TV : Documentary : TV quality : English


Shakespeare in Italy (May 2012) [PDTV (XviD)] [SUBS]


Nowhere fired Shakespeare’s imagination quite like Italy. But as Francesco da Mosto argues in this new two part series, Italian cities meant far more to our greatest author than just a sunlit setting.

Francesco takes us on a journey from North to South, visiting the spectacular locations that shaped the Bard’s genius. This series celebrates Shakespeare as a popular entertainer. The emphasis will be on accessibility and our greatest playwright under the blue skies of Italy, with a feel of "Shakespeare meets holiday adventure" as Francesco travels between Venice, Verona, Padua, Milan, Mantua, Florence, Rome, Napoli, Sicily and Capri.



Land of Love. Episode 1.
Francesco da Mosto takes to the Italian road again in search of Shakespeare in Italy. From Romeo and Juliet to the jealousy of Othello, Shakespeare used the land of love to tell his most passionate stories about falling in love. Needless to say, along the way Francesco adds some insights of his own and revels in claims that not only did Shakespeare visit Italy, but also was born in Sicily.


Land of Fortune. Episode 2.
Francesco da Mosto takes a look at Italy as the land of adventure and ambition - where fortunes are made and battles are fought. Beginning in Venice with actor Ciaran Hinds, Francesco considers how his home town so renowned for its justice struck Shakespeare as the perfect setting for his disturbing tale of what happens to an outsider who goes against the law in The Merchant of Venice. Heading south to Rome, Francesco discovers how in his great Roman plays Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra, Shakespeare used this ancient city as a smokescreen to address the most burning political issues of his day while avoiding trouble with the Elizabethan censors. Francesco meets Shakespearean actor Mark Rylance, and also pops in to Rome's very own Globe to understand modern Italy's fascination with our English Bard. Finally he travels from Naples to the beautiful Island of Stromboli, just off the north coast of Sicily, a magical setting for Shakespeare's final great masterpiece - The Tempest.


Enjoy and Seed!!