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January 21, 2005
Filmmaking at its best
Merchant of Venice is as controversial as it's ever been.
MICHAEL VAN DEN BOS
Michael Radford's film of William Shakespeare's The Merchant
of Venice is an exciting and complex adaptation. And this is
tricky material to work with, for Merchant has long been
maligned for its anti-Semitism. But Radford, who wrote and directed
the adaptation, effortlessly juggles the hot potatoes of the Bard's
fervid story set in the Venice of 1516.
Antonio (Jeremy Irons), a shipping merchant, helps his dear friend
(and, we assume, former lover) Bassanio (Joseph Fiennes) to secure
monies for funding a vessel so that Bassanio may travel to his love,
Portia (Lynn Collins), and win her hand. Since Antonio's finances
are rickety, he must turn to the Jewish money lender, Shylock (Al
Pacino). Jews were forbidden to own property, so they practised
usury, stapling interest to money lent. This was considered illegal,
but the more liberal Venetians, though they detested Jews, generally
turned a blind eye to the practice. Shylock, having blanketed his
own prejudice against Christians, finally spins his retribution
onto Antonio by only accepting a pound of flesh as interest. Antonio,
much to Bassanio's distress, agrees. Disaster befalls Antonio and
Shylock insists on following the bond and the letter of the law,
by demanding a pound slice of Antonio's breast.
This is a very melodramatic stew, but it's also psychologically
meaty and lightly seasoned with needed levity. What helps to understand
the religious hatred and acridity is a five-minute prologue that
contextually unveils these dynamics within the period. Radford delicately
handles the explanation through titles and cinematic montage.
All the performances are outstanding. Irons conveys a quiet, suffering
dignity, yet we question our sympathies, as he, too, can toe the
company line of intolerance. Fiennes brings dash and depth to Bassanio,
and Collins as Portia was surprising. As she's introduced, there
is a moment of thinking, "oh,oh" – she's beautiful,
but perhaps a light actress among heavy-weights and heavy material.
But Collins was effective as Portia; she moves her character from
being a passive love interest to the woman who actively changes
the story.
The central character is Shylock. It takes a courageous star to
dive into this controversial character and Pacino is a marvel. This
is one of his best performances; it stands beside his classic roles
as Michael Corleone, Sonny Wortzick and Frank Serpico. For a character
ravaged with prejudicial revenge, Pacino weaves strands of sympathy
into Shylock. When his daughter Jessica (Zuleikha Robinson) steals
money from him and runs off with a Christian, Shylock's utter distress
is heartbreaking. But then our sympathies are nearly revoked as
his vehemence over the theft takes precedence over his heart. There
is the Pacino largesse of emoting on display, to be sure, but he
tempers it with several scenes of fine underplaying.
The film is not contemporized nor gimmicked-up Shakespeare, as have
been some recent adaptations of the Bard's work. This is classic
filmmaking at its most resplendent. Benoit Delhomme's lush cinematography
combined with Bruno Rubeo's exquisitely detailed production design
feels like a Renaissance painting come to life. Jocelyn Pooks's
sweet and sad musical score is period in feel but never heavy-handed.
The Merchant of Venice is one of the finest film versions of
Shakespeare. Once it opens Jan. 21 at Fifth Avenue cinemas, it will
certainly generate heated debate around town.
Michael van den Bos has been a film and television producer
for 18 years. He teaches film theory at the Vancouver Film School
and is a freelance writer about cinema.
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