Shakespeare's Dilemma

9/07/03 - Review

Shakespeare is alive and well in the present day as the 16th century playwright gets a modern update in John C. Lyons, Shakespeare’s Dilemma.  Set in a time when the economy is struggling, the film deals with the internal workings of a technology department that must prove that they are a valuable resource to the company. 

This department is supervised but none other than Will Shakespeare.  Along with Lady Macbeth, he must put together a “PowerPoint” to justify his department’s existence to auditor Othello otherwise they will be shut down and disbanded.  Everybody in the department is under intense pressures because of the deadline looming.  Shakespeare’s constant demands becomes too much of a stress for Lady Macbeth to handle which prompts her to look into an administrative assistant offer from rival Othello, which she ends up getting.

William is now on his own to complete the “PowerPoint” which is a chore in its own right since his skills are not nearly as those comprised of Lady Macbeth.  He completes it in time for the meeting but it comes up far short and exposing.  Othello and others vote to keep the department intact but to terminate Shakespeare.  The politics of the workplace are proven too much for Shakespeare who takes matters into his own hands which leads to one shocking conclusion.

Director John C. Lyons and writer William R. Vitanyi Jr. have teamed up to bring a legend of the theater into the present day office environment that would make William Shakespeare himself proud.  Complete with Shakespearean dialogue and character outfits that fit the time period, Shakespeare’s Dilemma is very accurate.  Granted, I do not know much about Shakespeare but it seemed real enough.  Together, the writer/director combo have ironed out all aspects of the film that makes it a truly enjoyable independent film with almost no budget. 

The story was quite original and definitely one of its kind. It did seem to incorporate some films such as Office Space into its meanings and inner workings.  The pace of the movie was good for the 37 minutes of total film time.  Each scene seemed to be at the right length.  I am not a big Shakespeare fan but the film intrigued me which kept me watching. 

Any viewer will be able to tell right away about the time and effort put into this film.  The costumes, camera work, editing, and dialogue were all done with great care and detail.  This is something that you would not expect for an independent film as the crew usually just wants to get the finished product out.  Sure it doesn’t add up to Hollywood but it was pretty damn good for $500.  Some of the camera angles that were used such as the rolling camera fit the scenes perfectly.  Even better was the fact that the camera stayed nearly still with little or no jittery movements. 

The editing was good with quick, clean cuts that made no scene feel too short or too long.  Vitanyi’s own music was added to the film and it definitely suited the tone of the movie.  As with the costumes, I felt that it fit the Shakespearean time period.  The use of special effects included some slow-mo shots and a blown up computer monitor that cracked me up.  The transitions during the ending added to the already revealing conclusion. 

Most of the acting was fairly decent especially from Shakespeare and Macbeth.  There were some characters where the acting was kind of cheesy but these are not true actors/actresses so you can’t really compare them to Hollywood.  Overall the acting was nominal. 

The film contained some humorous moments including a CD Rom cup holder scene that any technology person will get a kick out of.   There were some others as well but it seemed that John C. Lyon’s character had most of them.  Hmm, a little nepotism maybe? 

Overall I enjoyed this film both times I viewed yet.  Yes, I liked it enough to watch it again.  William R. Vitanyi Jr. did a fantastic job with the story.  I have to give him everything for the way he brought Shakespeare into a witty office environment that shows the politics of work without making it dull and boring.  

John C. Lyons is a very good director who knows what he wants from each scene and its actors.  As with me, his love for movies can be seen in his work.  Maybe someday we will see his name on a big budget film.  I look forward to his next film.  If you get a chance, email John C. Lyons and request a copy of this movie.  You won’t be disappointed. 

Grade

What do you think?