Damon and Pythias is the only surviving play by Richard Edwards. Written circa and first printed in , the play chronicles the Greek friendship story of Damon and Pythias. . “The Color of "Honesty": Ethics and Courtly Pragmatism in "Damon and Pithias".” Medieval & Renaissance Drama in England, vol. 11,
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Not only were plays shifting emphasis from teaching to entertaining, they were also slowly changing focus from the religious towards the political. John Skelton 's Magnyfycence , for example, while on the face of it resembling the medieval allegory plays with its characters of Virtues and Vices, was a political satire against Cardinal Wolsey. Magnyfycence was so incendiary that Skelton had to move into the sanctuary of Westminster to escape the wrath of Wolsey.
Gemstone Forecaster Vol. 18, No. 4
The first history plays were written in the 's, the most notable of which was John Bale's King Johan. While it considered matters of morality and religion, these were handled in the light of the Reformation. These plays set the precedent of presenting history in the dramatic medium and laid the foundation for what would later be elevated by Marlowe and Shakespeare into the English History Play, or Chronicle Play, in the latter part of the century.
Not only was the Reformation taking hold in England, but the winds of Classical Humanism were sweeping in from the Continent. Interest grew in the classics and the plays of classical antiquity, especially in the universities. Latin texts were being "Englysshed" and latin poetry and plays began to be adapted into English plays.
The play was the first to introduce the Latin character type miles gloriosus "braggart soldier" into English plays, honed to perfection later by Shakespeare in the character of Falstaff. For years, in fact, it seemed like one of the few ways American filmgoers could see sub-Sahara Africa onscreen at all was through the exciting adventures of buff white actors, like former Olympic swimming gold medalist Johnny Weissmuller probably the most famous Tarzan , and hunks like Lex Barker, Gordon Scott, Jock Mahoney and Mike Henry.
Since , with the silent flick "Tarzan of the Apes," there have been over 40 versions of the boy-raised-by-apes tale, including, of course, a Disney feature. Movies made in South Africa. Click through the gallery to find out which other worldwide hits have been at least partly shot in South Africa.
Set in wartime Sierra Leone during the late s, the film depicts an ex-mercenary, played by DiCaprio, trying to recover a rare pink stone from a local fisherman whom rebels have forced to dig in the diamond pits. The drama features performances by Salma Hayek and Colin Farrell. Now here comes "The Legend of Tarzan," which had a big opening weekend at the box office. This new take on the Edgar Rice Burroughs creation, which first appeared in print in , is, for one thing, a total anachronism in an era of heightened race consciousness.
And by greenlighting this film, it seems that Warner Bros. That a member of the white aristocracy has to lead the natives, who can't seem to do it on their own, is just another indication of how Hollywood has mostly portrayed Africa and Africans for decades -- either with smirking racism, or tut-tut condescension.
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Welcome to Hollywood hypocrisy. Since movies began, this offensive depiction has manifested itself in several ways:. Take, for example, "Zulu," a fine film about the battle of Rorke's Drift, in which British soldiers held off an army of 4, Zulu warriors. Although the Brits, including star Michael Caine, are carefully delineated, not one tribal warrior is fleshed out.
Any number of films fit this template, including 's "Cry Freedom, " in which white journalist Donald Woods' role is larger than that of murdered activist Steve Biko; 's "The Wilby Conspiracy," in which a black activist and white engineer are forced to flee South African police; and 's "Something of Value," in which a white and black boy who grew up together split apart over racial issues.
Black Academy Award winners.
The problem with Tarzan
In , Sidney Poitier won best actor for "Lilies of the Field. Denzel Washington accepts his best supporting actor Oscar for the film "Glory" in Her role in "Ghost" won Whoopi Goldberg a best supporting actress trophy in Denzel Washington became the first African-American to win two Oscars in the acting categories when he won best actor in for "Training Day. Jamie Foxx won best actor for "Ray" in Morgan Freeman picked up the Oscar for best supporting actor for his role in "Million Dollar Baby" in Jennifer Hudson won the best supporting actress Oscar for "Dreamgirls" in In , Mo'Nique was named best supporting actress for her role in "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire.
Lupita Nyong'o won the best supporting actress Oscar in for her role in "12 Years a Slave. In , director Ezra Edelman and producer Caroline Waterlow won best documentary feature award for "O. Philip rips open Madeline's coffin and finds it empty.
He desperately searches for her in the winding passages of the crypt but she eludes him and confronts her brother. Now completely insane, Madeline avenges herself upon the brother who knowingly buried her alive. Both die as a fire breaks out, ending the Usher bloodline, and Philip escapes and watches the burning house sink into the swampy land surrounding it. The film ends with the final words of Poe's story: The film was important in the history of American International Pictures which up until then had specialized in making low budget black and white films to go out on double bills.
The film was announced in February and was dubbed the company's "most ambitious film to date". A number of other companies announced Poe projects around this time: In February Intrada made the world premiere release of the Les Baxter score from music-only elements in mono.
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Eugene Archer, in the September 15, edition of The New York Times wrote, " American-International , with good intentions of presenting a faithful adaption of Edgar Allan Poe's classic tale of the macabre Poe's prose style, as notable for ellipsis as imagery, compressed or eliminated the expository passages habitual to nineteenth-century fiction and invited the readers' imaginations to participate. By studiously avoiding explanations not provided by the text, and stultifying the audiences' imaginations by turning Poe's murky mansion into a cardboard castle encircled by literal green mist, the film producers have made a horror film that provides a fair degree of literacy at the cost of a patron's patience.
Other reviewers have been kinder, however; a positive assessment in Variety declared, "It's not precisely the Edgar Allen Poe short story known to high school English that emerges in 'House of Usher,' but it's a reasonably diverting and handsomely mounted variation The film has been mounted with care, skill and flair by producer-director Roger Corman and his staff.
Although a bit too wordy, the abundant gore, photo gimmicks, special effects and unusual theme, help keep the viewer on his seat's edge. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
