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List Price: $24.99Amazon.com's Price: $22.99 You Save: $2.00 ( 8%)Prices subject to change.
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Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 0014381207620
Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
Label: Image Entertainment
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Image Entertainment
Region Code: 1
Release Date: May 04, 2004
Running Time: 141 minutes
Sales Rank: 41275
Studio: Image Entertainment
Theatrical Release Date: 2001
Editorial Review:
Description:
William Shakespeare's controversial classic comes to bristling life in this riveting production from theater legend Trevor Nunn. Relocated to Europe between the two world wars, the story follows the misadventures of young heiress Portia, who must don the disguise of a male lawyer to save the life of her love, and the financially obsessed Shylock (Notting Hill's Henry Goodman), determined to literally collect a pound of flesh in court. Trevor Nunn directed the landmark revival of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma! with Hugh Jackman as well as groundbreaking versions of Nicholas Nickleby, Othello, and Porgy & Bess. Originally presented to tremendous acclaim at the Royal National Theatre in June, 1999. Awards include: Olivier Awards - Best Actor (Henry Goodman) / Critics' Circle Theatre Awards - Best Actor (Henry Goodman)
Amazon.com:
The often volatile character of Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, is powerfully realized in Trevor Nunn's stylish film of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, which uses theatrical sets but is shot as a movie. Shylock (played with fierce commitment by Henry Goodman) loans money to a man he despises, the merchant Antonio (David Bramber), only if a pound of Antonio's flesh will be due upon default. Antonio borrows the money so that his friend Bessanio (Alexander Hanson) can travel to woo the woman he loves, Portia (Derbhle Crotty), whose freedom to marry is bound up in a fairy-tale decree of her father's. The play's mixture of tragedy and comedy often baffles contemporary audiences; Nunn attempts to solve this problem by treating almost everything as seriously as possible. While his approach serves Shylock well, the play's conclusion--in which Portia tests her husband's commitment--could use a lighter touch. --Bret Fetzer
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating: - Very good version of the play
This updated version of "The Merchant of Venice" has some marvelous acting-- especially by Henry Goodman, who plays Shylock, showing his character as conniving but understandable and tragic all at the same time. The updated time period works, although it seems a bit of an anachronism to have people dressed in 1930's clothing speaking sixteenth century English. The sets are beautiful and would have been great for cabaret era film. I have seen other Shakespearean plays done this way, and I have enjoyed ... Read More
Rating:  - Horribly Misunderstood Play
As all of the other reviews seem to agree, I find this production to be magnificently performed, shot, and produced. In fact, the only problem the other reviews seem to state is the anti-Semitism present in the play.
In fact, many Shakespearean scholars disagree with this analysis, citing The Merchant of Venice as Shakespeare's tongue-in-cheek to contemporary Christopher Marlowe's anti-Semitic The Jew of Malta. Unlike Marlowe's play, Shakespeare paints all of the characters as very grey. There ... Read More
Rating:  - Antonio should forget it . . .
This is a bleak, dismal version of what is admittedly a problem play. Antonio is clinically depressed, Basanio is boring, Portia couldn't win a case in traffic court.
Try Al Pacino's version. MUCH better.
Rating: - A Merchant to See
If you are a fan of The Merchant of Venice but were disappointed by Al Pacino's Shylock this DVD may be for you. Henry Goodman brings a grounded and passionate honesty to the role that Pacino sorely lacked. Although, I was not impressed by David Bamber as Antonio (boring) or Derbhle Crotty as Portia (lacking any real substance; Raymond Coulthard as the Prince of Arragon is historical and steals his scene. The show worked better on stage than it does as a filmed version but it is still well worth a viewing.
Rating: - A Powerful Portrayal of a Sad Production
The works of William Shakespeare are rightly hailed as the pearls of English literature. Alas, in any collection of pearls there is one that is misshapen. This is that one.
The story centers around a man who must borrow a sum of money from a Jew for the sake of a friend. Instead of charging interest, the Jew demands a pound of flesh if his bond is forfeited. This has often been played in such a manner as to depict jewry in general and Shylock (the Jew) in particular as evil money grubbing people who ... Read More
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