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William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice (2004)

Al Pacino , Jeremy Irons , Michael Radford  |  R |  DVD
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (141 customer reviews)

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Product Details

  • Actors: Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, Joseph Fiennes, Lynn Collins, Zuleikha Robinson
  • Directors: Michael Radford
  • Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
  • Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
  • Subtitles: French
  • Subtitles for the Hearing Impaired: English
  • Region: Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
    PLEASE NOTE:
    Some Region 1 DVDs may contain Regional Coding Enhancement (RCE). Some, but not all, of our international customers have had problems playing these enhanced discs on what are called "region-free" DVD players. For more information on RCE, click .
  • Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Rated: R (Restricted)
  • Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
  • DVD Release Date: May 10, 2005
  • Run Time: 138 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (141 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B0007WRT4Q
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,812 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • Learn more about "William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice" on IMDb

Special Features

  • Mastered in high definition
  • Featurette: Behind-the-scenes making-of
  • Web link to teacher's guide

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Rarely has The Merchant of Venice, one of Shakespeare's most complex plays, looked as ravishingly sumptuous as in this adaptation, directed by Michael Radford (Il Postino). In a decadent version of renaissance Venice, a young nobleman named Bassanio (Joseph Fiennes, Shakespeare in Love) seeks to woo the lovely Portia (newcomer Lynn Collins), but lacks the money to travel to her estate. He seeks support from his friend, the merchant Antonio (Jeremy Irons, Reversal of Fortune); Antonio's fortune is tied up in sea ventures, so the merchant offers to borrow money from a Jewish moneylender, Shylock (Al Pacino, Dog Day Afternoon). But Shylock holds a grudge against Antonio, who has routinely treated the Jew with contempt, and demands that if the debt is not repaid in three months, the price will be a pound of Antonio's flesh.

The Merchant of Venice is famous as a "problem play"--the gritty matters of moneylending and anti-Semitism sit uncomfortably beside the fairy tale elements of Portia and Bassanio's romance, and some twists of the plot can seem arbitrary or even cruel. The strength of Radford's intelligent and passionate interpretation is that he and the excellent cast invest the play's opposing facets with full emotional weight, thus making every question the play raises acute and inescapable. Irons is particularly compelling; kindness and blind prejudice sit side by side in his breast, rendering the clashes in his character as vivid as those in the play itself. --Bret Fetzer

Product Description

Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons. Antonio borrows money from the ruthless Shylock-who intends to collect a pound of Antonio's flesh if his debt is not repaid on time. Outstanding performances by Pacino and Irons make this rendition a classic Shakespearean prize! 2004/color/131 min/R/widescreen.

Customer Reviews

The courtroom scene is very well done. Momswan  |  29 reviewers made a similar statement
Just short of claiming his "pound of flesh" I was completely on his side. 2 hourglass  |  4 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
196 of 217 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Hits the Mark More Often Than Not February 2, 2005
I approached this movie with some trepidation, mainly owing to the presence of Al Pacino as Shylock. The only Shakespeare I had seen him attempt was his lead in Richard III. I was less than impressed by his acting in that one. I'm also always a little queasy about seeing screen attempts at encapsulating a three hour Shakespeare play in a two hour movie.

While I wasn't exactly delighted at the outcome of this attempt, there is a lot to recommend, thanks to some sure handed British directing and acting. And Pacino underplays a role for a change (for the most part) and he handled his line readings with aplomb.

The problem with the script (and it is, along with MEASURE FOR MEASURE and THE WINTERS TALE, one of Shakespeare's "problem" plays to begin with, in that it is morally ambiguous) is the obvious anti-semitism surrounding the moneylender Shylock. The film actually opens with a kind of disclaimer reminding the audience that Renaissance attitudes towards Jews were not exactly politically correct. Shakespeare's script certainly bears this out, which is one reason it still attracts negative criticism on many college campuses.

The director (Michael Radford, who also wrote the adaptation) and cast handle this delicate issue rather adroitly. Pacino manages to elicit more sympathy than derision for Shylock. The only quibble I have with interpretation occurs in the trial scene, in which Shylock's insistence on Antonio's (Jeremy Irons) repayment of his debt (the famous pound of flesh) is rendered much more menacingly and realistically than I've ever seen it portrayed. It really does appear to be imminently possible that Shylock is going to happily flay Antonio alive before Portia or any other contravening authority, such as the the the Duke (acting as judge) can stop him.
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117 of 138 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Sure beats my credit card's terms January 13, 2005
After the high school English Lit experience, I've never been a Shakespeare fan, so I've rarely seen any of those of his works that've been put on film. Mired in the bliss of almost total ignorance, I'll yet foolishly suggest that this Big Screen THE MERCHANT OF VENICE is perhaps the most sumptuous cinematic adaptation of any of the Bard's plays to date.

If you're completely without Cultcha and you don't know the plot, it's late 16th century Venice and the import-export merchant Antonio (Jeremy Irons) borrows 3,000 gold ducats from the Jewish moneylender Shylock (Al Pacino). The money goes to Antonio's chum Bassanio (Joseph Fiennes), who'll use it to impress and win the hand of the Babe of his dreams, the orphaned heiress Portia (Lynn Collins). But, Antonio suffers ruinous business setbacks and can't repay. So Shylock, remembering the public contempt shown to him by Antonio in the past and recently humiliated by the desertion of his only daughter to a Christian lover, insists that Antonio pay the penalty stipulated in the terms of the loan agreement, i.e. a pound of his own flesh, literally. And Shylock is prepared to go to the Duke's court to argue the legality of his case under existing Venetian statutes. Things look bleak and potentially painful for Antonio.

Filmed in Luxembourg and the decaying glory of Venice, THE MERCHANT OF VENICE is an extraordinarily lavish feast for the eyes. At times, as I found myself losing the thread of Shakespeare's flowery dialog, I found immense satisfaction in the production's glorious costuming and sets.

Pacino, who, in the past decade, has played cops, the Devil, a pro football coach, and a blind lecher, steals the show with an Oscar-worthy performance.
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26 of 28 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars The Quality of Mercy February 15, 2005
Shakespeare's plays are full of the stuff of Humanity and Life: Love, Hate, Revenge, Death, Jealousy, etc. But very few of his plays have all of these. "The Merchant of Venice" (Il Mercante di Venezia) is one. And Michael Radford's film of "TMOV" is bubbling over, roiling and rocking with the Stuff of Life: though considered one of Shakespeare's comedies, this version is a very somber and dark reading of the play: a very, very dark comedy.
Anyone filming or staging a Shakespeare play is faced with a dilemma: What do I do about the Language? Radford has directed his actors to speak in a natural and conversational manner yet they do not forget to savor the beauty or ignore the eloquence of the Shakespearean verse.
Portia's "The Quality of Mercy" and Shylock's "Pound of Flesh" soliloquies and Lynn Collins' and Pacino's readings of them are breathtaking in their eloquence, delicate phrasing and common sense rationality: they continue to have real power...the power to move us.
Venice in the 1600's is ripe for drama what with the Jewish population locked up at night and forced to wear red caps when amongst the general population, so as to be recognized and of course, ridiculed. But Jews were allowed to lend money and though not allowed to, charged interest on this money. And out of this ugly, discriminatory milieu comes Shylock (Al Pacino), who lends 3,000 ducats to Antonio (Jeremy Irons) so that Antonio can lend them to Bassanio (Joseph Fiennes), in essence so that Bassanio can marry the wealthy Portia (Lynn Collins).
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Pacino perfect.
Excellent casting, great sets, good show. Portia's transformation to a youmg lawyer was amazing. One can't help feeling sorry for Shylock. I wish the DVD had English subtitles. Read more
Published 2 days ago by Hervey Warriner
2.0 out of 5 stars I did not read the description carefully enough. It was R rated.
It was my mistake. If I had noticed it was R rated I would not have purchased it. So I threw it away.
Published 15 days ago by Mark E Whiting
5.0 out of 5 stars Great supplement to class book
Bought this movie to use as a supplement in class. Went along with the book used in the classroom excellentlly. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Rene Loy
4.0 out of 5 stars Shakespeare Comes to Life
Shakespeare's famous play is rightfully aggrandized in this film. Al Pacino (as usual) effortlessly portrays the human condition that Shakespeare endeavors to reveal in all his... Read more
Published 2 months ago by D. Rocc
4.0 out of 5 stars nails it
this is such a difficult story, supposedly a romantic comedy, but so steeped in antisemitism and shakespeare's typical dark underpinnings that it's uncomfortable and painful at... Read more
Published 3 months ago by suz
5.0 out of 5 stars Merchant of Venice
This is Al Pacino's role of a lifetime. Lynn Collins is great, as is Jeremy Irons. The whole cast is excellent.
Published 3 months ago by James Y. Myers
1.0 out of 5 stars Gratuitous Nudity
I was assigned to watch this for a class. The nudity was not essential to the plot. I read the play and it does not call for nudity.
Published 4 months ago by Jennie Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Movie
Awesome movie!! I love Shakespeare and this movie brings the play to life.. Very colorful and thought provoking. Will watch it alot!!
Published 4 months ago by Chris
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Film
Little known great performance by Al Pacino I really love this film .....it must be good cause I loaned it out and never got it back...I have to order again!!
Published 5 months ago by Kathleen Marchitto
5.0 out of 5 stars A STARTLIING AND LITERATE "MERCHANT"
The pleasantest surprise in this film is Al Pacino's Shylock, who:s played with
more nuance than I expected. Read more
Published 5 months ago by P. Post
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