'Merchant' shows Will power

The time
Mid to late 16th century. There is tension between the Jews and the Christians. The Jews can lend money and demand interest; the Christians cannot.

The place
Venice, place of barges, canals and far more water than modern viewers will be used to; also home to a gaggle of bare-breasted prostitutes who appear occasionally

The players
Antonio, the merchant after whom the play and film are named: Jeremy Irons
His protégé, Bassanio: Joseph Fiennes
Bassanio's friend Gratiano: Kris Marshall
Lorenzo, another member of Bassanio's retinue: Charlie Cox
Shylock, a Jewish moneylender: played magnificently by Al Pacino
Portia, Bassanio's love interest: Lynn Collins
Nerissa, Portia's maid: Heather Goldenhersh
Jessica, Shylock's daughter: Zuleika Robinson

The plot
Short version
Antonio, a Venetia merchant borrows 3,000 ducats from Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, to help his friend Bassanio win the heart of Portia. When Antonio's ships sink, Shylock demands a pound of flesh. Bassanio and Portia try different means of saving Antonio and the drama is finally resolved in a Venetian courtroom.

Long version (skip this if you want to avoid spoilers)
Bassanio is in love with Portia, a high born lady who lives outside Venice, but he is poor. In order to win her affections, he feels he must have money and approaches his mentor Antonio for a loan. Antonio loves Bassanio (the director has picked up on some homoerotic cues in the Shakespearean play, confirmed by a full-on kiss between the two men) and tries to help.

Antonio's ships are all at sea, which means he has strong prospects but no ready cash. However, he agrees to raise some money on credit and the pair go to see Shylock for a loan of 3,000 ducats.

Shylock has been the butt of Antonio's insults before and hates all Christians and Antonio in particular as a result. He crows over the fact that Antonio is now coming to him. He agrees to lend the money, but demands an unusual forfeit if the money is not repaid in full within three months: a pound of Antonio's flesh (yes, that is where the phrase comes from). Bassanio is horrified, but Antonio agrees, as he is sure his ship will come in well within the period. The deal is struck and notarised.

Bassanio sets himself up as a young noble should, buying fine clothes, surrounding himself with friends and hiring Shylock's former servant. One night, the servant goes to Shylock's house to invite him to a meal at Bassanio's house (I think). While he is there, Bassanio's friend Lorenzo woos and wins Shylock's daughter, who leaves her father's house forever with the contents of his cashbox. The two sail with Bassanio when he leaves to woo Portia.

Shylock is distraught by the loss of both his daughter (and to a Christian, added insult) and a lot of cash. He feels that Antonio, Bassanio and their friends have all been in on it, and vows to seek vengeance.

Meanwhile, at Portia's place, Bassanio is setting out to win her hand. He is the favoured suitor, but like those who have gone before him, he must meet her father's challenge. There are three chests in a room, one each of gold, silver and lead and he must choose the one that contains Portia’s portrait. We have seen previous suitors choose the wrong chest and there are tense moments as Bassiano debates the options.

After he has made his choice, a messenger comes from Venice to reveal that Antonio's ship has been lost at sea and that Shylock is demanding his pound of flesh. While Antonio has other ships, they are all far away and the loss of this one means that he has no hope of repaying Shylock, who calls in the loan.

Bassanio and his retinue hasten back to Venice with the sum of 6,000 ducats with enough money to save his mentor’s life. However, Shylock still insists on having his due and a quivering, retching and fainting Antonio faces the knife. (Shylock is a skilled butcher. Early in the film, we see him skewer a goat.) A young judge comes in to try the case and the stage is set for a thrilling and moving conclusion.

Scenes and soundtrack
The film is full of warm reds and golds and is like a beautiful Renaissance painting come to life. The water scenes are lovely are as the shots of a night-time Venice peopled by nobles in masks with long noses. The haunting music which provides the backdrop to the action is composed and arranged by Jocelyn Pook.

Acting
In a word, magnificent. Shylock is beautifully played by Al Pacino, who only slips into Godfather-mode occasionally. His mental disintegration as the story progresses is mirrored by a decline in his standards and dress and equal amounts of pain and fire as he seeks his revenge. Pacino is at his best here.

Joseph Fiennes is equally convincing as the sensitive and lovelorn Bassanio who moves from hopelessness to happiness to horror as the story unfolds. Jeremy Irons is also a credible Antonio.

The only letdown for me was Portia, who is a strong female character in the Shakespearean play. Although she was well acted, Collins' performance was not on a par with those of the male leads and the 'quality of mercy' speech (one of the many great ones from William Shakespeare) had nowhere near the impact it should have. Gwyneth Paltrow was apparently the director's first choice for the role and she would probably have made a better job of it.

Whenever Gratiano appeared, I couldn’t help seeing Nick from BBC's My Family. This was a distraction, though it did not spoil the film.

Best lines (both from Shylock)
I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed? if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that.

If a Jew wrong a Christian, what is his humility? Revenge. If a Christian wrong a Jew, what should his sufferance be by Christian example? Why, revenge. The villainy you teach me, I will execute, and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction.

Ancient vs. modern
Despite its setting and language, everyone can relate to the stories of love, friendship and loss. A modern audience might be shocked by the rabid anti-Semitism and the casual way in which the Christians dismiss and even spit upon Jews (this happens to Shylock in court!); this would not have seemed unusual to an Elizabethan audience. On the other hand, Shylock's condemnation of slavery in the court, which seems obvious to us, would have been shocking to them. And we can't help feeling sorry for the despised Shylock, for he is reacting to grief over the loss of his daughter and the racism he has suffered.

Final verdict
This is an excellent production of Shakespeare's fine play. The running time of 131 minutes passed in a flash. The story of Shylock's daughter and her lover is not well explored in the film, but this does not detract from the compelling performances. The story features love, loss, hatred and revenge and is totally engrossing. Even if you don't like Shakespeare, you'll be able to relate to this enthralling tale. If, like me, you're a Shakespeare buff, you'll love the way his words are translated onto the big screen. This film is a must-see.