays.

Reviewed in Canada on March 31, 2015

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This is a great series where an actor looks at each play and its various interpretations now and in the past, talking to other actors. There are interviews with directors and scholars, too, but this is more than talking heads. We get scenes from filmed versions of the plays, but best of all, there are scenes from productions staged at the Globe Theatre itself. The programs are delightful for those familiar with the plays, and they provide really good accessible introductions for those just beginning with the plays.

One person found this helpful

Eve F.

Behind the Shakespearean plays.

Reviewed in Canada on July 2, 2014

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Good to see some background stories about Shakespearean productions. It is encouraging to see vast improvements in the portrayal of the plays. I also appreciate that theatres have made their plays available to those who are not able to attend in person.

One person found this helpful

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