Memorergi
good film but with many flaws
Melanie Bouvet
The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.
Brenda
The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one
classicalsteve
The phrase "a pound of flesh", written by William Shakespeare in "The Merchant of Venice", entered into the English lexicon by the 18th century. It refers to a vengeful payback for a debt or injustice. In the 16th-century story, the Jewish moneylender, Shylock (Al Pacino), loans 3000 ducats, a very hefty sum of money, to Antonio (Jeremy Irons), the merchant and title character. The bond stipulates if the 3000 ducats is not repaid on time, Shylock has the right to extract literally a pound of flesh from Antonio, rather than paying interest. The story concerns essentially three intersecting plots: the loan from Shylock to Antonio, the courtship of Antonio's friend Bassanio with the noblewoman Portia, and the elopement of Shylock's daughter Jessica.During the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance, Christians, be they moneylenders, tradesmen, or nobility, were not allowed to charge interest on debts, called usury. Those enacting usury could be fined themselves, imprisoned, or in some cases hanged. However, during the same period, Jews, who were exempt from being able to engage in many aspects of business, were allowed to charge interest on loans, one reason why Jews would eventually have a major presence in finance in modern times. Shakespeare's story begins when Antonio's friend Bassanio desires to woo Portia, a wealthy noblewoman and heiress who is shown in the film living on an island, presumably off the coast of Italy. Bassanio needs financing to make the journey to the island, so Antonio in turn borrows money from Shylock, the wealthy but ostracized Jew. Most of the story takes place in Venice with some scenes on Portia's island palace.Every character in Michael Radford's beautiful adaption of William Shakespeare's "comedy" (although more serious than many of his other comedies) is exquisitely cast. The stand-outs are Al Pacino as Shylock, the money-lending Jew, Jeremy Irons as Antonio, the merchant of Venice, Joseph Fiennes as Bassanio, the love-struck youth seeking Portia, and Lynn Collins as Portia, the single heiress whose stories of her beauty, wealth and availability have spread throughout Europe. According to the Will set forth by Portia's father, a suitor who desires Portia's hand must choose among three caskets/ornate boxes. The potential husband is told that one box contains Portia while the other two do not. If the suitor chooses correctly, he automatically wins Portia's hand in marriage. If he does not choose correctly, he must leave her presence never to return.From the Middle Ages all the way to circa 1800, Jews were marginalized in Europe. They had to wear special clothing to distinguish themselves from Christians. In Shakespeare's vision, Shylock is constantly harassed by Antonio, until, the latter needs money to help his friend Bassanio in his quest for Portia. Rather than charge interest on the debt if it's not repaid according to the agreement, Shylock desires "a pound of flesh" to be taken from Antonio's breast. He stipulates this in the bond or contract for the debt as payback for the many injustices inflicted upon Shylock simply because he is a Jew.Meanwhile, suitors are coming from all over Europe to attempt the "game" of the caskets to win Portia's hand. Simultaneously, Shylock's daughter, Jessica, has fallen in love with a Venetian Christian, against her father's wishes. The different story lines intersect and climax with the famous courtroom scene in which Shylock demands his "pound of flesh", arguing his case in a Venetian courtroom presided over by the Duke of Venice. One of the great masterpieces of English literature brought to the large screen with beautiful scenery, costuming and music which does justice to the era in which the story takes place.
SnoopyStyle
It's 1596 Venice. Jews face restrictions even in the liberal city state. They are forbidden to hold property. They charge usury which is something unChristian and are demonized for it. Bassanio (Joseph Fiennes) asks 3000 ducats from melancholy Antonio (Jeremy Irons) to woo wealthy heiress Portia (Lynn Collins). Bassanio is able to get moneylender Shylock (Al Pacino) to make it an interest-free 3 month loan but Antonio must give a pound of flesh if he fails to repay the loan. There is animosity on both sides. After Antonio's ships are lost, Shylock goes to court seeking his pound of flesh.This is one of the more troubling Shakespearian plays to a modern audience. The villainous Shylock is the quintessential money-grubbing vengeful Jew that is the caricature Jew for every antisemite. There is no doubt that Al Pacino is brilliant and injects a humanity into a villain that is usually two-dimensional. In fact, it is questionable if Shylock is truly a villain in his hands. The comedy may not wear well especially as a modern play but Pacino turns it into something more compelling.
Gabriel Teixeira
One of Shakespeare's best works, yet incredibly underused in cinema; involving such memorable characters like the Venetian merchant Antonio, his friend Bassanio, Bassanio's beloved Portia and, of course, the Jewish moneylender Shylock. Antonio takes money from Shylock so Bassanio can use it to compete for Portia's hand; however, when he fails to pay the debt, Shylock takes him to court for the right to his bond: a pound of flesh, from Antonio.The story is very good, as often with Shakespeare's plays. Director Michael Radford (who had previously made the best adaptation of Orwell's '1984' so far) manages to make a captivating scenario in the form of 1586 Venice; almost every scene is nice to look at, with both the city itself and the costumes looking straight from a Renaissance painting. Jeremy Irons is excellent as Antonio, conveying the sad and contradictory nature of his character without needing words; yet, he is upstaged by Al Pacino, one of the best and most sympathetic Shylock I've ever seen, complete with one of the best rendition's of the famous 'Hath not a Jew eyes?' speech.It is often with 'The Merchant of Venice' that Shylock completely steals the show, and because of it a film adaptation of it is often avoided. It is no wonder: as a Jew character written in a time Jews were badly seen, he (and his ultimate fate) often makes the play seen anti-semitic. Yet, Shakespeare doesn't make the mistake of portraying him as any less than a human; Radford reinforces it, which combined with Pacino's masterful acting makes us truly feel for Shylock, sad for his daughter's actions, for his treatment by the Venetians, and makes his anger and actions comprehensible though still wrong.There are problems, though. Within the play, that is often a fault of Antonio and Jessica, Shylock's daughter. They are far too contradictory and Antonio is often too mopey, to the point of both being unlikable without a good performer portraying them (and flat-out insufferable with a bad one). Thankfully, Jeremy Irons is a great one: his Antonio isn't the 'oh I suffer so much!' kind of character I dislike in most plays, but one whose suffering is both explainable and sympathetic.On the other hand, Zuleikha Robinson does an overly poor Jessica; yet, by making Jessica that unlikeable it ends up making Shylock the more sympathetic in his suffering. On another negative note, is the 'comedy' side of the play; far less compelling than the tragedy of Shylock and serving little other than starting and ending that side, it doubles here by having a very weak performances. Joseph Fiennes gets around by way of his pretty-boy looks rather than acting skill (the opposite of his brother, Ralph Fiennes); plus, he looks far too mischievous and treacherous for the good guy Bassanio. Lynn Collins, likewise, is rather uneventful as Portia and, while far from bad looking, doesn't really seem all that worthy of Bassanio's and Antonio's sacrifices. However, she shines in the courtroom scene, not really matching but being a worthy foil for Pacino's Shylock.Overall, a very good film and adaptation of one of my favorites from Shakespeare. The excellent scenarios and visuals, along with masterful performances from Jeremy Irons and Al Pacino, more than make up for the minor drawbacks; I just wished this story would get to see the light of day more.
leplatypus
It starts strong: Captions say that the Jewish discrimination and ghetto have been invented in this city of love and it's really the first time that I discovered the fact. It's again a proof that our European democracies are really old senile states plagued by amnesia if it isn't they are just deceptive and try to brainwash their citizens. In my opinion, the red hat worths a yellow star.Next, if the story is a bit hard to follow as we need a time of adaptation to the flow of a classic play, it becomes more and more interesting: Pacino plays an old Jew that denounces dryly this discrimination. So, when Al's talent meet Shakespeare's inspired quill, it's fantastic: His speech about being just another human being is a great moment! His speech against slavery hits bullseye: a law can be cruel as justice needs also mercy. But Shakespeare isn't only a dissident: his speeches about music and love are really stunning as well. If we can regret that the romantic Venice isn't shown (no piazza, basilica or palazzo) and that some back story aren't really interesting (Al's daughter), the movie has a last surprise as the newcomer Lynn Collins is really mesmerizing, especially when she crosses dressed! The way her character plays and fight for her lover with tremendous law ability and heart, you can conclude that Shakespeare draw a beautiful portrait of a strong woman in a time that was strictly masculine.In conclusion, this movie should be a recommendation for those who would like a good introduction to Shekeaspeare's talent: a bit like our French Moliere, his sharp criticism is dressed under comedy and frivolity so the powerful idiots can't understand what it happens! And if you heard that the movie is anti-semitic, it's not true and it's a trick to strangle the truth: opening the veil about an antisemitic world isn't the same as being antisemitic.(NB: a more personal note: I watched it on evening after having finished reading Dan Brown's "Inferno" in the afternoon. Yesterday, I watched "Deerfield" with the same Pacino. The book takes place in Firenze then Venezia. The movies happen in Firenze then Venezia. The probabilities are so astounding that I ask if I should take this a divine wink? If it's a message, which one? I remember that it has already happens with my last "x-files" review and that I actually read Mark Millar's "Secret Service" which shares the same threat (overpopulation) than "Inferno"! Something is building up through my cultural choices, uh … ?)
