The Tempest (1998) (TV)

Director:

Jack Bender

Writer (WGA):

James S. Henerson (written by)

Release Date:

13 December 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

An adaptation of Shakespeare's classic is set in the Mississippi bayous during the Civil War. |

Plot Keywords:

Mississippi | Bayou | Alligator | Unwanted Kiss | Party

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Peter Fonda	...	Gideon Prosper
John Glover	...	Anthony Prosper
Harold Perrineau	...	Ariel
Katherine Heigl	...	Miranda Prosper
John Pyper-Ferguson	...	Gator Man
Eddie Mills	...	Captain Frederick Allen
Dennis Redfield	...	Wilfried 'Willy' Gonzo
Donzaleigh Abernathy	...	Mambo Azaleigh
Jon Huffman	...	General Grant
Tom Nowicki	...	General Sherman
Rhoda Griffis	...	Sophie Dupree
Lonnie Hamilton	...	Old Ariel
Rachel Crouch	...	Young Miranda
Alex Van	...	Lead Raider
Tim Parati	...	Raider

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence.

Runtime:

Germany:85 min | Argentina:120 min | 120 min (including commercials)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M | Iceland:12 | Germany:12 | Germany:16 (video rating) | USA:PG-13 | Argentina:16

Filming Locations:

Charleston, South Carolina, USA

Company:

Bonnie Raskin Productions

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 56th Annual Golden Globe Awards (1999) (TV)

Disappointing and off the mark

I keep waiting for Peter Fonda to start acting. For someone who comes from such a talented family, it's a mystery to me why Peter Fonda can only play Peter Fonda trying to play someone else. And, that's the good news in this disappointing dog of an adaptation of The Tempest. A string of loosely connected ideas that only suggest a relationship with the Bard's great play is what we're served. The setting is the Civil War and Prospero's (here Guideon's) evil brother looks like an 1890's melodrama villain, complete with Snidely Whiplash moustache. I kept waiting for him to go "Uh ha hah!" which would have been a high point in this dreary presentation. None of the supporting cast was memoriable and Peter Fonda's lack of expression and wooden body movements made the lackadaisical story drag on and on.

The Tempest is the Bard's statement about the rage of man's unjust treatment of man. The only believable character was the Gator man, the Caliban counterpart. The transferrence to the swamp had possibilities but the Civil War setting just didn't make it. All in all, a very disappointing production. I saw it on video and would advise, if you want a Willy Shakespeare fix, save your money on this one. Rent something else, like Branagh's Much Ado about Nothing, or Kevin Kline in Midsummer's Night Dream.