William Shakespeare - As You Like it DVD 2010 / Opus Arte / Play Director Thea Sharrock / Film Director Kriss Russman / Main Roles: Gareth Bennett-Ryan, Michael Benz, Philip Bird / Filmed Live at Shakespeare's Globe, London

UPC 809478010326

ALL REGIONS NTSC DVD

MADE IN THE UK

AUDIO: ENGLISH 2.0, English 5.1

SUBTITLES: -

TOTAL RUNTIME: 147 MINUTES

Spoken in Shakespeare's English with English Subtitles

English Summary:

'Can one desire too much of a good thing?'

A firm favourite among Shakespeare’s comedies, and including some of his best loved characters, As You Like It runs the glorious gamut of pastoral romance: cross-dressing and love-notes; poetry and brilliant conversation; gentle satire, slapstick and passion. This production evokes traditional staging and costume.

Synopsis

Rosalind, the daughter of a banished duke, falls in love with Orlando at a wrestling match. Her usurping uncle, jealous of her popularity banishes her from court. Disguised as a boy she leaves with her cousin Celia and the jester Touchstone, to seek out her father in the Forest of Arden. Here she meets Orlando again and, under the guise of a young man, counsels him in the art of love and wooing.

As You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility.

As You Like It follows its heroine Rosalind as she flees persecution in her uncle's court, accompanied by her cousin Celia to find safety and, eventually, love, in the Forest of Arden. In the forest, they encounter a variety of memorable characters, notably the melancholy traveller Jaques who speaks many of Shakespeare's most famous speeches (such as "All the world's a stage", "too much of a good thing" and "A fool! A fool! I met a fool in the forest"). Jaques provides a sharp contrast to the other characters in the play, always observing and disputing the hardships of life in the country.

Creative

Director:
Thea Sharrock

Designer:
Dick Bird

Composer:
Stephen Warbeck

Choreographer:
Fin Walker

Fight Director:
Kevin McCurdy

Musical Director:
Rob Millett

Directed for the screen:
Kriss Russman

Cast

Touchstone:
Dominic Rowan

Hymen:
Ewart James Walters

Audrey:
Sophie Duval

Phebe:
Jade Williams

Le Beau, William :
Gregory Gudgeon