Review from the Shakespeare Revue
by Wendy Atwell

Bob Komar approaches William Shakespeare’s problem play Measure For Measure with a raw brashness that can only be admired in their adaptation of the play for screen. Transposing the narrative to modern army barracks the themes are still sex and power and more relevant then ever, and pitched to a younger audience. This combined with a young cast seems to lift up and dust off the predictable approach, and make this an unconvential adaptation which is not wholly satisfying – but certainly interesting.

They have decided to cut the comedy out completely to keep the tone more intact, and shortened some of the monologues to keep the pace moving – a brave notion on their part which works in this context. They also link scenes together using dialogue from several other of Shakespeare’s work which strengthens the film in it’s own right – and we do feel Bob Komar’s view of what the real themes are coming through here.

Bob Komar’s team make a deliberate choice at their view of Shakespeare’s world – which I am sure gives a learner a definitive perspective of the themes and character motivations, which the cast deliver well. All in all it’s a great and refreshing adaptation of a very underrated Shakespearian problem play, and Bob Komar should be applauded for taking on the text and giving us a feel for the timeless nature of the Bard’s world.

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Review from All Things Shakespeare
by Janet Armsgrove
 
A youthful and raw energy refreshes the Shakespeare problem play into something more digestible for our learners today. Bob Komar shows a thoughtful, reflective and provoking adaptation of a world not so unlike the one we wonder in today. It reflects upon the idea that little has changed in the 400 years the Bard originally penned the problem play, and a younger audience can adapt and identify much easier to the young cast and familiar settings with a great deal more relevance. The actress playing Marianna struggles to deliver here, and the music score seems a little heavy for the film, trying to add too much weight to some scenes – but it is not distracting enough o make the film anything other then what it is; insightful and enjoyable. More to come from this line of adaptations I do hope.
 

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Review from The Bard
by Ian Devlin
 
You cannot fault Bob Komar for tackling perhaps the toughest drama play that Shakespeare offers us, although he only achieves a limited success. It is perhaps the best learner focused resource for young people on the play I have seen, a million miles from the stuffing BBC versions that are the only other current option for a video resource for the text. If only this was the way all Shakespeare was delivered to our youth.
 
The production values are not all that impressive, but what it lacks in cinematic production value it makes up for in performance and adaptation. The comic asides have all been removed here, making the film feel on the darker side of Shakespeare’s world, and truly displaying that Shakespeare’s themes for debate here made him well and truly ahead of his time.
 

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• Return to the Measure for Measure film info page.