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William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice
starring: Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, Joseph Fiennes, Lynn Collins, Zuleikha Robinson
directed by: Michael Radford

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Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: DVD
Brand: Sony
EAN: 9781404980228
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
ISBN: 1404980229
Label: Sony Pictures
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Sony Pictures
Region Code: 99
Release Date: May 10, 2005
Running Time: 131 minutes
Sales Rank: 2490
Studio: Sony Pictures
Theatrical Release Date: 2004

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Editorial Review:

Product Description:
From Michael Radford the Academy Award®-nominated director of Il Postino comes the critically-acclaimed screen adaptation of William Shakespeare's controversial classic THE MERCHANT OF VENICE. Antonio (Jeremy Irons) a successful but cash-poor merchant approaches Shylock (Al Pacino) a wealthy moneylender for a loan to help his young friend Bassanio (Joseph Fiennes Shakespeare in Love) woo the fair Portia (Lynn Collins 13 Going on 30). Despite being longtime enemies Shylock grants the request but demands one pound of Antonio's flesh if the debt is not repaid on time. When Antonio defaults on the loan Shylock seeks what is legally owed to him but soon learns that those to whom evil is done do evil in return.System Requirements: Running Time 131 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: R UPC: 043396109100 Manufacturer No: 10910

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

Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- Amazing!
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:

- Romance and suspense; prejudice and revenge
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:

- A good version of one of Shakespeare's lesser plays
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

Rating:

- A fantastic version
This is an amazing cast, and Al Pacino plays the perfect Shylock. I cannot recommend this movie enough, whether you are a lover of Shakespeare or just looking for a movie for the weekend. This is the best version I've seen yet. :)

Rating:

- The Tragedy of Shylock: The Jew of Venice
It is absurd to use the relatively modern term "anti-Semitism "as a worrisome point either in this movie or in the original late sixteenth century play. It is neither the first nor the only time that a stereotype aging male Jew has been used as an almost villainous character in English literature; notably Fagin the master thief and fence in Oliver Twist. The movie version of Oliver Twist of 1948 has Alec Guinness playing Fagin's role with no redeeming features in a very ugly stereotype (much more ... Read More

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