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Features: DVD, Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 2.35:1, Dolby Digital (5.1), Dolby Surround Sound, Audio Commentary, Featurette, French Subtitled
From Michael Radford, the Academy Award-nominated director of Il Postino, comes the critically-acclaimed screen adaptation of William Shakespeare's controversial classic, The Merchant of Venice. Antonio (Jeremy Irons), a successful but cash-poor merchant, approaches Shylock (Al Pacino), a wealthy moneylender, for a loan to help his young friend Bassanio (Joseph Fiennes, Shakespeare in Love) woo the fair Portia (Lynn Collins, 13 Going on 30). Despite being longtime enemies, Shylock grants the request, but demands one pound of Antonio's flesh if the debt is not repaid on time. When Antonio defaults on the loan, Shylock seeks what is legally owed to him but soon learns that those to whom evil is done, do evil in return.
"...one of the best pictures of the year! Al Pacino's performance is among the best!" Jack Matthews, New York Daily News
"An exceptional example of Shakespeare on film. " Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
"...two thumbs up! Pacino's amazing!" Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
Editor's Note
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 and the grim realities of Jewish oppression are not shied away from here, which lends the film further richness and complexity. With the play's rich array of dramatic and comedic elements all perfectly in tune, MERCHANT OF VENICE earns its place as the first truly great Shakespeare film of the 21st century.
| Features | Anamorphic Widescreen Presentation | | Audio Commentary With Director Michael Radford & Actress Lynn Collins | | Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound | | Interactive Menus | | Making Of The Merchant Of Venice Featurette | | Previews | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: French | | Weblink To The Teachers' Guide (A Classroom Guide) |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Columbia Tri-Star |
| Release Date: 3/27/2007 |
| Running Time: 131 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2004 | | Catalog ID: 10910 | | UPC: 00043396109100 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
British Academy Awards (2005) | | | Sammy Sheldon, Nominee, Best Costume Design |
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| | Professional Reviews | Uncut
"The Brits do their dependable Bardic stuff, and the clarity of Irons' diction lets the playwright's meaning ring like a bell." 01/01/2005 p.155New York Times
"[I]ntelligent without being showily clever....Watching the film is like seeing a gallery of Renaissance paintings come to life..." 12/29/2004 p.E1 Los Angeles Times
"[R]emarkably immediate and contemporary without ever seeming to strain for this effect." 12/29/2004 p.E16 Entertainment Weekly
"[I]t attains a bona fide Shakespearean vibrance." 01/14/2005 p.64 Rolling Stone
"Pacino, tackling a tough trap of a role, raises the bar in a mesmerizing acting triumph." 01/27/2005 p.68 James Berardinelli's ReelViews 7 of 10
The most likely audience for The Merchant of Venice is Shakespeare buffs, and they will proba - James Berardinelli
Chicago Sun-Times 7 of 10
The film is wonderful to look at, saturated in Renaissance colors and shadows, filmed in Venice, whi - Roger Ebert
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