SHAKESPEARE

Alternative title

Brooklyn Sonnet

Synopsis

Independent feature film. Jimmy (Stanek) is eager to escape his apparent future as a low-level mobster in his Brooklyn neighbourhood. He aspires to be an actor and auditions for a role in a Shakespearean production and secures the role of Banquo in a New York Festival production of Macbeth when the veteran director (Dukakis) sees promise in Jimmy’s raw talent. But when Jimmy inadvertently discovers two of his boyhood hoodlum friends chopping up a body in order to conceal a mob-ordered murder, he becomes a liability and a target. The film concludes with a triumphant production of the modern, urban version of Macbeth set in New York’s streets.

Language

English

Country

United States

Medium

Film

Technical information

Colour / Sound

Year of release

2000

Duration

95 mins

Credits

Director

Elyse Lewin

Producer

Chris Brinker; Elyse Lewin; Patrick Newall

Cinematographer

Brian Pryzpeik; Nils Kenaston

Screenplay

Patrick Newall

Music

Alan Elliott

Production Design

Brook Yeaton

Art Direction

Ariadne J. Condos

Cast

James Stanek	Jimmy O’Connor (Banquo)
Olympia Dukakis	Helen Manners
Patrick Newall	Tommy DeVito
Philip Bosco	Uncle Chicky

Additional Details

Production type

Fiction Films

Plays

Macbeth

Keywords

Shakespeare, William (1564-1616); Rehearsals; Auditions; Gangster films; New York Shakespeare Festival

Notes

Notes

Available from amazon.co.uk region 1 only.

General

Jimmy’s audition speech is ‘Thou hast it all now, King, Cawdor, Glamis, all’ (III ii); a final detail is that Jimmy’s pet ferret is called Falstaff.

Production Company

Name

Avenue R Films

Online Retailer

Name

amazon.co.uk

Web

http://www.amazon.co.uk External site opens in new window