The movieWent to see the Warren Report preview of "The Merchant of Venice" tonight, starring Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, Joseph Fiennes and Lynn Collins. It's a gorgeous production, sumptuous to look at and very finely acted. I highly recommend it. Pay full price to see it; it's worth every dime. I didn't expect Pacino to be anything but brilliant and he is, in every frame. Irons, too, is wonderful. The courtroom scene is worth the price of admission.
The adaptation does take some small but very respectful liberties with the play, setting up Shylock and Antonio's relationship before the scripted action of the play begins. The general treatment of the material presents Shylock in a more sympathetic light, addressing the issue of anti-Semitism head on and justifying Shylock's demands of a pound of flesh. Even written as Shakespeare wrote it, Pacino and the filmmakers ultimately demonstrate that everyone in the courtroom a victim of prejudice because of the choices it pushes each character into. And in the end, by being stripped of his faith, Shylock is injured just as deeply as he might have injured Antonio. Devastating.
There were some lovely details. The one I loved was that Jessica's ring, that which Shylock bemoans the loss of because it belonged to his wife, is a traditional Jewish wedding ring in the shape of a house or temple. Someone did some research.
Of course, the humorous aspects of the play were also beautifully done. Lynn Collins approaches Portia with the right proportion of gravitas and humor, and she's stunningly beautiful, really like something out of a painting. The film, in fact, is full of chiaroscuro effects, creating a period atmosphere that is just luscious.
( Read behind the cut for Scarlettina's (long) thoughts in the wake of the film in view of discussions that followed. ) ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
