Shakespeares on film: Locating adaptations within the context of their production

This study uses two parameters drawn from Linda Hutcheon's theory of adaptation -- "How?" (elements of a source that an adaptation incorporates) and "Where/When?" (influence of socio-cultural and social-historical contexts on an adaptation) to reexamine films representing the acknowledged "canon" of films bases Shakepeare's plays, and other films influenced by Shakespeare's plays. The study demonstrates problems inherent in other studies of this corpus of films, and that the socio-historical context within which an adaptation is produced exerts a high degree of influence, as the films discussed reflect the conventions of their contemporary cinema. This finding applies equally to films made by recognized "auteurs" of Shakespeare in the cinema, and to films made by directors who are not normally given "auteur" status. This study also challenges orthodoxies currently reflected in the critical literature dealing with films based on Shakespeare's plays. Its findings suggest that the phrase "Shakespeare in the Cinema" is a misnomer, and that further study needs to focus on the many disparate "Shakespeares" we find in the cinema. Although adaptation studies frequently suggest a process of "mediation" that occurs when a canonized text encounters a unique socio-historical period, "appropriation" is a more accurate term in describing the relationship between the source and the resultant adaptation. Filmed adaptations of Shakespeare's plays speak to contexts that Shakespeare never anticipated, and meanings that Shakespeare never intended.