The Merchant of Venice

If The Merchant of Venice were a tragedy and Shylock its protagonist, this would be a perfect production. Since it is a comedy, and Shylock is the villain, there are problems.

This British National Theatre version cuts Shylock's asides, Jessica's scene in male attire, Old Gobbo, and much of Lancelot Gobbo.

Set in Edwardian England, it adds voice-overs (an off-screen scream after Shylock leaves the court and a Jewish requiem - the "Kaddish" - at the end of the play) and photographs of his beloved wife and daughter to make Shylock seem more sympathetic. As part of this process, Jessica and Lorenzo become unsympathetic characters who do not appear to be in love with each other. The romantic, "in-such-a-night" scene (5.1) is played with the two standing as far apart as possible, with the cold, presumably fortune-hunting Lorenzo smoking a pipe. The production ends with a guilt-stricken Jessica alone.

The cast, though a bit old for the parts, is uniformly and undeniably charming, and Olivier ranges from excellent to superb.

This reinterpretation of the play is by no means unusual or unjustifiable in a post-Holocaust world, and it makes an effective film.

This version was set in the early 1900's to give the book a more different feel. The Merchant of Venice would have to be my favorite Shakespeare book and this TV movie would have to be the best out of all the movies I've seen on the Merchant of Venice. It should be noted that the main roles in the film are of top calibre Actors who really perform well, especially Laurence Olivier who did a fantastic job of playing Shylock the Jew.

The only over acting would have to come from Prince Arragon and Morocco who definitely go over the top (and I don't think anyone whose read the book would imagine Prince Arragon to be 80 years old)

Apart from that slight hiccup from the Slump duo the film is worth watching and is ideal for anyone who wants to study the book or rehearse The Merchant of Venice

Laurence Olivier's run at the National Theatre included this gem which cast himself as Shylock, with his wife Joan Plowright as Portia. Originally staged in 1970, the cast transferred with ease to this TV version (the only major substitution being Michael Jayston for Derek Jacobi as Gratiano).

It moves along quite well and is definitely buoyed up by its starry lead duo. The rejected suitors have a comic aspect which sits well with the 'pound of flesh' seriousness of the remainder. Glad it was recorded for us all to enjoy.

Olivier's Shylock is a wonderful characterization, painful to watch (as it should be) at times, but the show belongs to Joan Plowright as Portia. She is the consummate lady, at times abstracted or petulant (did her wise old father perhaps spoil her a bit?) but always magnetic. Jeremy "Freddy Eynsford-Hill" Brett is a sweet young Bassanio (how did he grow up to be Sherlock Holmes?) and Anna Carteret a smooth, smiling Nerissa, and Miller does interesting things with Jessica and Lorenzo in Act Five. My one quibble is with Anthony Nicholls as Antonio. He and Shylock go around like white-haired doppelgangers in black top hats and cloaks, which is a nice touch, but he himself is just *there*. We don't know what Bassanio sees in him, what he sees in Bassanio, why he hates Shylock so much, why Shylock would bother to hate him, if he's at all distressed at the prospect of forfeiting his bond or concerned about his ships. The suitors mug rather and the singing ladies in the final casket scene are somewhat painful, but it's a creditable job overall.

'The Merchant of Venice' is not among my favourites of William Shakespeare's plays, but in no way is that a knock. It is one of his most controversial plays, being dubbed by many as anti-semitic and sparks much debate today, not just for that but also analysing the character of Shylock (as to whether he is a villain or a sympathetic character) and there is debate frequently of whether the play is a comedy or tragedy. It is also one of his most interesting, as an overall play and when analysing the text and characters, especially for Shylock's Act 3 Scene 1 speech and Shylock himself.

It's a play that has a mostly solid DVD competition (that includes the 1980 BBC Television Shakespeare production, 2004 film and the one with Jonathan Pryce as Shylock), with the only disappointment in my view being the 2015 Royal Shakespeare Company production for primarily the under-cooked stage direction (as a result of trying to put more emphasis on Antonio and not doing enough with everything else) and an out of his depth Shylock. This 1973 film is not perfect but overall it is one of the better available versions of 'The Merchant of Venice'.

Am going to be another person that felt that Charles Kay and Stefan Greif resort too much to clownish mugging. Often it is Launcelot that's the annoying character but not here.

More perhaps could have done with Antonio's conversion to mercy.

However, there is so much to like about this version of 'The Merchant of Venice'. Even though updated, here than Victorian era rather than the Elizabethan one, the setting is very handsomely and handsomely designed captured beautifully by the photography. Carl Davis' score is suitably rousing with also some truly ravishingly orchestrated parts. Jonathan Miller's direction is intelligently done and tasteful, with no pointless or gratuitous touches that make no sense (a bugbear of mine for non-traditional productions of operas, ballets and plays). The characters of Shylock and Portia are especially well directed.

Furthermore, Shakespeare's mastery of language and writing shines through all the time in the play, given with full impact from beginning to end here. 'The Merchant of Venice' is full of witty and ironic humour, a vast majority of it inducing many laughs without being overdone generally. The more serious, somewhat tragic elements of the story are poignant while not being overly-serious that it becomes dreary. Act 3 Scene 1 is the play's turning point and handled beautifully. The story is never static or too busy, while always being compelling.

Laurence Olivier is superb as Shylock, it was a complex suitably ambiguous portrayal that didn't make him too sympathetic or too much of a villain (getting that balance right and not falling in either extreme is what is difficult about the part). The other standout is Joan Plowright as a very intelligent Portia while Jeremy Brett is a strong presence as Bassanio. Personally liked Anthony Nicholls' Antonio, it was a subtle portrayal while successful in showing the nastier side of Antonio in his treatment of Shylock (without going too far on that). Denis Lawson manages to achieve the near-impossible feat of not making Launcelot, one of Shakespeare's most crude and obnoxious characters, annoying while still having personality.

Overall, very well done version to be seen for Olivier. 8/10