Opening Night At the 2009 Italian Film Festival!

As part of my need to get out there in the world to experience more of what the world has to offer I decided that I would go to this year's 2009 Italian Film Festival held over four nights at the Rialto Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia. Last night was the screening of the Opening Night film THE VICEROYS, which is a historical drama about the unification of Italy into the country it is today.

It was a good choice for opening night film as it spoke to the audience in a huge way in terms of what the Italian Film Festival is trying to accomplish, which (I gather) is to allow audiences the opportunity to explore and experience Italian culture through film and since the film THE VICEROYS is placed into a historical context in which is shows how, essentially, Italy became Italy through the rise and fall of a single "noble" family it was a great idea to open the 3rd Anniversary event with this film rather then any of the other three films.

I enjoyed the film immensely as I've always enjoyed Italian cinema since first discovering Dario Argento as a teenager. In fact, one of my all time favorite films is the Italian epic THE BEST OF YOUTH (another historical epic at approximately six hours).

The theatre was packed (with very few seats empty) which made for a more interesting film festival experience then I had with the Atlanta Film Festival several years ago (where the theatre was almost completely empty). I believe that the event is successful, thus far, because they only have four films to focus one rather then the multitude of films at other festivals. Another good thing is that all of the films are screening at the same location for all four nights at The Rialto rather then being spread out all over the city in a multitude of theaters (ala the Atlanta Film Festival).

This is an event I plan on attending later in the week on Friday for the Closing Night film THE SOUL KEEPER but I suggest anyone who is interested to go to the website www.cinemaitaly.com for more info about the event.

HAMLET at the Shakespeare Tavern!

Last Saturday I not only got to see my favorite of the Bard's tales live for the very first time by I got to see it in style. I'd never been to the Shakespeare Tavern in Atlanta, Georgia although I had passed by it many times when driveing on Peachtree Street. When I heard that they were putting on a production of my favorite of William Shakespeare's plays I couldn't help myself. The last of the Bard's tales that I had seen live was Much Ado About Nothing at Theatre in the Square in Marrietta, Georgia but since I was part of the run-crew for that show I never really got a chance to be a part of the audience and just enjoy it for what it was.

Having never been to the Shakespeare Tavern I didn't know what I was in for but by glancing over the website I did know that they served food and drink and that it wasn't a very big space but then again neither is Theatre in the Square. I also knew that the play's running time was approximately 4.0 hours long including 2 intermissions so it was going to be a long play (which also meant that they cut very little out as I've heard that there are 2 and a half hour versions floating around out there).

Being true it its name the Shakespeare Tavern is indeed a tavern in which audience members sit at tables and counters and can eat their food and drink their mead while watching the play. Being HAMLET the play has a huge cast (in which many of them perform multiple characters) and even though the set it small it never appears that way as the cast takes full use of the stage. There were many stand out perfornces (too many to mention here) and the strangest thing about the play that had never occurred to me from either reading the play or seeing the myriad of filmed versions is that the play is quite funny and this comedic aspect is never truly taken advantage of in the filmed versions. There were numerous parts in the play that had the audience rolling in their seats with laughter (me being one of them).

My experience at the tavern was very good, so much so that I'm thinking of getting a season subscription for next season (they have one more production for this season) because I believe it is a good investment plus it would give me a reason to go and not only read but to study and enjoy more of the Bard's plays that I've so far neglected. I do plan on seeing THE TEMPEST next month. This should be interesting since I've never read nor seen a filmed version of this play so it should be a new experience for me. I look forward to it.

People who think Shakespeare is hard to understand should go see one of the productions put on by this company of dedicated crew and cast members because they make it accessible to all audiences which is a good thing in this era of theatre in which many people just are too afraid to embrace the Bard's world and words. I'm hooked and I don't plan on going back.