About this Project
Shakespeare was a popular source for early filmmakers: his plays were in the public domain; they helped the nascent film industry promote its offerings as high art; and they appealed to actors and audiences alike. During the silent era, filmmakers made hundreds of adaptations of Shakespeare’s works.
Shakespeare in Early Film (SHEAF) collects contemporary materials relating to Shakespearean film adaptations made between 1895 and 1929. SHEAF focuses on straight adaptations made by directors and studios based in the United States during this period. While a number of early film versions of Shakespeare’s plays are now considered lost, the advertising for such films, still photographs of the actors and sets, music associated with the films, and reviews of those films can still teach us about Shakespeare in early film in terms of both production and reception. SHEAF is continually adding to its holdings, and welcomes information and materials from its users.
What We Include
SHEAF catalogues adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays and parodies of those plays. It does not, however, include all references to Shakespeare in silent film, whether in title or plot. For example, although Vitagraph made a film in 1908 titled A Comedy of Errors, it is not an adaptation of the play, but uses only its title, and is therefore not included here.
The entry for each film includes links to the film’s IMDb page and, where available, video of the film; links to advertisements and images from the film; a bibliography of contemporary criticism, listings, and other materials, and transcripts of those materials.
Using SHEAF
For straight adaptations, SHEAF’s holdings are catalogued by play title. Parodies are organized by title with keywords indicating the play(s) on which they are based. Users can also search by tags, which include date of film release, director and actor names, production company name, and type of material (advertisement, review, sheet music, synopsis).
All period materials catalogued in SHEAF can be downloaded as PDF files. Each individual entry incorporates metadata so that entries can be added to Zotero and other citation management software through those programs’ browser plug-ins.
How to Participate in SHEAF
Add materials: Have you found a review, ad, or image of a silent Shakespeare film? Tell us all about it by filling out our Google form.
Adopt a Film: SHEAF welcomes partnerships with individuals, instructors, and students who would like to adopt a film and contribute to its entry here. SHEAF can provide guidelines for research, workshops (in person or via telepresence), and materials for teaching film history, Shakespeare in early film, and other topics for high school and college students. Contact project manager Kendra Preston Leonard at kendraleonard@pm.me for full details.
Sources
SHEAF has drawn upon the following sources for bibliographic information in creating this database:
Ball, Robert Hamilton. 1968. Shakespeare on Silent Film: A Strange Eventful History. Allen and Unwin Ltd.
Buchanan, Judith. 2009. Shakespeare on Silent Film: an Excellent Dumb Discourse. Cambridge University Press.
Internet Movie Database. www.imdb.com.
Contact Us
Please send corrections, omissions, suggestions, and questions to SHEAF project manager Kendra Preston Leonard at kendraleonard at pm dot me.
