Do Not Disavow

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Do Not Disavow By: Rick Davis   When Charlemagne established law Salic in barb’rous land, The gospel flourished, and he saw Christ’s praise on every hand.   (“Do you approve his methods now?”) I do not disavow.   King Godfrey took Jerusalem From bloody paynim hands And brought a halt to Musselmen Invading Christian lands.   (“He did some mean things anyhow!”) I do not disavow.   King Richard with his scarlet shield And passant lions ‘bossed Rode forth again unto the field To regain what was lost.   (“His deeds at Acre you allow?”) I do not disavow.   Unto the Germans Luther brought The gospel full restored, And Calvin at Geneva taught The glory of the Lord.   (“The Jews? Servetus? Holy cow!”) I do not disavow.   Stonewall and Lee like knights of old Fought for their native soil, The true and lovely to uphold Against the tyrant’s spoil.   (“Those vile racists broke their vow!”) I do not disavow.   Men
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Favorite Shakespeare Films

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Well, after all these heavy posts about Dante and Hell, I think something on a lighter note is due. It's time for the weekly Top 5.

According to the source of all knowledge, Wikipedia, there are more than 420 film adaptations of Shakespeare's works. Of these I've seen probably around thirty, so I'm not the biggest Shakespeare-on-film expert. But I know what I like. Here are my:

Top 5 Favorite Shakespeare Films

1. Hamlet, 1996, Directed by Kenneth Branagh (This may be my favorite film of all time, period. It's infinitely better than the Zeffirelli version starring Mel Gibson.)

2. Macbeth, 1948, Directed by Orson Welles (Despite the extremely low budget, Welles nails the atmosphere of Macbeth perfectly and is far superior to the later and more expensive Roman Polanski version.)

3. Taming of the Shrew, 1967, Directed by Franco Zeffirelli (Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor are great in this.)

4. Much Ado about Nothing, 1993, Directed by Kenneth Branagh (Everyone in the movie was excellent except for Keanu Reeves. I especially like Michael Keaton's quirky Constable Dogberry)

5. Henry V, 1989, Directed by Kenneth Branagh (Branagh actually did better than Olivier in this role. Good, bloody fun)


Runners Up:
Richard III, 1995, Directed by Richard Loncraine
Romeo and Juliet, 1968, Directed by Franco Zeffirelli
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Edit: For my sister's benefit.

Comments

Erica said…
Don John: I am a villain. I am going to do villainous things. In a villainous manner. Because I sound like an American.
21 March, 2012 09:47
Rose said…
Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet is brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. I watched it on a school night (bad idea that) and was just completely blown away. The power behind it all was just spectacular and the cast...I still can't get over how many brilliant people they crammed into one film. Haven't seen any of the others but am dying to see Taming and Much Ado.
21 March, 2012 19:17
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