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164 of 182 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. This is generally downplayed in stage productions, but on screen it comes across as all too real. It works as far as dramatic tension is concerned, but approaches "over the top" as far as aesthetic distancing goes(which is another of the underlying problems of transferring a text from stage to screen).
As far as characterizations are concerned, I was disappointed in only one director's choice. He cut the servant, Launcelot Gobbo's famous "Devil or Angel" monologue, which is one of the few truly humorous bits in the play. The scene with the younger and elder Gobbo almost made up for it, however, as Ron Cook serves up a marvellous comic turn as Old Gobbo.
The acting is generally excellent, in fact. Irons is solid, if not entirely convincing as Antonio. Joseph Fiennes does yeoman work as Anonio's bosom buddy, Bassanio. Lynn Collins as Portia is a positive revelation. Her transformation to young male lawyer is dead on. She plays a full range of emotions with utter ease. Hers is the one truly award worthy performance in the movie. Pacino does an outstanding job of remaining in character. The usual Pacino vocal and physical tics are nowhere in evidence. He obviously studied hard for the role and most of his choices are good ones. The cinematography, consisting mainly of shots of Venice in all its resplendance, is extraordinary.
Radford & Company certainly perform no disservice to the bard in this production, which is saying a lot, actually. I'd include it among some of the better recent attempts at bringing Shakespeare to the screen, along with Fishburn's OTHELLO and Branaugh's MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. It's worth at the very least a rental when it comes out on DVD, but if you get a chance to see it in a theater first, I recommend you avail yourself of the chance, if only to fully appreciate the cinematography.
BEK
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97 of 113 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. He's perfect as the world-weary, embittered, vengeful loan shark literally and figuratively spat upon by the city's Christian majority. Indeed, the film's creators have done a superb job depicting a Jewish usurer's anachronistic social position in that time and place, i.e. both needed and despised at the same time. And Collins is a revelation as the clever and beautiful Portia, the one character in the piece with any brains compared to the hormone-driven and doltish males around her.
Besides the obvious lessons of the story, which are don't co-sign a loan with your best friend, don't play loose with your wedding ring, and always go for the cheaply wrapped gift box, I was left pondering the perceived anti-Semitism of the plot. Indeed, had the play not been written by Shakespeare, and thus considered a "classic", but rather something churned out by a Tinseltown hack and put on celluloid, the Political Correctness Police, regardless of the historical facts, would be howling about stereotyping to a degree that would perhaps dwarf the outcry over Mel Gibson's PASSION. The joyful prospect of that alone makes this a film worth seeing.
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15 of 15 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).
Shakespeare characters are fully rounded individuals, neither all good or all bad: Antonio, though the essence of civility and nobility is also a slave profiteer and a bigot, Bassanio, though appearing to be a close friend of Antonio's thinks nothing of allowing his friend to enter into a dangerous loan agreement with Shylock and Shylock, though a third class citizen in Venice shows a great intellect and an all-consuming love of his daughter but ultimately loses sight of reason and mercy that makes him appear foolish and leads to his downfall. Shylock, as the oppressed is expected to exhibit nobility during the final scene that neither the court nor his oppressors would ever ask of one another. Shylock foolishly, though bravely expects justice from those who would segregate, taunt and revile him. This is strong, potent, dramatically viable stuff.
Shakespeare/Radford's "The Merchant of Venice" is a stunningly gorgeous and profound film made all the more important because it is so contemporary in feel, thought and more to the point, ambiguity. It is to Shakespeare and Radford's credit that a play written over 400 years ago can still have the unmitigated nerve to stick in our craw in a way few contemporary dramas can.
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