Drama. The most famous film adaptation of the tragedy of the same name by the great English playwright William Shakespeare. I read the play itself, although for a long time, but the most important thing is very much etched into my memory, so I will compare the film adaptation with the original source. This picture was recommended to me for viewing, and by a person who, to put it mildly, understands world cinema. And for this recommendation, I thank him from the bottom of my heart. It's been a long time since I've seen such a high-quality picture that makes you think about a lot. And here's my brief opinion for you - A good film adaptation of Shakespeare's not-so-famous play. And despite my delight, there were both expressive advantages and obvious disadvantages in the picture. And this should end such an important introduction and move on to the interesting one.
So, the advantages: 1. The scenario - the picture tells the story of the Venetian merchant Christian Antonio and the old Jewish pawnbroker Shylock, to whom the former owed a large sum of money. And when it comes time to pay the bills, Shylock wants only one thing - to take revenge on Antonio at all costs. Namely, to repay the debt by cutting a pound of meat from Anthony's body, since the merchant (like all Christians) hates and despises Jews who live in the ghetto (it was in Venice that it appeared for the first time in Europe). Along the way, the love story of the young Venetian Bassanio and the young beauty Portia is told. Both lines converge at one point one day in order to complete this story. What makes the picture memorable is that Shakespeare's dialogues remained untouched. I assure you that after watching this picture you will be impressed for a long time. And although the script is slightly changed compared to the original play, but everything else is done very well. Shakespeare is Shakespeare!
2. The conflict between Antonio and Shylock - in the original play, Shylock (and with him the Jews) are unrighteous people, and Antonio (and with him the Christians) are righteous. Shylock is represented almost all the time in black colors. And the contempt and censure of the Christians of the Jewish people is a God-pleasing and righteous deed. In the picture, not everything was made less unambiguous. We were shown (using the example of Shylock, Antonio and other heroes) how Christians despise Jews and then go to them for money or beg for mercy. And Shylock is also angry at Christians because of this contradiction, so he literally hates the whole world. He is ready to take revenge on Anthony in the most cruel way, and he is not interested in money. Everything ends predictably (laws are such a thing, and Venetian society is not on the side of Shylock and all Jews). Shylock is a tragic character here, as is Antonio. The creators of the painting show the very historical chauvinism that took place in the Republic of Venice at the end of the sixteenth century (and up to the twentieth). This is the historical truth, and it needs to be known. And in general, this theme is the main one in the picture, and in the play. It was extremely interesting to observe the development of events around this topic.
3. The love line of Bassanio and Portia is just classic Shakespeare, as we imagine him to be. Here you can see the influence of "Romeo and Juliet" (only without the tragic ending). Also spirituality, gentle looks, love from that very first glance, an instant willingness to sacrifice life for love. It's all there, too. And it's just brilliantly staged and played. There is that same "spark" between the characters, and the actors themselves have tried their best.
4. Costumes and decorations - it is clear that Venice acted as Venice, so you plunge into the atmosphere with your head. The costumes also inspire confidence (if there are minor errors in the details, it is still insignificant). It was well noticed that Jews were ordered to wear red hats on the streets of the city in order to distinguish them from other citizens (well, of course, no one will interfere with spitting in their face). And although the picture is quite intimate, the viewer still does not have the impression that he is simply being led from one room to another. Rather, we are shown the society of that time, which differs from the present (and it is difficult to say in which direction, good and bad).
So, the disadvantages: 1. Dressing Portia and Jessica is, of course, classic, but how could they not recognize this in court? I'm sorry, but it's quite easy to distinguish a woman from a man, figure, face, not to mention the voice (for us, men, it's quite low, and for women, on the contrary, it's high). That's what nature came up with, and it's not for us to argue with that. Of course, this action plays a key role in the picture, but it does not fit well with logic.
2. The tragedy of Shylock - the picture is based mainly on Shylock, played by mastodon Al Pacino, but of all the action of the picture, the most infrequent turns out to be Shylock, who lost everything, literally everything, and now it's a pity. After all, in the play of the great Shakespeare, Shylock "re-educates" into a good Christian, then here the creators made both sides of the conflict ambiguous, and still sided with Antonio (although he is to blame for the conflict). Here Shylock is disgraced, persecuted, deprived of everything and everything, but for what? For the truth! For being a Jew! For the hypocritical laws of the Republic of Venice! For usury! And do not think that I am a defender of the Jews, I rather notice the facts, because the hypocrisy in the picture is very well marked (and Shylock is shown as an aggressive Jew who hates Christians). I have no prejudice against any nation in general. But in this picture, it was Shylock that I felt sorry for. An old Jew who was deceived by the system and eventually deprived of everything.
A little bit about the main characters: 1. Bassanio, played by Joseph Fiennes and Portia, played by Lynn Collins, are local "Romeo and Juliet" who play similar roles. Young lovers, ready to go into fire and water for each other, although they met only recently. There is that "spark" between Joseph and Lynn, without which love is dislike. The actors play well, there is nothing to complain about. Bravo!
2. Antonio, played by Jeremy Irons, is not the most successful merchant in Venice, openly despising Jews (like most of the townspeople), but for the sake of Bassanio's love for Portia, he makes a deal with the Jew Shylock. He is shown as a hypocrite, but already in the middle there is a tragic note in him. Jeremy, as always, played extremely convincingly. Well done!
3. Shylock, played by Al Pacino, is an old Jewish loan shark who sponsors Antonio, despite his attitude towards the Jewish people. A grumpy and vindictive old man who also loses everything as a result of this deal and the subsequent trial. Mastodon Al Pacino simply masterfully embodied the image of the famous Shakespearean character, adding his charisma and inimitable voice (which was heard through a Russian voiceover). Here you can say: "Bravo!"a lot of times. Regarding the character, everything has already been said above, so we will not repeat ourselves. Al Pacino did a great job!
Surprisingly, this picture failed miserably at the box office, which is even a shame, because it absolutely did not deserve it. Apparently, the audience did not understand the idea of the picture, or did not want to think. Who knows.
My rating is 8 out of 10 and my recommendation for viewing!
So, the advantages: 1. The scenario - the picture tells the story of the Venetian merchant Christian Antonio and the old Jewish pawnbroker Shylock, to whom the former owed a large sum of money. And when it comes time to pay the bills, Shylock wants only one thing - to take revenge on Antonio at all costs. Namely, to repay the debt by cutting a pound of meat from Anthony's body, since the merchant (like all Christians) hates and despises Jews who live in the ghetto (it was in Venice that it appeared for the first time in Europe). Along the way, the love story of the young Venetian Bassanio and the young beauty Portia is told. Both lines converge at one point one day in order to complete this story. What makes the picture memorable is that Shakespeare's dialogues remained untouched. I assure you that after watching this picture you will be impressed for a long time. And although the script is slightly changed compared to the original play, but everything else is done very well. Shakespeare is Shakespeare!
2. The conflict between Antonio and Shylock - in the original play, Shylock (and with him the Jews) are unrighteous people, and Antonio (and with him the Christians) are righteous. Shylock is represented almost all the time in black colors. And the contempt and censure of the Christians of the Jewish people is a God-pleasing and righteous deed. In the picture, not everything was made less unambiguous. We were shown (using the example of Shylock, Antonio and other heroes) how Christians despise Jews and then go to them for money or beg for mercy. And Shylock is also angry at Christians because of this contradiction, so he literally hates the whole world. He is ready to take revenge on Anthony in the most cruel way, and he is not interested in money. Everything ends predictably (laws are such a thing, and Venetian society is not on the side of Shylock and all Jews). Shylock is a tragic character here, as is Antonio. The creators of the painting show the very historical chauvinism that took place in the Republic of Venice at the end of the sixteenth century (and up to the twentieth). This is the historical truth, and it needs to be known. And in general, this theme is the main one in the picture, and in the play. It was extremely interesting to observe the development of events around this topic.
3. The love line of Bassanio and Portia is just classic Shakespeare, as we imagine him to be. Here you can see the influence of "Romeo and Juliet" (only without the tragic ending). Also spirituality, gentle looks, love from that very first glance, an instant willingness to sacrifice life for love. It's all there, too. And it's just brilliantly staged and played. There is that same "spark" between the characters, and the actors themselves have tried their best.
4. Costumes and decorations - it is clear that Venice acted as Venice, so you plunge into the atmosphere with your head. The costumes also inspire confidence (if there are minor errors in the details, it is still insignificant). It was well noticed that Jews were ordered to wear red hats on the streets of the city in order to distinguish them from other citizens (well, of course, no one will interfere with spitting in their face). And although the picture is quite intimate, the viewer still does not have the impression that he is simply being led from one room to another. Rather, we are shown the society of that time, which differs from the present (and it is difficult to say in which direction, good and bad).
So, the disadvantages: 1. Dressing Portia and Jessica is, of course, classic, but how could they not recognize this in court? I'm sorry, but it's quite easy to distinguish a woman from a man, figure, face, not to mention the voice (for us, men, it's quite low, and for women, on the contrary, it's high). That's what nature came up with, and it's not for us to argue with that. Of course, this action plays a key role in the picture, but it does not fit well with logic.
2. The tragedy of Shylock - the picture is based mainly on Shylock, played by mastodon Al Pacino, but of all the action of the picture, the most infrequent turns out to be Shylock, who lost everything, literally everything, and now it's a pity. After all, in the play of the great Shakespeare, Shylock "re-educates" into a good Christian, then here the creators made both sides of the conflict ambiguous, and still sided with Antonio (although he is to blame for the conflict). Here Shylock is disgraced, persecuted, deprived of everything and everything, but for what? For the truth! For being a Jew! For the hypocritical laws of the Republic of Venice! For usury! And do not think that I am a defender of the Jews, I rather notice the facts, because the hypocrisy in the picture is very well marked (and Shylock is shown as an aggressive Jew who hates Christians). I have no prejudice against any nation in general. But in this picture, it was Shylock that I felt sorry for. An old Jew who was deceived by the system and eventually deprived of everything.
A little bit about the main characters: 1. Bassanio, played by Joseph Fiennes and Portia, played by Lynn Collins, are local "Romeo and Juliet" who play similar roles. Young lovers, ready to go into fire and water for each other, although they met only recently. There is that "spark" between Joseph and Lynn, without which love is dislike. The actors play well, there is nothing to complain about. Bravo!
2. Antonio, played by Jeremy Irons, is not the most successful merchant in Venice, openly despising Jews (like most of the townspeople), but for the sake of Bassanio's love for Portia, he makes a deal with the Jew Shylock. He is shown as a hypocrite, but already in the middle there is a tragic note in him. Jeremy, as always, played extremely convincingly. Well done!
3. Shylock, played by Al Pacino, is an old Jewish loan shark who sponsors Antonio, despite his attitude towards the Jewish people. A grumpy and vindictive old man who also loses everything as a result of this deal and the subsequent trial. Mastodon Al Pacino simply masterfully embodied the image of the famous Shakespearean character, adding his charisma and inimitable voice (which was heard through a Russian voiceover). Here you can say: "Bravo!"a lot of times. Regarding the character, everything has already been said above, so we will not repeat ourselves. Al Pacino did a great job!
Surprisingly, this picture failed miserably at the box office, which is even a shame, because it absolutely did not deserve it. Apparently, the audience did not understand the idea of the picture, or did not want to think. Who knows.
My rating is 8 out of 10 and my recommendation for viewing!