Watch Patrick Stewart the Poet in Angus Jackson's Short Film 'Epithet'
Patrick Stewart has had a rather long and varied career, from the stage, to the screen, and literally everything in between (including a recurring role on Seth MacFarlane's American Dad cartoon). In Angus Jackson's short film Epithet, he plays a poet in the later years of his life who is keen on courting younger women. The film was shot on the Arri Alexa (which is completely inconsequential, but, you know, some of you may be wondering these things). Click through to check it out.
Thanks to Short of the Week and The Guardian for this one, here is a little bit from El Vez about the film:
An adaption of a theatrical play centering on the last months of Shakespeare’s life doesn’t instantly sound like something that would suit the short film format. Yet, Angus Jackson’s bold short Epithet, inspired by the Young Vic theatre’s recent production of Edward Bond’s play Bingo, proves to be a (literally) gutsy and refreshing addition to the medium.
The film is pretty tame for the most part, but there is one scene in particular that is very NSFW, with some language that will may be offensive to some people:
Both the play and the short film are both directed by Angus Jackson, and the cast is taken directly from the stage play. As I have a little experience in theater, it was interesting watching the film keeping in mind that it is adapted from a play. Very often the dialogue from stage plays doesn't translate at all to film, but I didn't feel like that was the case here.
As for the punchline, it's a bit ironic in that this film has one in both the figurative and literal sense. In this particular case the end of the film works on numerous levels, and upon a second viewing, I thought it was even more effective. While my reaction to the ending was a bit of horror, laughter, and shock, it's definitely going to get a reaction from an audience either way.
Even though this is completely unrelated, it shows how versatile Patrick Stewart really can be (and that he's not afraid to make fun of himself). This is from the Ricky Gervais show Extras (I don't believe it is offensive, but it certainly fits in with the somewhat misogynistic theme we have going here):
What do you think of the short? How about the performances? If you have seen the stage play, do you feel that it translated well to film?
