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VHS : William Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice |
List Price: $50.99Price: $15.53 You Save: $35.46 (70%)Prices subject to change.
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 0043396109148
Format: Color, NTSC
Label: Columbia/Tri-Star
Manufacturer: Columbia/Tri-Star
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Columbia/Tri-Star
Release Date: May 10, 2005
Running Time: 131 minutes
Studio: Columbia/Tri-Star
Sales Rank: 25433
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Editorial Review:
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
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
This is a good version of the play, but since I am a school teacher - let me give you a big heads up - there are a lot of bare-chested women in this that does nothing to further the plot. It's my husband's opinion that they are there so that men will watch the movie. The other problem is that this version is trying so hard to be politically correct that it bends Shakespeare's meaning to suit a twenty-first century audience. I feel this is done in such a way as to cause problems with the basic ... Read More
Rating:  -
This play by Shakespeare is worth a pound of gold, at least. It reveals with crudity one side of Shakespeare and Shakespeare's time most people would like to ignore: his supposed anti-Semitism. Everyone wants to ignore it because no one can see the double talk Shakespeare is a great master of. In his days Jews were seen as vultures, tolerated vultures but vultures all the same. Of course Shakespeare could have avoided dealing with the subject. He did deal with it several times. The Saracen in Titus ... Read More
Rating: -
Al's performance was outstanding.. Shylock who was portrayed by Shakeapeare and perceived by Readers throughout ages as Villain is now seen as a human! You sympathize with him, you refuse his deeds but you do not hate him.
A movie that has to be present in your DVD library!
Rating: -
It must be remembered when viewing this film that it is a contemporary re-interpretation of the original play by William Shakespeare. It is a reinvention. Therefore some reviewers selected to review it by comparison to the original Shakespeare. In summary, this is not the original. It has been edited and emphasis has been shifted. It appears that considerable editing of a relatively long play was done, some of which modified the full impact of the characters of Shylock, Antonio and Portia. In addition ... Read More
Rating: -
Even setting aside the issue of anti-Semitism, "Merchant Of Venice" is not one of Shakespeare's better plays -- it is inherently a bit flat and lacks internal drama. Also, it is billed s a comedy, but there isn't much funny about it. Wisely, director Michael Radford hones in on the tragic aspects of the play, heightening the twin tragedies of Shylock and Antonio. Al Pacino plays Shylock to the hilt, avoiding an interpretation that has him appear either sinister or victimized: this Shylock is a powerful ... Read More
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