This Week's Assignment

This week we are finishing Hamlet and watching the 1990 film adaptation starring Mel Gibson.

Not pictured: Hamlet, sanity.

Despite any misgivings I may have concerning the star, the Zeffirelli version is by far my favorite cinematic interpretation of Hamlet.

Onto your assignment for this week (10/7-10/11):

Part 1: Morricone

Zeffirelli's Hamlet features an Ennio Morricone score. He is an Italian composer most famous for his contributions to Sergio Leone's Dollars trilogy. He is the man responsible for creating the signature sound of "Spaghetti Westerns."

Clint Eastwood's portrayal of the "Man With No Name"  revolutionized westerns in the 1960's.

My favorite Morricone theme comes from the comedy/western, Two Mules For Sister Sara, starring Clint Eastwood and Shiley Maclaine. You may recognize this theme as it was used again by Quentin Tarantino in Django Unchained.

• Your task: listen to some of Morricone's work on YouTube and select your favorite composition.
• Post a link to the video in the comment section of this post and explain why the song is appealing to you.

Part 2: Shakespearean Pronounciation 

A father-son team of linguists have determined what actors performing Shakespearean dialogue actually sounded like when the plays were originally performed. Check out the video below.

• In your comment, leave your thoughts regarding the video and what Shakespeare "actually" sounded like. You may wish to compare it to the more modern pronounciation, such as that used by Mel Gibson.

Your comment must be at least two paragraphs in length.

Comments are due by midnight, Friday the 11th.