KATIE: And finally I want to talk about a few adaptations that I think illustrate a range of approaches, and make some comments on them. Do you know the Japanese film Ran?

JOE: I haven’t seen it. It was based on Shakespeare’s King Lear, wasn’t it?

KATIE: That’s right. It was a very loose adaptation, using the same situation and story, but moving it to 16th century Japan instead of 16th century Britain. So for example the king’s daughters become sons, because in Japanese culture at that time, women couldn’t succeed to the throne.

JOE: OK. I hope you’re going to talk about the 1993 film of Much Ado About Nothing. I think that’s one of the best Shakespeare films. It really brings the play to life, doesn’t it?

KATIE: Yes, I agree. And I think filming it in Italy, where the play is set, makes you see what life was like at the time of the play.

JOE: Absolutely. Right, what’s next?

KATIE: Er, next, I thought Romeo & Juliet, the 1996 film, which moves the action into the present day.

JOE: Yes, it worked really well, I thought – changing the two feuding families in the original to two competing business empires, even though they’re speaking in the English of the original play.

KATIE: You’d expect it would sound really bizarre, but I found I soon got used to it.

JOE: Me too.

KATIE: Then I thought I’d include a real Hollywood film, one that’s intended to appeal to a mass commercial audience.

JOE: There must be quite a number of those.

KATIE: Yes, but I’ve picked the 1996 film of Hamlet. It included every line of the text, but it’s more like a typical action hero movie – there are loads of special effects, but no unifying interpretation of the play.

JOE: All show and no substance.

KATIE: Exactly. Then there’s Prospero’s Books, based on The Tempest. That was really innovative, from a stylistic point of view.

JOE: Didn’t it include dance and singing and animation, as well as live actors?

KATIE: Yes, it did. I also want to mention Looking for Richard. Did you ever see it?

JOE: No, but I’ve read about it. It was a blend of a documentary with a few scenes from Richard III, wasn’t it?

KATIE: That’s right. It’s more a way of looking into how people nowadays connect with the playwright – the play is really just the starting point. And that’ll be where I finish.

JOE: Well, it sounds as though it’ll be very interesting.