H4 (film)
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Ayanna Thompson (adaption for screen)
Giovanni Zelko
| H4 | |
|---|---|
_poster.jpg) Film poster | |
| Directed by | Paul Quinn |
| Written by | William Shakespeare (play) Ayanna Thompson (adaption for screen) |
| Produced by | Harry Lennix Giovanni Zelko |
| Starring | Harry Lennix Angus Macfadyen Nick Gillie Victoria Tilford Geno Monteiro Keith David Jeryl Sayles Terrell Tilford Keir Thirus Heavy D |
| Cinematography | John Pedone Tony Rudenko |
| Edited by | Bob Allen Art Olmos (additional editing) |
| Music by | Mark Nichols |
Release date |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
H4 is a 2012 independent American film directed by Paul Quinn; actor Harry Lennix produced the film and stars in the title role.[1] The film premiered at the 2012 Conference of the Shakespeare Association of America,[2] and later showed premiere in competition at the 49th Chicago International Film Festival in 2013.[3][4] In November 2014, the film was shown at the Indie Memphis Film Festival.[5]
The film is an adaptation that combines William Shakespeare's plays Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV, Part 2 and sets them in contemporary Los Angeles. The screenplay was adapted by Dr. Ayanna Thompson, Professor of English at Arizona State University, retaining Shakespeare's original language.[4][5] According to Lennix, the film is told "from the perspective of black people, acted primarily by black people, and it’s from the black point of view";[4] he nevertheless describes Shakespeare's themes, and the film's, as "universal".[6] Thompson describes the script as being "about the politics and political manoeuvring within the African-American community".[7]