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I remember Ken Rothwell as a scholar and a gentleman, way ahead of his time in embracing film and Shakespeare in a manner which tempered his enthusiasm with a slightly distanced, clear-sighted, unprejudiced approach which always appealed to me. On one occasion, when I had undertaken some small service for him, he presented me with a bottle of delicious maple syrup. He was hugely generous with his time and in sharing his knowledge. In 2008, he responded with alacrity to my invitation to nominate his three favourite Shakespeare films for inclusion in `Shakespeare on Film, Television and Radio: the Researcher's Guide'. Ken chose Polanski's MACBETH, Kozintsev's KOROL LEAR and Luhrmann's WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE'S ROMEO + JULIET. His short account of Polanski's influence on Shakespeare and popular culture can scarcely be bettered; he states `A major problem was that three decades ago few Shakespeareans had developed a vocabulary for coping with such audacity'. He is right, but Ken was one of those few Shakespeareans. I cannot claim that I knew Ken well but I miss just knowing he's there in the background with that friendly, astute and knowledgeable eye. Olwen ----- Original Message ----- From: Mike Jensen To: [log in to unmask] Sent: Thursday, November 11, 2010 3:17 PM Subject: Ken Rothwell's Passing For those who have not heard, Ken Rothwell has passed away. Ken was one of the founders of Shakespeare film scholarship, and with Bernice L. Kliman edited The Shakespeare on Film Newsletter for nearly 20 years. As editor, he helped get my first scholarly article into print. He was the author of A History of Shakespeare on Screen: A Century of Film and Television (Cambridge Univeristy Press, 2004), published in two editions, and more. You may find his obituary here: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/burlingtonfreepress/obituary.aspx?n=kenneth-sprague-rothwell&pid=146539964 all the best, Mike Jensen author site: www.michaelpjensen.com