Whenever my students read a piece of literature, they always ask, "Is there a movie version of this?" Some of the more disillusioned students have suggested that we eschew reading altogether and just watch the movie adaptations; "It would take a lot less time!" That being said, I usually try to show a film adaptation of what we read, when there is a decent one available. I'm pretty sure that some of our district curriculum is chosen with that in mind; for instance, this trimester my students will read Much Ado About Nothing. A fine play, but not really ideal for all seniors in "regular" English because of its wordiness and lack of what they'd see as real action. But the movie version with Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson is excellent, and it really helps the students understand the play.
A couple weeks ago, my students also read the play Proof by David Auburn as a preface to starting Shakespeare plays. There's a good film adaptation starring Anthony Hopkins and Gwyneth Paltrow, which I showed on the finals day (the only 2-hour block we get). I've always thought about coming up with ways for students to think more critically about the movie rather than just watching, but I have yet to figure out a brilliant idea on that. (On the other hand, though, I don't necessarily think there's a problem with "just watching" either).
This trimester, while reading Much Ado, I plan to show scenes from the movie as we go along, instead of watching the entire thing at once after we are done reading. I think this will keep students more interested and help them see the emotions of the characters because of the superb acting. I may have them take notes, as they read and watch, on the emotions the characters are feeling during certain scenes (i.e., when the soldiers return home from war, when Claudio supposedly sees Hero cheating on him). So, students will use the movie as another way of "reading" the scenes.
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