Merchant of Venice
(watched at Setiabudi, 21-08-05)
A screenplay adaptation of Shakespeare's play with the same title, the setting of this movie is Venice, 1596. Rich, melancholy merchant Antonio loves the youthful but poor Lord Bassanio. So when Bassanio asks for 3000 ducats, Antonio says yes before knowing that it's purpose was to impress Portia, a young, beautiful, and very wealthy young woman whose riches she obtained from inheriting her father, and ask her hand in marriage.
With his capital tied up in merchant ships at sea, Antonio must go to Shylock, a Jewish moneylender(a.k.a loanshark) he despises, to borrow the money promised. Shylock wraps his grudge in kindness, offering a three-month loan at no interest, but if not repaid, Antonio will owe a pound of his flesh chosen by Shylock. The Jew's daughter then elopes with a Christian, whetting Shylock's hatred for Christians and furthermore Antonio, whom he believed assisted the eloping.
While Bassanio's away wooing Portia, all of Antonio's ships founder. Unable to pay his debt, Antonio surrenders to the penalty. Shylock, in anger and resentment towards Antonio, demanded his pound of flesh to be taken from the location nearest to the heart. With court assembled and a judgment due, the resourceful Lady Portia swings into action to save Bassanio's best friend.
If you thought Leonardo di Caprio's Romeo & Juliet act was a laugh, this is a movie that'll replenish the magic of Shakespeare. Possible problems faced by viewers are the similar Italian names and fashion, which if you're not used to, would take extra effort in remembering the characters and their roles. The lines, like many other shakespeare work, are witty, funny, and romantic with a touch of sarcasm. The movie itself is catagorized as a Romantic Drama/Comedy. The only downfall was the adaptation only told the main story of the original play and thus left out many intriguing side stories. A must see for Shakespeare fans, I give this movie a 4.5 out of 5 stars.
note: I would have given 3.75 stars because the side stories were really good, but since the movie was uncensored and filled with flashes of nudity, i gave an extra 0.75 *wide grin*
A small tip for people eager to read shakespeare but have trouble with old English:
1. Just read out the letters. They are spelled a bit different, but sound just the same.
2. As far as grammar is concerned, u understand Master Yoda of Starwars right? Its the same thing :)
2 Comments:
utk buku berbahasa asing, saya punya masalah besar... karena berdasarkan penelitian bertahun2... menyarankan utk tdk menerjemahkan bhs asing pada malam hari, apalagi jika kita bertugas utk menjaga markas... karena dalam pertempuran besoknya, akan mati duluan tertusuk tombak.. :(
ada orgil...
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