IGN.com|AskMen.com|Rotten Tomatoes|GameSpy|FilePlanet|TeamXbox|CheatsCodesGuides|GameStats|Direct2Drive

RottenTomatoes.com

Register | Log In | What is RT?
It's our 10th birthday, so you get presents!
Home Movies DVD Celebrities News Critics Photos & Trailers The Vine Forums
Box Office | In Theaters | Opening | Upcoming | Best Of | Certified Fresh | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
 
MOVIES / ON DVD / WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE'S THE MERCHANT OF VENICE
William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice

Rate This Movie

Write a Review
See Pictures
Share This Movie
Add to List
Buy DVD
Buy Poster

Bookmark and Share

William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice (2004)

70%
68%
81%
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
Reviews Counted: N/A Fresh: N/A  Rotten:N/A Average Rating: N/A
 
Consensus: A respectable if uneven take on the Bard's The Merchant of Venice.
 

How does the Tomatometer work?

The Tomatometer measures the percentage of positive reviews from Approved Tomatometer Critics for a certain movie.[-]

Runtime: 2 hrs 11 mins

Theatrical Release: Dec 29, 2004 Limited

Box Office: $3,752,725

Synopsis: 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... 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. [More]

Genre: Dramas

Starring: Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, Joseph Fiennes, Zuleikha Robinson, Charlie Cox

Director: Michael Radford
Screenwriter: Michael Radford
Producer: Cary Brokaw, Jason Piette, Michael Lionello Cowen, Barry Navidi
Composer: Jocelyn Pook

DVD Info

Release:

May 10, 2005

[DVD Details]

DVD Features:

  • Anamorphic Widescreen - 2.35

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
  • Subtitles - English - Closed Captioning
  • Subtitles - French - Optional

Additional Release Material:

  • Audio Commentary - 1. Michael Radford - Director, Lynn Collins - Star
  • Featurette - 1. Making of THE MERCHANT OF VENICE
  • Trailers - 1. Sony Pictures Previews

DVD-ROM:

  • Weblinks - Teachers' Guide

Buy It On DVD

REVIEWS

 
T-Meter Critics
 
 
Top Critics
 
 
RT Community
 
 
My Critics
 
 
My Friends
 
 
DVD
 
 
 
 
 
Looks like your friends haven't reviewed this film yet.

Want to know what they think? Ask them!

Invite Friends To Review This Film
See More Topics...

Related Forums

Darko, Donnie
MERCHANT OF VENICE is a 'problem' play till u add Pacino amid real Venetian settings!
by: Darko, Donnie 6/29/05


Tal Lewinger
Canadian Premiere of "The Merchant of Venice" presented by the Toronto Jewish Film Fe
by: Tal Lewinger 12/27/04
all

Pictures

all

News

Kidman & Pacino in "Prosecution" Remake?
posted by Scott Weinberg July 13, 2006
Billy Wilder's 1957 film "Witness for the Prosecution" is rather excellent, which is why most (old) movie...

Around the Network

• William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice at Rotten Tomatoes
• William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice at IGN
• William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice at AskMen
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | ModCenter | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2008, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.