Shakespeare film adaptations help viewers to connect with classic literature in a new way, said Peter Holland, the McMeel professor of Shakespeare studies at Notre Dame.

"Shakespeare on Film," held Saturday, was the third lecture in the Saturday Scholar Series, which features talks on various topics held the morning before all home football games.

Before talking about modern Shakespeare films, Holland described the success of the earliest silent film adaptations of Shakespeare plays.

"Over 400 silent films of Shakespeare were made," said Holland. "The audiences knew the stories."

While Holland praised many of these early efforts, he said many modern Shakespearean films also show excellent understanding of the meaning of the plays, the difficulty of the language and the nature of the audiences.

One example of modern Shakespearean film Holland discussed was director Baz Luhrmann's 1996 "Romeo and Juliet," which starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. Holland praised Luhrmann's use of modern imagery and advanced film techniques in camera angles and film editing.

"You have to find new audiences that did not know they wanted to see Shakespeare," said Holland.

Holland also discussed the 1993 film version of "Much Ado About Nothing," which he credits with helping to initiate a return to the earlier high quality of silent Shakespeare films.

One problem Holland addressed was the antipathy among many viewers toward the idea of adapting Shakespeare to film. "Many people have suggested that when Shakespeare meets Hollywood, the film has sold its soul to the devil," said Holland. He addressed this idea specifically in regards to films such as "Ten Things I Hate About You," which is modeled after Shakespeare's play "The Taming of the Shrew."

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