Mr. Shakespeare Wins: Visually Striking Cinematic Poem
Dear Mr. Shakespeare Wins as a Visually Striking Cinematic Poem
By Joseph Reilly
Shola Amoo's 2016 film Dear Mr. Shakespeare takes a monologue poem referencing Shakespeare's Othello and matches it against thought provoking scenes.
Dear Mr. Shakespeare is sure to leave viewers talking as the spoken word film taking racial concepts from Othello raises historical questions on race relations, Shakespeare's owns views, and puts a different twist on the classic story. The film is just as discomforting as it is moving, posing the question of whether Shakespeare himself was racist. The in - depth journey that the film takes is a commentary on racism over time, biases, and more. Threaded throughout to assist this all is a cinematic array of various camera shots that define Dear Mr. Shakespeare as a poem combined with a painting to produce a film; which is what makes it unique.
The twist on Othello and the film's overall modern day spin feels fresh, as something so artistically driven in the format of Dear Mr. Shakespeare has yet to be done. There's a newness that comes along with watching the film, an exclusivity that can make the viewer feel as though they're watching something truly revolutionary. This aspect …show more content…
Shakespeare gives its viewers, is the cinematography which threads it all together. Clipped together with close-up face shorts, angles that pan around the speaker, and scenes with characters that stand motionless like a reality based painting, the eyes will be astonished at the level of creativity that spurs behind the lens. This is where the magic of the film makes itself known, detaining the eye's attention span with subtle special effects and editing that leaves you needing to watch again just to take it all in properly. It's the icing on the well-made cake, and the painting to fancy up the room. If not for one's taste for Shakespeare, the camera work is reason enough to
By Joseph Reilly
Shola Amoo's 2016 film Dear Mr. Shakespeare takes a monologue poem referencing Shakespeare's Othello and matches it against thought provoking scenes.
Dear Mr. Shakespeare is sure to leave viewers talking as the spoken word film taking racial concepts from Othello raises historical questions on race relations, Shakespeare's owns views, and puts a different twist on the classic story. The film is just as discomforting as it is moving, posing the question of whether Shakespeare himself was racist. The in - depth journey that the film takes is a commentary on racism over time, biases, and more. Threaded throughout to assist this all is a cinematic array of various camera shots that define Dear Mr. Shakespeare as a poem combined with a painting to produce a film; which is what makes it unique.
The twist on Othello and the film's overall modern day spin feels fresh, as something so artistically driven in the format of Dear Mr. Shakespeare has yet to be done. There's a newness that comes along with watching the film, an exclusivity that can make the viewer feel as though they're watching something truly revolutionary. This aspect …show more content…
Shakespeare gives its viewers, is the cinematography which threads it all together. Clipped together with close-up face shorts, angles that pan around the speaker, and scenes with characters that stand motionless like a reality based painting, the eyes will be astonished at the level of creativity that spurs behind the lens. This is where the magic of the film makes itself known, detaining the eye's attention span with subtle special effects and editing that leaves you needing to watch again just to take it all in properly. It's the icing on the well-made cake, and the painting to fancy up the room. If not for one's taste for Shakespeare, the camera work is reason enough to