The Tempest

Let me say right off: I am a total Bardolator. I teach Shakespeare, I am obsessed with Shakespeare, I have read and seen all the plays, and my love affair with the Bard began with seeing a live performance of The Tempest in 1975. It was pure magic. I also love movies, and I believe that in the 21st century, filmed versions of Shakespeare's plays are probably the best way to reach the widest audience. The sneers and sniffs of snobs aside, I am convinced that if Will were alive today, he'd be writing movie screenplays (or even television), NOT stage plays, which today are aimed at a narrow, elite, theatre-going audience. As a literature professor who has been teaching The Tempest for a decade now, I have always been singularly bemused by the lack of a filmed version that really captures the magical spirit of the play. The old TV Richard Burton show is well-acted but silly, the BBC version has great actors but terrible, flat production values, Prospero's Books is brilliant but incomprehensible to all but those who know the play intimately, Derek Jarman's version is terribly dated and, despite being a good "film," just doesn't work as The Tempest, in my opinion. The other, "scholastic" releases are plagued by poor production and/or undistinguished acting. And I won't even bother with "adaptations" of the plot, such as Forbidden Planet or Cassavettes's Tempest. Until this version, the only truly excellent version of The Tempest was the HBO animated one, but at 25 minutes, not much of Shakespeare's story remained intact. Just last week I had the great pleasure of seeing Julie Taymor's The Tempest in London. It was absolutely amazing. The magic was there! The acting, for the most part, was brilliant. The script contained enough of the actual play's language that the minor tweakings to make it easier for contemporary audiences did not bother me a bit. The visuals were absolutely stunning. The movie was a joy from start to finish. I can't wait to see it again--repeatedly--to savor all the special moments over and again. My only regret is that my students will be unable to see it this year due to the late release date. [REVISION NOTE: This year's students had the opportunity to see this version, and they overwhelmingly LOVED it. It brought the play to life for them. At last, I no longer have to convince them that The Tempest really IS a great play! 01/19/12] If you love Shakespeare, and if you enjoy movie adaptations of the plays, DO NOT MISS THIS ONE!

I have seen only one other filmed version of "The Tempest", the BBC version, and I agree with others who say that in spite of a good cast lead by great Shakespearean actor, Michael Hordern, it is flat and visually uninteresting. That is a good place to start when speaking of this film, shot on two Hawaiian islands, including the volcanic regions on the big island. The scenery is gorgeous and perfectly befitting the play. The landscape tends to put the humans in proper perspective. Little. The great background is enhanced by a touch of special effects, especially in the presentation of the spirit, Ariel. In the background piece, it was reported that Ben Whishaw, the actor who played Arial, would not be available when the company went to Hawaii. So, many of his parts are inserted by special effect, which has the benefit of giving him a very spectral quality. If the special effects and the landscape do anything unfortunate, it is to shrink Prospera in comparison. Either though direction, camera work, or acting, Prospera the magician simply does not come off with the gravitas of Gandalf in LOTR (even though he rarely uses magic.) Prospera's effects are spectacular. It almost seems as if Prospera were played by an even slighter actress, the contrast would have been so great as to make a strong impression. Caliban is Ariel's opposite, earthy in the extreme. In the BBC production, the Caliban character was covered with a stringy, weedy costume which tended to obscure his reactions to the camera. You can almost recognize Djimon Hounsou as the Nubian who played Russell Crowe's fellow gladiator in the movie of that name. Between his natural skin color and makeup, it appears he is caked with mud. Caliban's two henchmen from the storm-tossed ship are two of Shakespeare's great fool characters, Trinculo and Stefano, played to perfection by Russell Brand and Alfred Molina. It just may be that this trio steals the show from Mirren. But Mirren gives a great performance, outdoing Hordern easily. As director Julie Taymor notes, it was simple to change the male character Prospero to Prospera, as it was no more than changing a few pronouns. Far, far easier, for example, than changing King Lear or Hamlet to a woman. The love interest is played by Reeve Carney as Ferdinand, Alonso's son, who falls in love with Miranda, Prospera's daughter, played by felicity Jones. Like many of Shakespeare's romances, they tend to be less interesting than the fools and the perils of the plot. Neither seem accomplished actors, although they carry their parts reasonably well, in this, one of the Himalayas of English language theatre. The four noblemen are played well by Chris Cooper as Antonio, Prospera's brother and Miranda's uncle, Alan Cumming as Sebastian - Alonso's brother, Tom Conti as Gonzalo, a counselor to Alonso, who gave aid to Prospera and Miranda David Strathairn as Alonso, King of Naples, but I confess, Shakespeare has saved the best parts for the fools and the young lovers. The overall effect makes this possibly the only Tempest worth watching. One yearns to see what The Tempest would look like with Ian McKellen in the lead, after his long run as that most famous wizard, Gandalf.

Absolut zuverlässig

The Tempest is Shakespeare's last great play, and i've been hoping that eventually someone would take advantage of the advances in cinematic technology to bring its magic to the screen as effectively as Peter Jackson and crew did with Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. Julie Taymor is just the director to achieve this, and the visual effects in this film are everything one could hope for and more, especially considering the budget limitations which ruled out elaborate CGI. The next question is whether this film could be equally successful in rendering the psychological turmoil and interpersonal conflicts which revolve around the magician at the centre of the play. And the answer, for me, is that this film is _dramatically_ the most powerful version of The Tempest that i've seen on stage or screen. The decision to cast the wronged magician Prospero as a woman was bound to raise eyebrows, but Helen Mirren's performance as Prospera blows away all doubts on that score. It is masterful in every way, especially in its embodiment of her struggle against the dark side of her own power. The rest of the cast is equally good, and i would single out Ben Whishaw's Ariel as a revelation. I've seen some good stage Ariels, but never before one who is so totally convincing as a powerful and shapeshifting being whose volatile moods are expressed in every move, thanks not not only to the imaginative visual effects but also to Whishaw's performance as an actor. All the human characters, including Caliban, likewise come across as real people with real motivations and realistic reactions to the situations they find themselves in -- even the young lovers Miranda and Ferdinand, whose idealism is difficult to flesh out, especially in a play which revolves so much around political intrigue, murderous lust for power and revenge. The more comic characters are hilarious too, although this production brings out the parallel between their plot against Prospera and the plot against the king of Naples, so the "dark side" is never far below the surface. I can't say how this film would come across to someone totally new to Shakespeare, or to this play, but i was totally absorbed in the story on first viewing -- and in reflecting on it afterwards, i'm amazed at how well Taymor and the whole cast have used Shakespeare's words to enhance the power of the experience. They have certainly not treated the language of the play as an untouchable relic; the gender change of Prospero to Prospera required some (surprisingly minor) changes to the dialogue and the back story. And like most good productions of Shakespeare, they have dropped parts of the text that don't move the story forward or contribute immediately to character development or atmosphere. But it all comes across so seamlessly that even someone familiar with the text will hardly notice the omissions or changes, except maybe the lines inserted into Shakespeare's blank verse to deal with the gender change. And those unfamiliar with Shakespearean language should have little trouble following what's being said and probably won't notice how much of it _is_ blank verse. In short, this is the Tempest i've been waiting for, the one that finally marries the magic of Shakespeare's imagination with the magic of film, and i hope everyone will revel in it as much as i do. And by the way, the blu-ray picture is gorgeous (thanks especially to the location on a Hawaiian island), and (as usual with Taymor's films) the extras are substantial, informative and entertaining in themselves.

Lors de la sortie du dvd, dans le monde et pour le monde anglo-saxon, je reconnais ne pas avoir pu aller très loin dans le film, faute d'une maîtrise parfaite de l'anglais que requiert une telle oeuvre, tant le Verbe est là omniprésent et omnipénétrant, convoquant images et fantasmagories, soubresauts émotionnels et ruminations hébétées. Loufoqueries, images, Rumeurs et envols de symboles, En furies éthérées et aériennes, Rondes incessantes des saisons du temps, Conjugaisons et mariages des quatre éléments, Air, eau, terre et feu, Illustrant et singeant la révolution des astres, Des constellations et des galaxies. C'est là Shakespeare, Le surnaturel génie, Qui ne cessera d'irradier de son magistère tout de mots habillés, Les siècles et les siècles de la création et réflexion humaines. Heureusement, nous avons maintenant une belle version française pour ce film de Julie Taymor, ce qui nous permet à nous, les francophones, d'entrer enfin dans cette féérie inspirée et fidèle à l'esprit de "La Tempête" de Shakespeare. Réjouissons-nous qu'une telle réalisation soit possible en ce début de XXI° siècle, comme envahi et même submergé pourtant par moultes histoires creuses et clinquantes. Merci à Julie Taymor pour cette intelligence, cette ténacité, cette authentique démarche créatrice et visionnaire, autant de qualités qui lui auront permis de mener à bien un tel projet, pour, par et en l'honneur de Shakespeare. Magistral et magnifique. Pour cela, Bravo, Bravissimo, Et merci. Un seul regret peut-être à propos du blu-ray, somptueux à tous égards au demeurant (image et son) : l'absence de bonus et documentaires sur les coulisses et la genèse du projet.

Wow this is one of those movies that I am completely baffled about poor ranking among critics. The film was gorgeous, well acted and very understandable for such a difficult play. The main joy of the movie is Dame Helen. She does bitterness superbly. I loved the scene when Miranda first meets Ferdinand - Mirren's ironic commentary added a whole new dimension to the play for me. I absolutely loved the rendition of the spirit Ariel. There was plenty of gorgeous scenery both real and mixed with CGI. THE TEMPEST is an odd assortment of magic, treachery, young love, silly comedy, and odd goings on, but filled with a cast that makes it jumps alive with passion and glee. Highly recommended.

difficile de se coltiner le grand will himself en donnant le rôle principal à une femme mais il s'agit d'helen Mirren et on doit à cette réalisatrice Julie TAYMOR ,outre un très estimable hommage aux Beatles ( across the universe ) le sublime "Frida (kahlo )! le résultat est magnifique, onirique, poétique le grand Will peut être satisfait du résultat, même s'il était quelque peu misogyne !