The Tempest, naturally enough, is a film adaptation of Shakespeare's final play. Prospera (Helen Mirren), a prominent Neapolitan aristocrat, is cheated out of her inheritance by her brother and dispatched with her infant daughter to a bleak island where they are abandoned for ten years. When her brother's ship passes by the island Prospera takes her chance and wields her magic to create a storm which wrecks the ship on the island. The survivors are scattered across the island. The King, Prospera's brother and two others of the Neapolitan court are left to wander the wilds, tormented by Ariel, Propera's servant spirit. Prince Ferdinand is alone but meets and falls in love with the now full-grown Miranda, helped along by her conniving mother. Trinculo and Stephano, the king's butler and chef, wend their drunken way across the island and are joined by Caliban, native of the island who is under Prospera's colonial heel and who plots with the two clowns to reclaim his land.
Although I know it less well than some of Shakespeare's plays I like The Tempest a lot and was very keen to see a film adaptation of it, especially after seeing the very promising trailer, full of cool visual effects and proudly displaying the innovative decision to make the central character of Propsero into a woman. However, the sad truth is that the finished film doesn't live up to its pre-release hype. Julie Taymor, despite her bold decisions, just hasn't taken the concept far enough. The finished product looks like a made-for-TV adaptation and would have held up perfectly well in 30-minute segments on the BBC, but on the big screen it just isn't bold enough. My cinema-companion, Matching Curtains, and I found it disappointing and almost boring in parts. Prospera and Miranda's 'cell' is a case in point, it just looks far too much like a set: too stylised and not fantastical enough. Prosepra is a powerful witch; would she really be living in a half-furnished cave? On the stage of the RSC it would work ok but on screen it doesn't take advantage of the medium. Perhaps Taymor was short on budget but I couldn't help feeling that if that was the case she should have pitched her version for the small screen.
The casting is very good and this, along with the script of course, saves the film from complete failure. Helen Mirren is perfect for Prospera and it is interesting how the relationship between that character and Miranda, and even her usurpment, takes on new meaning once the character is female. Djimon Hounsou is solid casting as Caliban and gives the character a real sense of menace, even if the portrayal isn't exactly ground-breaking. Ben Whishaw stands out as Arial, he is a perfect fit as the ethereal sylph and even when covered in black paint and feathers as a harpy he looks amazing. Russell Brand and Alfred Molina's chemistry and comic timing make the scenes with Trinculo and Stephano the highlights of the film. Unfortunately Miranda and Ferdinand, on the other hand, distinctly lack chemistry. Felicity Jones is competent but there is no fizz between her and Reeve Carney, who does not look like my idea of a handsome prince, resembling as he does a moustachioed weasel.
So, sadly, not the definitive adaptation that I was hoping for. A disappointingly pedestrian version that will suffice as a visual representation for GCSE classes studying the play, but really doesn't take advantage of this most fantastical of Shakespeare's plays. A sad opportunity missed.
It seems that we are one on this Filmknitter. A very flat production indeed. Still, a good excuse for a critical mauling, eh?!
Posted by: Lindsey | March 11, 2011 at 12:19 PM