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The Tempest (1979) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
6.9/10   335 votes
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Up 12% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
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Writers:
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View company contact information for The Tempest on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
25 December 1980 (West Germany) more
Genre:
Plot:
Prospero, a potent magician, lives on a desolate isle with his virginal daughter, Miranda. He's in exile... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
User Comments:
Earth, Air, Fire, And Water more (15 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

Runtime:
95 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Eastmancolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
UK:15 (video rating) | UK:AA (original rating) | Australia:M | USA:R
Company:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The last feature of Elisabeth Welch. more
Quotes:
Miranda, his daughter: Oh, how beauteous mankind is. O brave new world that has such people in it! more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Jubilee: A Time Less Golden (2003) (V) more
Soundtrack:
Stormy Weather more

FAQ

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15 out of 18 people found the following comment useful.
Earth, Air, Fire, And Water, 22 November 2005
Author: Lechuguilla from Dallas, Texas

Into this primordial mix, add some seventeenth century magic, and you have Shakespeare's "The Tempest", a play whose themes are: freedom, temperance, repentance, and forgiveness. The main difference between Shakespeare's play and Derek Jarman's film is, of course, the nearly four hundred years of change in theatrics that separate the two artists.

Jarman's version tries to adhere to the play, in that the film uses quasi-Elizabethan linguistics, which renders the dialogue difficult to understand. The play's intent is still intact in the film, if a little obscured by the language, and is conveyed mostly through the acting and the cinematography, though "adapted" in style to a more contemporary audience. Hence, the film's inventive finale features a vocal rendition of "Stormy Weather", a modern metaphor for a message that spans the ages.

Even with the updated visuals, this film is going to be a bit much for most viewers. It is just too out of sync with what modern audiences expect. On the other hand, for those few who appreciate Shakespeare, the film can be insightful, with the proviso that it is not "pure" (or literal) Shakespeare.

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