Historicism in Film
Historicism
After watching the films Titus (1998) and Elizabeth (1998), it has come to my attention that both of these films consist of two things. These two things that stuck out to me are violence and history. I will also be touching very briefly on the religious mechanics that drive these two films. Now many great movies contain these important aspects, but it’s the way that Julie Taymor (Titus) and Shekhar Kapur (Elizabeth) have used them to portray the times and above all else, provide us with great films to have in our library. I will be discussing in detail the similarities and differences of these two films with regards to the violence, history, and religious motifs behind them. The film Titus (Julie Taymor’s adaptation of Titus Andronicus) “is riddled with just about every horror imaginable” (Bartyzel). Things and deeds such as “murder, rape, disemboweling, limb removal, decapitation, live burial, cannibalism, and assisted suicide” (Bartyzel) run wild throughout the entirety of the film. The violence portrayed throughout the film is gruesome and at times even hard to watch. However, I would have to agree that “the horror is all the sweeter and more impactful” when the devilish and scandalous villain can “breed contempt, charisma, and even a fleeting moment or two of relate-ability,” (Bartyzel). The human mind was not constructed in favor of such atrocities and evil doings. Now the film Elizabeth has many violent aspects to it as well. It can be almost guaranteed that if one is to make a film oriented around the 15th to 17th centuries in England, it will more than likely be rather violent. Although Elizabeth isn’t near as violent as Titus is, it still doesn’t hesitate to make view of beheadings, sacrifice, and murder. Almost all of the violence in this film has stemmed from the Protestant and Catholic disagreements in which the Protestant Christians are overtaking the throne of England. Of course the Catholics want nothing to do with it, and
After watching the films Titus (1998) and Elizabeth (1998), it has come to my attention that both of these films consist of two things. These two things that stuck out to me are violence and history. I will also be touching very briefly on the religious mechanics that drive these two films. Now many great movies contain these important aspects, but it’s the way that Julie Taymor (Titus) and Shekhar Kapur (Elizabeth) have used them to portray the times and above all else, provide us with great films to have in our library. I will be discussing in detail the similarities and differences of these two films with regards to the violence, history, and religious motifs behind them. The film Titus (Julie Taymor’s adaptation of Titus Andronicus) “is riddled with just about every horror imaginable” (Bartyzel). Things and deeds such as “murder, rape, disemboweling, limb removal, decapitation, live burial, cannibalism, and assisted suicide” (Bartyzel) run wild throughout the entirety of the film. The violence portrayed throughout the film is gruesome and at times even hard to watch. However, I would have to agree that “the horror is all the sweeter and more impactful” when the devilish and scandalous villain can “breed contempt, charisma, and even a fleeting moment or two of relate-ability,” (Bartyzel). The human mind was not constructed in favor of such atrocities and evil doings. Now the film Elizabeth has many violent aspects to it as well. It can be almost guaranteed that if one is to make a film oriented around the 15th to 17th centuries in England, it will more than likely be rather violent. Although Elizabeth isn’t near as violent as Titus is, it still doesn’t hesitate to make view of beheadings, sacrifice, and murder. Almost all of the violence in this film has stemmed from the Protestant and Catholic disagreements in which the Protestant Christians are overtaking the throne of England. Of course the Catholics want nothing to do with it, and
Cited: 1. Bartyzel, Monika. "Cinematical Movie Club." Titus 11 JUN 2010: Web. 6 Oct 2010. <http://blog.moviefone.com/2010/06/11/cinematical-movie-club-titus/>. 2. Schumann, Howard. "Review of Elizabeth." Elizabeth-Film and History. Web. 6 Oct 2010. <http://www.talkingpix.co.uk/ArticleElizabeth.html>. 3. "Elizabeth (1998)." ElizabethI.org. Web. 7 Oct 2010. 4. "Elizabeth I: Jews and Catholics." Elizabethan-era.org Web. 7 Oct 2010. <http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/queen-elizabeth-i-jews-catholics.htm>. <http://elizabethi.org/us/faq/two.htm>. 5. "History of Religion in England." Web. 7 Oct 2010. <http://www.sacred- destinations.com/england/england-religious-history.htm>. 6. "Titus (1999)." CinemaSense.com. Web. 7 Oct 2010. <http://www.cinemasense.com/Reviews/titus.htm>. 7. "Titus Andronicus." Treasures in Full: Shakespeare in Quarto n. pag. Web. 7 Oct 2010. <http://www.bl.uk/treasures/shakespeare/titus.html>.