My Own Private Idaho's Shakespeare Correlation

      My Own Private Idaho (1991), written and directed by Gus Van Sant, portrays the lifestyles and struggles of Mike and Scott, two male hustlers located in the Portland area. It was not until after I had read Adnum's article and some google searches that I learned Gus Van Sant used a pretty interesting cinematographic element in his film, My Own Private Idaho. The film is a representation of Shakespeare's Henry IV and Henry V that takes place in the 1990's as opposed to the era of Henry IV and Henry V. Hal, a reckless prince hoping to follow in his father's footsteps to become the next King represents Scott, while a minor character Poins, represents Mike. Scott, like Hal, is a reckless character who eventually attempts to change his unacceptable ways in order to make something of himself. Unfortunately, I have not read Shakespeare's Henry IV and Henry V so it is hard to go into a lengthy comparison of Shakespeare and Gus Van Sant's work. I think it is fair to say that Gus Van Sant illustrated some use of Shakespeare's work , but he also created a fresh film by taking something historical and applying the story to a modern film.