actually, if you watch the Lion King, and then read hamlet, you will find more than a few corellations. That said, i do not like modernizing shakespear's works. When i was in high school i played Hamlet, and we had a bare minimum set, i do mean bare, but to be honest, that was how it was written, it was how things were done back then, so i enjoy the memory.
That said, in film making, while i don't mind if we make movies of shakespear's works, i do mind when we have two rival gangs in LA speaking shakespear, i think it's ridiculous and an afront to history. Filming his works n location is a great thing, low riders and 9mm barettas is stupid. I have always loved west side story as a great adaptation of romeo and juliet, and i have always thought that an adaptation of Hamlet set in the mafia underworld of new york in the 40's would be good. I just wish that more film makers would stay true to Shakespear, and curb the artistic liscence that they take with his work. An adaptation is flattery, if you are not creating an adaptation, then stay the hell away from his works.
Just my two cents on the subject
