UK, 2009, 171 min
Dominic Dromgoole’s production brings fresh clarity to one of Shakespeare’s most famous and best-loved tragedies, drawing out the contemporary relevance of this passionate teenage love story. Ellie Kendrick, a truly youthful Juliet, and Adetomiwa Edun, a boyish Romeo, head an excellent cast whose period costumes point to the timelessness of parental disapproval, adolescent temperament, rivalry and violence.
Filmed before a live audience at Shakespeare’s Globe in the heart of London, its intimate and atmospheric setting adds immediacy and vitality to the humour and passion of Shakespeare’s verse.
Sofia International Film Festival
27 March, 20.00, Cinema House
Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
In the beginning of Queen Elizabeth’s reign (the Elizabethan period), English theatrical actors used to often perform their shows in old inns and backyards, as well as in school buildings or private homes. The first structure, to be called a theatre, was built in 1576 by actor and manager James Burbage who then creates the „Shoreditch theatre”. During the 80s of the 16th century, Shakespeare himself joins the same theatrical group, which in the decades to come, flourishes with its performances.
The renowned „Globe Theatre” was later created in a new venue, however many of the original materials from the previous construction were used again. Shakespeare and four other actors buy shares from the newly erected building, where the most famous works created by the legendary dramatist were played out until „Globe” burns down to ashes in 1613. Even though Shakespeare may have participated in subsequent performances in the second theatre, he never writes about it anymore. The newly built theatre remains the home of many plays by the theatrical group until its disbandment in 1642.
The idea of bringing to life the Shakespearian „Globe Theatre” has been placed forward by the American actor, producer and director Sam Wanamaker, who visits London in 1949. Twenty years later, a foundation for the theater restoration and creation of a center for exhibitions and trainings is established.
In the 23 years to follow, money for the theater’s restoration is being raised and with that, evidence of the way in which the original building also appears. So the reconstruction plans are drawn up the main architect of the Theo Crosby Foundation. Sam Wanamaker passes away in 1993, but the foundations for the long awaited theater have been laid, and three and a half years later, the restoration of the „Globe Theatre” is completely finished. It is positioned about 200 meters from the original building site and for many years has been a collecting point of the artists and audiences who share their love for the London theater.