Well, I won't argue with your characterisation of Braveheart! An American friend of mine and I watched Braveheart together. I had already seen it once. So had he. But this time, as the film proceeded, I paused the DVD periodically to fill him in on the ACTUAL history of what we were watching. The film is itself about 3 hours long. It took an extra hour and a bit more to watch it, because I had to correct, add to, and otherwise inform him of how messed up the film was. And for Hollywood, it was actually not bad, that is the scary part!
I remember when the film about Elizabeth came out years ago at the end of the '90s, I went to see it with my then girlfriend. I forget the title of it. But by the time we left the theatre house, the only thing I could do was try not to scream. It was SO inaccurate it was atrocious. I mean damn, it made me want to have a heart attack.
And most Americans would describe Shakespeare as turgid. In high school, we read Julius Caesar, Romeo and Juliet, and MacBeth, at least, sometimes more, depending on the school and the state. In college you generally get a few more. I also got Hamlet in high school. On my own, I've read the histories and the tragedies. I haven't read much in the comedies. A few of them, but not a lot. I don't find them that interesting.
I've also seen a few of the plays on stage, including one that was particularly interesting, Ricardo III, in Costa Rica, put on by the National Theatre Troupe of the Republic of Costa Rica. In other words, Richard III, translated into Spanish, and put on by the National Theatre Troupe. In Costa Rica, the Republic is rather small, so things are done on a national basis. There is a National Orchestra, and a National Theatre Troupe, whereas here you would have city orchestras, and things like that. But their National Orchestra and the National Theatre Troupe are both FUCKING BRILLIANT.
When my ex first told me we were going to see Shakespeare translated into Spanish, I thought she was nuts. But, it was one of the best plays I've ever seen performed in any language. The translation was as perfect as it can be, and the performance was incredible. I mean, wow.
I'll admit, the video was funny. But I actually liked the four hour version of Hamlet, thank you.