Much Ado About Nothing | 2012 | Joss Whedon | Lionsgate | June 7th, 2013
Shakespeare Lives. It’s amazing that some 390 years after publication, William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing can evoke laughs from an ostensibly eternal audience. Joss Whedon is truly a directorial jack-of-all-trades; coming from television with Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997) and cult classic space-western Firefly (2002), to writing and producing The Cabin in the Woods (2012) and directing Marvel’s blockbuster The Avengers (2012). Now he tries his hand at independent film, choosing to mold a rather famous classic into contemporary aesthetic.
Adapting any sort of story to a new medium is challenging, but what happens when it’s a timeless piece from history’s most famous playwright? Adaptions of plays are obviously common, but most have had some creative overhead to work with. Usually they are from more modern sources, so lines can easily be changed to fit the screen from the stage. Shakespeare’s plays have been published on virtually every medium over hundreds of years…creating a seemingly daunting task of trying to turn a stone tablet into an iPad. There is a very small target for success with the delivery of these lines that relies heavily on the ability of the actors to do so convincingly. I feared that I would get the same feelings I had when I was forced to read Shakespeare aloud in English class: Anxiousness, sweatiness, and being generally horrified. I was wrong.
Though there are a few familiar faces, many of the actors hail from places a mainstream audience may not have paid attention to. Amy Acker and Alexis Denisof take the lead roles of Beatrice and Benedick, respectively. Both absolutely excel, their awkward and oft hilarious courtship playing out with palpable chemistry on screen. Nathan Fillion stars as the bumbling Dogberry, a self-proclaimed “ass” of a constable. Clark Gregg deals with his death at Loki’s hand by playing Leonato, governor of Messina. Reed Diamond, Fran Kanz, Jillian Morgese, Sean Maher, and Spencer Clark fill out the rest of the bill. Claudio, a role Shakespeare wrote for a male, is gender-swapped by Riki Lindhome, who instead plays a rather sexy lover of Don John. Remember, the key to a successful adaption of classic theatre, especially a comedy, is in the delivery. The use of body language and frequent physicality by the cast create an enjoyable experience instead of an arduous one. Almost all of the actors have worked with Whedon previously, adding a personal and familiar touch that the audience will feel. That’s one of the things that makes Much Ado such a treasure to watch: it’s personality.
The entire movie feels accessible because of this comfortable noir. It was shot with hand-held cameras, in twelve days, and at Whedon’s private residence. While a seemingly simple convention, the idea to film entirely in black-and-white aids greatly to the overall aesthetic, focusing your attention to the actors and dialogue instead of the surroundings. (I’m sure this was a peaceful project, coming off of something as SFX-driven as The Avengers.) The score has a very elegant, warm color that actually reminded me of some 1930’s era music. You really feel like you’re a guest at the party.
Being a contemporary adaption, there is a fine line between connecting with an audience and pulling them away from a perhaps archaic world. Another film comes to mind, one that I don’t particularly care for. Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet (1996) took a gritty view of Shakespeare’s seminal work. While the visual direction was appealing, I never found myself absorbed into the timeless story. It suffered from that awkward feeling of reading the lines myself that I mentioned earlier, hinging on handsome performers instead of good performers. I realize that the premises differ greatly between a tragedy and a comedy, but I felt like Luhrmann tried too hard to make it “edgy”…the same thing he did with The Great Gatsby (2013). What is Hollywood’s hang up with being edgy nowadays? Every classic fable and fairytale in the known universe is being desecrated into a formulaic, big-budget, lifeless pile of waste. Many films that deserve wider audiences never see more than a few screens because of studios worrying about their wallets. I’m so very thankful for directors like Joss, who take it upon themselves to continue the true passion of cinema and create something that truly resonates with the audience.
It really comes down to some people viewing film as an investment instead of an art. Much Ado About Nothing wins hearts, not ticket stubs.
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