William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice

A man offers to go into debt so that a friend may have enough money to impress a woman that he is planning to woo and marry. When the debt collector comes to receive payment, he demands a pound of flesh if the debt is not paid back in full.

Release Date: 2005-05-10, Rating R (Restricted),

DVDs. William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice

One of the immortal bard's most frequently performed works gets a first-rate cinematic treatment here via director Michael Radford IL POSTINO. Al Pacino is virtually unrecognizable as Shylock bringing an old-world gravitas to the role and clearly inspiring the rest of the cast to match his intensity. They succeed and the result is riveting rousing entertainment. Even if one is familiar with the play in advance this is white-knuckle suspense and swooning romance all the way through. A 16th-century Venetian sea merchant Jeremy Irons devoted to a young lord Joseph Fiennes owes a debt for "a pound of flesh" to the anguished Jewish moneylender Shylock. Lovingly filmed in Venice the film looks great with settings and costumes all sporting a dusky lived-in look that matches the subdued naturalistic interpretation of the dialogue. Lynn Collins is excellent and ethereal as Portia and her love scenes with Fiennes have an alchemical power that lifts them to dizzyingly mythic romantic heights. Vague homoerotic content an

Period Drama DVD - Of all Shakespeares classic plays, The Merchant of Venice has been among the least frequently tackled by filmmakers, who perhaps are uncomfortable with its apparent anti-Semitism and harshness of tone. This adaptation, written and directed by Michael Radford (Il Postino), confronts the plays less savory aspects head on. As played by Al Pacino, the moneylender Shylock revels in the bargain he has made with the openly contemptuous merchant Antonio: If the loan is not paid back on time, he will extract a pound of flesh from the borrower. Shakespeare succumbed to the temptation to stereotype Shylock, but he also allowed the character to voice his pain and frustration over the way Christians treat their Jewish neighbors. Hath not a Jew eyes? begins one of the playwrights most famous speeches -- and one of the most plaintive pleas for acceptance uttered by a fictional character on behalf of an entire people. Pacinos trademark intensity serves him well in this part, and Jeremy Irons infuses his An

The Merchant Of Venice (widescreen) - Dvd - Kris Marshall,charlie Cox,heather Goldenhersh,alan Corduner,al Pacino,jeremy Irons,joseph Fiennes,lynn Collins,zuleikha Robinson,michael Radford - Out For Revenge,social Injustice