Shakespeare's Merchant

20032003
Not RatedNot Rated
1h 26m

In this dark adaptation of "The Merchant of Venice," Shakespeare's most controversial play, Jews are regularly hunted on the streets of a postmodern Venice (California) as if it were 13th ce... Read allIn this dark adaptation of "The Merchant of Venice," Shakespeare's most controversial play, Jews are regularly hunted on the streets of a postmodern Venice (California) as if it were 13th century Europe. In the film's opening sequences a Jewish girl is raped in broad daylight whi... Read allIn this dark adaptation of "The Merchant of Venice," Shakespeare's most controversial play, Jews are regularly hunted on the streets of a postmodern Venice (California) as if it were 13th century Europe. In the film's opening sequences a Jewish girl is raped in broad daylight while a woman watches, gleeful, from her living room window; toughs chases a young man in a y... Read all

4.4/10

Director
- Paul Wagar
Writers
- William Shakespeare(play "The Merchant of Venice")
- Paul Wagar
Stars

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In this dark adaptation of "The Merchant of Venice," Shakespeare's most controversial play, Jews are regularly hunted on the streets of a postmodern Venice (California) as if it were 13th century Europe. In the film's opening sequences a Jewish girl is raped in broad daylight while a woman watches, gleeful, from her living room window; toughs chases a young man in a yarmulke to the beach and beat him senseless. And Shylock, the money lender, is spat upon and threatened. In this atmosphere of lawless anti-Semitism Bassanio is forced to borrow money from his lover, Antonio. But Antonio's cash is bound up in his fleet of ships and so they proceed to Shylock's, where it becomes clear that Antonio is one of the anti-Semites who has plagued Shylock on the Rialto. Shylock agrees to the loan but exacts a forfeiture: a pound of Antonio's flesh if the loan is defaulted on by even a day. Meanwhile Portia, with the help of her father's executrix, is seeking the husband who can unravel her father's riddle to win her hand in marriage. After several suitors are rejected, Bassanio wins-but not without some help. Test after test ensues of each set of lovers and of the society itself. In the karmic ending Shylock, his daughter Jessica, Bassanio, Antonio and Portia are each bereft in their own way, making this version with its queer twist, more tragic even than Shakespeare intended. —Victoria Brownworth, PIGLFF.

shakespeare's the merchant of venice gay interest based on play

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4/10

Horrible sound production ruins Shakespeare

The primary reason people watch Shakespeare plays made into movies is for the dialogue. The muffled and echoey sound in this potentially good movie ruined it completely. You can't always hear what the actors are saying; I know the story line, but I still want to be able to hear the actors say the famous lines. (And yes, I'm sure it wasn't the theater's fault for the poor sound. The producer and several of the actors were present at the screening and said nothing about the sound.)

Additionally, several of the actors were very poorly cast and seem to have attended the William Shatner school of acting. Nerissa and Lancelot are especially bad. It all had a very amateurish feel.

The thing that prevents me from giving this movie a lower rating is that I admire the interpretation of the relationship between Antonio and Bassanio as one of lovers. It seems obvious - why else would Antonio go into so much debt for Bassanio, and on such terms? I have seen this interpretation quite successfully done on stage. Too bad the production values of this movie were so bad that I couldn't appreciate it.

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