“The Merchant of Venice” is director-screenwriter Michael Radford’s loose adaptation of Bill Shakespeare’s famous play. Radford took so many liberties with the Bard’s stage show (written between 1596 and 1598) that the movie is almost unrecognizable. As far as we know, this is the only feature film adaptation of “The Merchant of Venice” in history, besides a lost 1914 silent film version. (There have been numerous television productions.) The filming around Venice was, at best, mediocre, as the cinematographer did not take advantage of the beautiful and photogenic city’s scenery.
The performance by top stars seemed wooden and heavy. The robotic cast includes Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, Joseph Fiennes, Lynn Collins, Kris Marshall, Charlie Cox, Heather Goldenhersh, John Sessions, Mackenzie Crook, Gregor Fisher, Zuleikha Robinson, Ron Cook, Allan Corduner, Anton Rodgers, and David Harewood as the Prince of Morocco.
“The Merchant of Venice,” boring and unwatchable, did not even make enough money at the box office to cover the budget, a bust for the UK Film Council and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
The Merchant of Venice (2004)
cinema
My Review
“The Merchant of Venice” is director-screenwriter Michael Radford’s loose adaptation of Bill Shakespeare’s famous play. Radford took so many liberties with the Bard’s stage show (written between 1596 and 1598) that the movie is almost unrecognizable. As far as we know, this is the only feature film adaptation of “The Merchant of Venice” in history, besides a lost 1914 silent film version. (There have been numerous television productions.) The filming around Venice was, at best, mediocre, as the cinematographer did not take advantage of the beautiful and photogenic city’s scenery.
The performance by top stars seemed wooden and heavy. The robotic cast includes Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, Joseph Fiennes, Lynn Collins, Kris Marshall, Charlie Cox, Heather Goldenhersh, John Sessions, Mackenzie Crook, Gregor Fisher, Zuleikha Robinson, Ron Cook, Allan Corduner, Anton Rodgers, and David Harewood as the Prince of Morocco.
“The Merchant of Venice,” boring and unwatchable, did not even make enough money at the box office to cover the budget, a bust for the UK Film Council and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.