The Merchant of Venice (2004)

This is a wonderful film production of Shakespeare's meditation on mercy. It helps that the play is a masterpiece to begin with.

As anti-semitism is widely practiced in 16th century Venice, a Jewish money lender called Shylock sees no problem in making a deal with a gentile business man, Antonio, that the cost of default on the loan would be a pound of his own flesh. Of course there is romance in Shakespeare's play and this is played out with Shylock's daughter eloping with a Christian which only firms Shylock's hatred of the Christians and then there is Antonio's protogé Bassanio who borrows the money in order to seek the hand of the princess Portia.

The romantic side stories and Portia's antics actually diminish the greater drama played out between Shylock and Antonio, though Portia's own role at showing mercy to her husband echos that of the courtroom.

The acting and set design are exquisite, but nothing beat the fact that I wanted justice as much as Shylock did and I actually rooted against mercy in all cases causing much reflection following the film - Why do I prefer justice over mercy when I have been shown so much mercy?

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She's the Man (2006)

This is an entertaining though quite hollow adaptation of Shakespeare's The Twelfth Night.

Viola is a soccer player bent on showing that girls can play as well as boys. She disguises herself as a boy and begins classes at another school to prove the point. Situational humour ensues and as it is a comedy, the end is happy.

There is plenty of slapstick and overly dramatic fare and overall, the film succeeds as entertainment, but don't expect much more than that. She's the Man panders more to its teenage audience than it ought to.

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My Own Private Idaho (1991)

Gus van Sant delivers a western version of Midnight Cowboy with a big splash of Shakespeare.

Mike is a narcoleptic male prostitute in Idaho who gets bailed out and cared for by a rebellious rich kid, Scott. Mike is on a search to find the mother who abandoned him. Scott playing the hustler to try his rich daddy.

The film is extremely melancholy. There aren't any scenes built in to contrast the despair which makes the film hard to watch. A long scene adaptation of Henry IV which is done in Olde English tortures us and makes us thankful for the normal scenes that follow. Keanu Reaves is his wooden standard while River Phoenix performs masterfully as the tortured kid.

While there are strong sensitivities exposed in the story, the main gist is that no one cares about this kid - except perhaps us, the viewers.

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Stage Beauty (2004)

Set in 17th Century London, we enter the world of playhouses where for decades law demanded that female roles were played by men so as to avoid the scandal of women actors. That is until now when a lenient king and a daring actress merge in history.

I thought this subject to be one of antiquity - females in theatre and film are not an issue today. Then I watched the film and was intrigued at how the initial plot of women storming the stage was turned around to focus on the man, played superbly by Billy Crudup, who was disenfranchised. Crudup's character, the premier stage actor of the time to portray women, was already emasculated by his acting mentor. Now he has no identity when the opportunity to practice what he knows best is taken away.

I can't say that I fully enjoyed Claire Danes' acting. She seems to emote the same in all her roles. Now that I've seen her in a variety of films, I see her and not her character. The supporting cast was thoroughly enjoyable as they portrayed unassuming and playful characters. I do look forward to seeing Notes on a Scandal by the same director, Richard Eyre.

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William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999)

I've seen this play on stage twice and then with this film. I can say with assurance that live performances are much more fun even if the acting, sets and costumes aren't as exotic as they are in this film. The film is still fun though, full of laughs and production originality. The play within the play is still my favorite part and I howl with laughter at each production I see.

The pure magic of the story is of course Shakespeare's wit. The wide vocabulary, sharp puns, and rhyming make this a joy to simply listen to, let alone the imaginative setting and colourful characters.

This production went all out getting half a dozen of the hottest actors of that year and then filling the rest of the cast with another half dozen familiar faces. Kevin Kline is by far the stand-out actor in the bunch and you can tell he's having fun as Bottom. Calista Flockhart plays a great skinny Helena and Stanley Tucci is a likeable Puck.

Watching it again after 4 years, I was surprised that the special effects weren't more elaborate. The sets and costumes were certainly over the top with a lavish setting in 19th Century Italy. All fun and seductive.

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