Romeo and Juliet EVERYWHERE

   Another interesting discovery that I made recently was that, like Lion King, there are many more films that are based on Shakespearean plays. Writers in the past decades have taken Shakespearean plot lines and characters and totally transformed them to modern settings that would be attracting for current audiences. 
   Romeo and Juliet is a play that has been adapted around 30 times to the big screen. What audiences don't know is that this storyline has been recycled through the years fooling audiences with twists. 
"It doesn’t get much more star-crossed than a zombie and a human falling in love."
   

The 2013 Horror/Romcom "Warm Bodies" is an unusual tale of a zombie and a human who fall in love. 
"Warm Bodies is another loose Shakespeare adaptation, but it focuses on the forbidden love between zombie R (Nicholas Hoult) and the woman he can never be with, Julie (Teresa Palmer)."
   It is impressive how our society "eats up" these plot lines and makes it possible for more of them to be produced. I would not be surprised if another Romeo and Juliet movie is made. 
   If a movie called "Gnomeo & Juliet" can be released, I surely can expect anything from the movie world. 

Theatre will always be a source for the writing of films. Although these classic stories tend to succeed in Hollywood, it is imperative that there can also be good original writing that is not recycled; rather have it come from someone's imagination. 

URL:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/louispeitzman/movies-you-might-not-know-were-based-on-shakespeare-plays#.vs1E5JrK4G

Article Title:

15 Movies You Might Not Know Were Based On Shakespeare Plays

Website Title:

BuzzFeed

URL:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1588173/

Article Title:

Warm Bodies

Website Title:

IMDb

URL:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warm_Bodies_(film)

Article Title:

Warm Bodies (film)

Website Title:

Wikipedia

The Lion King aka Hamlet

 The Lion King is a 1994 American animated musical adventure film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 32nd animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. 
The Disney classic, The Lion King is not what many people think it is.The children's movie is based on Shakespeare's "Hamlet".
The Twist: "The bulk of the story and several key scenes remain intact, with Denmark swapped for the African savanna, and people swapped for animals (mostly lions)."
 It's easy to overlook the relationship between "Hamlet" and The Lion King, since Shakespeare certainly didn't invent the idea of an evil uncle. But any theater fan would be able to follow the parallels along: the proud king (Mufasa) is killed accidentally by his evil, power-hungry brother (Scar), and after a time away from the kingdom, the prince and rightful heir (Simba) returns to bring the truth to light. The film even includes the ghostly vision of Mufasa, and Simba's pair of fast-talking friends Timon and Pumbaa (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in the original). 
"A musical treatment and happier ending, of course, but "Hamlet" nonetheless."

URL:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lion_King

Article Title:

The Lion King

Website Title:

Wikipedia

URL:

http://bangell08.hubpages.com/hub/Similarities-Between-The-Lion-King-and-Hamlet

Article Title:

Similarities (And Differences) Between The Lion King and Hamlet

Website Title:

HubPages

Rent

 The Tony award "best musical" rent tells the story of  the lives of several Bohemian and their struggles with sexuality, drugs, paying their rent, and life under the shadow of AIDS. 

   

   The musical-adapted film takes place in the East Village of New York City from 1989 to 1990. Surprisingly, the filming locations were mostly on the other side of the country; mostly in California and New Mexico. 

"It is not just that he shows dexterity and imagination in transferring the spectacle onto the actual streets of the East Village in Manhattan. The real key to his success is his utter lack of condescension."-A. O. Scott

"Its idea of Bohemia is not realistic, but romantic, even utopian. Openhearted to a fault, it stakes its integrity on the faith that even in millennial New York, some things - friendship, compassion, grief, pleasure, beauty - are more important than money or real estate."- New York Times

   With the power of Hollywood the set of New York was remade in Los Angeles making impossible to figure out that this was a facade. This was easier to film in a set rather than to close up on the busiest cities in the world. Although for one of the most iconic scenes of the movie (a musical number), the scene was actually shot in the streets of Manhattan.   

   I was not aware that this movie was filmed in sets rather than the actual city. Even with a musical film adaptation the Hollywood magic was implemented creating a perfect portrayal of the Broadway musical on stage. 

URL:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/23/movies/23rent.html

Article Title:

New Tenants in Tinseltown

Website Title:

The New York Times

Publication date:

2005-11-22

URL:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0294870/locations

Article Title:

Filming Locations

Website Title:

IMDb

URL:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rent_(film)#Differences_between_the_stage_and_film_versions

Website Title:

Wikipedia

Grease, Breaking Barriers

 

   The iconic 1978 musical film "Grease" is one of the most famous, well known adaptations known today. The high school love story, full of musical numbers, made an impact and created a giant fan base which basically created a brand itself. The teenaged following developed mostly by the protagonist couple (Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta) led to the marketing of the "Grease" name to a global level.

"But ironically, it's this clunky kitsch quality that makes Grease such a perpetual joy, even after repeated viewings."

"For its' 20th anniversary, there was a celebratory sprucing up - the sound effects are sharper, the print cleaner, the songs louder than ever before."

   The film's success triggered a whole marketing opportunity that even today is still benefitted from .Grease has produced all types of merchandise through the years and has become a household name. What is interesting about this specific movie, is the impact it had on the audiences. Several clothing trends were promoted and established by the movie's cast.

To date, the soundtrack has sold over 30 million copies worldwide, becoming one of the best-selling soundtrack albums of all time.

It can definitely be noted that Grease is one of the only musical adaptations to film that has crossed the barrier of being "just another musical movie". With its tremendous success it has been able to create something bigger than just being cheesy. A lot of teenager musical movies today imitate this same format. For example: decades later, High School Musical has followed the same marketing and production steps that Grease did.

This film will always be a classic and definitely more than just a musical itself. The Grease brand was a unique stepping stone that defined a lot of productions today and that is why it is probably still relevant. 

URL:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grease:_The_Original_Soundtrack_from_the_Motion_Picture

Article Title:

Grease: The Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture

Website Title:

Wikipedia

URL:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grease_(film)

Article Title:

Grease (film)

Website Title:

Wikipedia

URL:

http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?DVDID=8470

Article Title:

Empireonline Reviews | Reviews | Empire

Website Title:

empireonline.com

URL:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077631/

Article Title:

Grease

Website Title:

IMDb