Filmed versions of Phyllida Lloyd’s all-women productions of Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar,” “Henry IV,” and “The Tempest” are receiving theatrical releases in the UK. According to The Stage, “Julius Caesar” will premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) this month before hitting theaters nationwide July 12. The other two installments of the all-female Shakespeare trilogy will open later in 2017.
Directed by Lloyd and starring Harriet Walter (“The Crown”), “each of the plays in the trilogy is set in a woman’s prison, with performers adopting the roles of prisoners in a drama group,” the source details.
The trilogy began with “Julius Caesar’s” 2012 bow at London’s Donmar Warehouse. “Henry IV” debuted at the Donmar in 2014 and “The Tempest” premiered at King’s Cross Theatre in 2016. “The three productions were filmed live during a run at a purpose-built theater near King’s Cross in London, where the trilogy played in repertory last year,” The Stage writes.
“The all-female, ethnically diverse cast asks the question: ‘Why are these people usually barred from performing the work of our national playwright?’” Walter explained. “We hope to redress a huge gender imbalance both in our drama and in public life and hold Shakespeare’s mirror up to a more current world.”
Lloyd — who also directed an all-female production of “The Taming of the Shrew” in 2016 — stated, “The whole mission was to represent those who felt they had no stake in our culture and the screen version tries to capture their fury and passion. To take the viewer where they could never get to while sitting in the theatre, even as it was unfolding live.”
It’s encouraging to see talented women like Lloyd and Walter reclaim and rework roles originally written for men — especially in works as revered as Shakespeare’s. Helen Mirren, who took on the traditionally-male role of Prospero in Julie Taymor’s “The Tempest,” has spoken out about the need for women to take on interesting projects even if they were originally intended for men. “As you get older, even the Shakespeare roles become [less substantial for older women] — that’s why we have to start stealing the men’s roles — doing like I did in ‘The Tempest,’ [by changing the role of Prospero to] Prospera,” she said.
Mirren is right — really, when is she ever wrong? — but Hollywood shouldn’t use her turn as Prospero and Walter’s turns in the trilogy to justify the lack of substantial roles for women. While it’s fun to see women take on characters originally written for men, it would be even better if good projects and roles designed for women were just the norm.
Check out the trailer for Lloyd’s “Julius Caesar” below. The film is currently up for best British feature film at this year’s EIFF. Walter is nominated for best performance in a British feature film as well.
Go to the Donmar’s website for showtimes and additional information.
