The Hobart Shakespeareans (2005)

Directed by

Mel Stuart

Genre

documentary film

Country

United States

Runtime

52 min

Rating

6.0 of 10 from 2 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This documentary follows a Los Angeles teacher who runs a challenging fifth grade class. The students work all year to put on a Shakespeare play, and the film shows their preparation and performance of Hamlet.

inspiringupliftingearnestwarmfocusedhearteningobservational

What happens

The Hobart Shakespeareans of Hobart Boulevard Elementary School is a 2005 documentary film that tells the story of the inspirational inner-city Los Angeles school teacher Rafe Esquith whose rigorous fifth-grade curriculum includes English, mathematics, geography, and literature. The pinnacle of student achievement each year is the performance of a play by William Shakespeare; in the year of filming, that play was Hamlet. The Hobart Shakespeareans drew the attention of renowned Shakespearean actors Ian McKellen and Michael York, who pay a visit to the class to watch their performance of Hamlet. Delighted with the students, York calls the Hobart Shakespeareans "one of the great Shakespeare troupes" in Los Angeles. Rafe and the Hobart Shakespeareans work every year to perform a Shakespeare play. The recent plays they have performed were As You Like It and The Merchant of Venice. The Hobart Shakespeareans aired on PBS' P.O.V. series in 2005. It was produced and directed by Mel Stuart. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

More like this

• Rock School (2005)
• Most Likely to Succeed (2015)
• The American Ruling Class (2005)
• Three Days (of Hamlet) (2012)
• Ashes and Snow (2005)
• TransGeneration (2005)
• Missionary Positions (2005)
• Why Do These Kids Love School? (1999)