KATHARINA THE CURST: An Ode To Shakespearean Romance That Comes Out Swinging!
With Royal Shakespeare Company shaking things up this past week in the U.K. as it celebrated RSC Fight Week, a new shortfilm is being reintroduced to the public putting an interesting Viking spin inspired by the work of William Shakespeare titled Katharina The Curst. Directed by Darren Westwood, the new shortfilm takes a new approach to a classic scene in Shakespeare’s late 16th century comedy, Taming Of The Shrew, in a Viking setting, starring Emma Carlton and independent filmmaker, editor screenfighting purveyor and actor Robert William Myles.
“Because of all the buzz around the action in Shakespeare, we decided now was the right time to launch the film online.” says Myles. “It’s a famous scene from one of Shakespeare’s earliest plays but done in a way no one is likely to have seen before. We were really lucky to get Roger Bartlett, President of the B.A.S.S.C., to choreograph the fights for the film and we all tried to ensure that the action in the fights matched the meaning in the text, but in new ways.”.
Completed in March of last year with affable results through last month, the project is also exemplary in part of what excited Carlton enough to partake in screen combat in addition to acting since college, as well as being a fan of a well-noted particular vampire slayer. “Buffy!” she writes. “Suddenly you get this strong female character kicking ass amd looking cool, and you think, ‘I want to do that.’ Since then there have been more strong female role models, just look at Game Of Thrones. Screen combat looks cool and fun, and you know what, it is!”
Filmed during last year’s bitter Spring winter, the project was not without its staple share of major production snags during the two weekends and extra afternoons it was filmed, particularly the weather which Carlton briefly exclaimed in her own reflections on last year’s filming. “As well as making sure my Shakespeare was up to scratch and word perfect, and ensuring my fitness was at a good level, there was obviously a lot of focus on the fight choreography before the shoot.” she said. “Roger Bartlett came up [from London] and took us through the choreography. We had some intensive training sessions, then we rehearsed on set prior to shooting. I could have done without the authentic viking foot wear though, they were damned slippery on set!”. She also concluded, “The cold, it was so very cold! Although, despite the challenges of the shoot, all my memories are positive. That’s down to the other people involved in the shoot!”.
Myles, a three-year member of The British Academy of Stage & Screen Combat (an alma mater also shared by master instructor, Hollywood stuntman and coordinator, Richard Ryan [Troy, Sherlock Holmes 1 and 2]), took on the same inquiry and shared his perspective on all ends of the project regarding the casting and physical training process. “It’s said a lot in the industry but I didn’t expect us to experience it – when the right person walks in for the casting, you know.” he said. “Emma was taller than me, and wearing and Guns n Roses t-shirt to the casting. We asked everyone who came in to give a Shakespearean monologue, and then we took them outside to do some basic choreography drills and see how they did with a sword in their hands. We had two days of casting. There’s clearly a hunger for female leads with action among women in the business, and Emma was I think the third person we saw. As soon as she left the room Darren [the director] said, ‘I think we have a Katharina’, and we did.”.
Myles also adds “Working with Emma was fantastic, because she understood the work rate we were going to have to commit to in order to get the film done in such a short space of time. We rehearsed the scene first, and the the choreography with Roger. Emma was tireless and fearless, and a quick study. It’s always in the back of your mind when you’re working with someone who hasn’t qualified in the discipline that you’re never really safe, especially when you’re on such a tight schedule, but Emma really caught on immediately to the concept of partnering that the BASSC teach (that we’re working together to tell a story and sell an illusion) and so I felt safe enough to commit and push the action. I’ve never seen someone go from having not done any previous sword work to performing such a complex choreography in such a short space of time. It was remarkable. To achieve that on top of acting a three dimensional Katharina with emotional depth, rage and comedy really shows what a versatile actress she is.”.
As it stands, Carlton is not a member of the B.A.S.S.C., although that could change soon enough if she can help it. Personally, I look forward to seeing what she’s capable of in film from here on out as I do Myles. They both helped put together a cool little gem for the world to see and enjoy, and whether you’re a Shakespearan purist or someone who loves action, for all their efforts through grueling conditions, Katharina The Curst is worth watching and even sharing.
Curious minds can head over the official websites for the Royal Shakespeare Company and the British Academy of Stage and Screen Combat for more information. Otherwise, enjoy the shortfilm!
*Special thanks to Robert William Myles for reaching out to us on our Facebook page and extending my inquiry to Emma Carlton during this process.
