ELA

ELA (X)

A Midsummer Night's Dream (1981)

Icon: 
DVD icon

Three plots intertwine: the entangled love affairs of Demetrius, Helena, Lysander and Hermia; the comic performance of a "play within a play" by the tradesmen of Athens; and the antics in fairyland of King Oberon and Queen Titania.

Grade Level: 
Middle
High
Length: 
01:52
A Midsummer Night's Dream

As You Like It (1978)

Icon: 
DVD icon

Shakespeare at his funniest, posing serious questions in the most lighthearted tone. Is there a "natural difference" between a Duke's daughter and a commoner? Are men really stronger than women or is it just their roles in society? Some of these characters briefly discard the roles they've played in life, while others adopt new ones. In the end, they all learn something about themsleves.

Grade Level: 
High
Length: 
02:30
As You Like It

The Merchant of Venice (1980)

Icon: 
DVD icon

The Merchant of Venice is one of Shakespeare's most well-known comedies. Blending tragedy and comedy, Merchant of Venice presents contrasts and ambiguities, the complexities of which lie in the character Shylock, the play's captivating villain. Is he a villain, a buffoon or a tragic hero?

Grade Level: 
High
Length: 
02:37
The Merchant of Venice

Romeo & Juliet (1978)

Icon: 
DVD icon

Considered the greatest love story of all time and a bona fide "hit" for over 400 years, Romeo & Juliet is full of passion and oration, Shakespeare's most popular tragedy, it expresses love and death better perhaps, than any work in the English language.

Grade Level: 
High
Length: 
02:47
Romeo & Juliet

Othello (1981)

Icon: 
DVD icon

Jealousy in love is one of the most common human emotions. In Othello, Shakespeare combines this universal theme with perfectly structured scenes, a storyline that lingers in the memory and a prime example of a tragic hero, Othello himself. The result is perhaps his greatest triumph as a stage play.

Grade Level: 
High
Length: 
03:28
Othello

Macbeth (1983)

Icon: 
DVD icon

This savage tragedy is one of Shakespeare's most enduringly popular. Told by a trio of witches that he is fated to become King of Scotland, the warrior Macbeth, aided by his wife, in his quest for power murders his king and assumes the throne. The two embark on a guilt-ridden reign of terror.

Grade Level: 
High
Length: 
02:28
Macbeth

Julius Caesar (1979)

Icon: 
DVD icon

Breaking all conventional rules of drama, shakespeare creates neither a clear-cut hero nor a villain. Instead, this great tragedy presents complicated human beings in agonizing conflict with one another, and themselves.

Grade Level: 
High
Length: 
02:41
Julius Caesar

Hamlet (1980)

Icon: 
DVD icon

This richly costumed production maintains all the tension of a murder mystery as it examines the fundamental issues of justice, guilt and death.

Grade Level: 
High
Length: 
03:42
Hamlet

Hamlet

Icon: 
DVD icon

Mel Gibson and Glenn Close star in Shakespeare's tale of treachery, madness and murder. Follow the prince of medieval-era Denmark as he faces the treachery behind his royal father's death. Supporting cast includes Alan Bates as Claudius and Paul Scofield as the ghost of Hamlet's father. Directed by Franco Zeffirelli.

Grade Level: 
High
Length: 
02:15
Hamlet

Ethan Frome

Icon: 
DVD icon

Frome, a lonely, poverty-stricken, nineteenth-century New England farmer, has long and faithfully cared for his bitter, invalid wife, but when his wife's distant young cousin comes to take over as housekeeper, she and Frome succumb to forbidden passion with tragic results

Director: 
Grade Level: 
Middle
High
Length: 
01:39
Ethan Frome

Learn Shakespeare Tragedies Origins & Style (2002)

Icon: 
DVD icon

This program helps students gain an appreciation and understanding of Shakespeare. After exploring Shakespeare's life and the time of the English Renaissance, this program contains sections on understanding Shakespeare's poetry and the elements of Elizabethan drama.

Grade Level: 
High
Length: 
00:45
Learn Shakespeare Tragedies Origins & Style

An Evening with Edgar Allan Poe (2000)

Icon: 
DVD icon

Includes a dramatization of "A Tell-Tale Heart" (25 min.); Performances of his poetry including This program from the Master Poets Collection features "To My Mother," The Conqueror Worm," "Annabel Lee," "Eldorado," "Evening Star," "To Helen," "The Haunted Palace," "Israfel," "The City in the Sea" and "The Raven"(34 min.); Stories & Tales Audio Theater (approx.116 min.) includes "The Cask of

Grade Level: 
Middle
High
Length: 
02:56
An Evening with Edgar Allan Poe

John Steinbeck's The Red Pony

Icon: 
DVD icon

Three of John Steinbeck's short stories are combined to create a powerful family portrait in this program. Young Tom Tiflin is unable to find the love and guidance he needs from his parents so he turns to easy-going hired-hand, Billy Buck. In an attempt to become closer to his son, Tom's father gives him a pony to raise. As the horse becomes the focus of Tom's life, it ultimately drives the family further apart. Family ties and Tom and Billy's friendship are put to the test when the red pony becomes sick and disappears. Stars Robert Mitchum and Myrna Loy.

Director: 
Length: 
01:31
John Steinbeck's The Red Pony

A Tale of Two Cities

Icon: 
DVD icon

The ultimate tale of love, honor and sacrifice during the bloodstained French Revolution is movingly brought to life in this sumptuous production. The dashing Chris Sarandon (The Princess Bride) stars in dual roles as the cynical lawyer Sydney Carton and the disenchanted aristocrat Charles Darnay, both in love with the same woman (Alice Krige, Silent Hill, TV's Deadwood). Also starring Peter Cushing (Star Wars), this Golden Globe-nominated version of the Charles Dickens classic thrillingly captures all the drama and emotion of one of history's most explosive eras.

Director: 
Grade Level: 
Middle
High
Length: 
02:36
A Tale of Two Cities

Leonardo the Terrible Monster

Icon: 
DVD icon
Icon: 
Streaming icon

Leonardo is terrible at being a monster. He can't seem to frighten anyone. Then he comes up with a plan to find the perfect nervous little boy and scare the tuna salad out of him.

Author: 
Grade Level: 
Primary
Length: 
00:08
Leonardo the Terrible Monster

Pages