The
lowdown: This highly-regarded TV production of William Shakespeare's
classic comedy was made for Channel
4 and first broadcast in
the UK on 15 December 1996. It features Paul McGann as Bassanio, a young
Venetian who
takes out a loan with a
Jewish moneylender, Shylock (Bob Peck), in order to court the woman he
loves, Portia
(Haydn Gwynne). Shylock
agrees to lend him three thousand ducats, without interest. Bassanio's
good friend Antonio
(the merchant of the play's
title, and played by Benjamin Whitrow) agrees to act as guarantor, and
the contract
stipulates that Shylock
will be entitled to a pound of Antonio's flesh if the loan is not repaid
in full. With the loan secured
, Bassanio travels to the
city of Belmont, where he declares his love for Portia, and she agrees
to marry him.
However, when Antonio defaults
on the loan, Shylock demands payments in full - he is determined to quite
literally
get his pound of flesh,
and vows court action to claim what is rightfully his. Thus sets the scene
for the trial in Venice,
where Portia presides over
the proceedings disguised as a male law clerk, and manages to not only
save Antonio's life
but turn the tables on Shylock
(while somehow not being recognised by Bassanio as his own wife!). Portia
in her guise
as the law clerk asks only
one thing of Bassanio - the ring that she had given him and that he had
promised to never
lose or sell, and he somewhat
reluctantly agrees. Bassanio and Antonio return to Venice, where Portia
reveals the truth
and gives back his ring.
The
verdict: 'The Merchant of Venice' has been filmed for TV and
film many times, and this version has excellent
production values. The period
costumes and sets are convincing, and the acting is superb. Bob Peck as
Shylock
and Haydn Gwynne as Portia
are particularly good, and this film is highly recommended for fans of
Shakespeare
and those who have not had
much exposure to the Bard's work. Debate still rages about whether this
play is anti-
Semitic (Shylock is portrayed
as a greedy usurer, charging exorbitant amounts of interest, while the
judgment against
him includes the order that
he convert to Christianity), but this remains one of Shakespeare's most
popular and
accessible works. Sadly,
this version of the film is not yet available on DVD, although it was released
on VHS.
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