Titus

Rating:
Summary: I am so sorry that I missed this movie in the theaters
Review: What is to be said about this movie that hasn't been said better by other reviewers? What is to be said about this play that hasn't been said by other critics?

Harold Bloom in Shakespeare:Invention of the Human dismissed this play as an orgy of gallows humor and said that it should be done by Mel Brooks if it was going to be done properly. A movie critic said that the gratuitous violence distracted from Shakespeare's themes (and my friends were laughing about that one for days) proving that the rush to love Shakespeare has left many Shakespearean plays unread.

As Shakespeare's Reservoir Dogs, this play serves up cannibalism, dismemberment, rape, murder, son killing, adultery, madness and corpses. As Aaron the Moor puts it "if I did one good deed in all my life - I repent of it". Anthony Hopkins is the center of attention as the Roman General so loyal to Rome that he'll kill his own son rather than see the Emporer disgraced. It takes a rare actor who can make this guy likeable, sympathetic even, and Hopkins performs beautifully. He's not so much heartless as he is stupid. The only parallel to Hannibal Lector is that we liked Hannibal Lector even when he was eating people. When he goes nuts he goes all the way and laughing in the face of his son's dismembered heads is one of the high points. (shortly followed by the order to his daughter to bear up his dismembered hand in her mouth.)

Glenn Close begans sympathetic as she bleeds for her son's life but once she's firmly established in the Roman court she begans to show her brutality. By the time she encourages her sons to rape Titus' daughter, you hate this woman but at least you admire her.

Alan Cummings is starting to get typecast as the campy crazy guy but he brings enough angst to the role of Saturnine that it's a brilliant performance nonetheless. He holds his own against Hopkins and Close. Also Aaron the Moor, who is normally a one-note villain, is performed so smoothly that you want him to succeed. SHakespeare would later perfect this villain with Richard III before moving on to more nuanced villains like Iago and Macbeth.

The sets are beautiful. The symbiosis of ancient and modern Rome is brilliant while the goth/punk/glam aesthetic is perfect for Shakespeare. Too often people think that Shakespeare should be British as in stiff upper-lip and people in tights. They neglect the fact that not only is Shakespeare universal because he can appeal to anyone, but that Elizabethan England was a much wilder and compelling context for Shakespeare than the Victorian England role models that have been coming at us in recent decades. Jazz age decadence and punk empires is the stuff of Shakespeare.

Be warned. This is an early Shakespeare play being adapted and it doesn't have the nuance, abivalence, philosophy or subtlety of his later work. This is an exercise in brutality and violence and there really isn't one sympathetic character in the play if you are reading it. It is up to the actors to make us like these people and they are fighting an uphill battle as these guys are horrid. There's also a lack of quotable dialogue that so overpowers Hamlet and later offerings. You won't find Renaissance Festival geeks spouting off dialogue from this thing (which alone makes it worth buying) and you won't make a career out of writing papers on this play. Shakespeare snobs and Bardolators need not apply.

Everyone else, buy this movie. Give it as a gift. Even if you are put off by Shakespeare - ESPECIALLY if you are put off by Shakespeare you need to see this thing.

Rating:
Summary: Fellini, Gilliam, Magritte & Dali go afishin'
Review: Fellini, Gilliam, Magritte & Dali go afishin' after a rousing night at the Rocky Horror Picture Show. I think that the most moving portrayal of the production was that of Michael Gross (from TV's Family Ties) who portrayed a smashing rendition of Titus Andronicus' brother. However, it must be said that the portrayals of Gary Coleman (as the innocent animatronics babe) and the guy in the blue down jacket (with the backward baseball cap) were nearly as moving. Thank God that we obtained this DVD gratis, because had we spent one one-millionth of the percentage of the production budget, we would have been sorely wronged. Julie (the director) had been better off sticking with the Broadway productions, for had she ever produced something as long and drawn out for the stage -- half of her audience would have died from plot asphyxiation. Titus is one of Shakespeare's first and most moving tragedies. But you'd never know it from this hipped-up Gen X Baz Luhrmann style of Shakespeare for the 21st century. It would be interesting to have a cup of tea with Jules (as I call her) because I really feel that it is unique for an individual to totally degender the entire cast, so as to create one horribly long Duran Duran Video. I hope that after this Michael Gross is still eligible for a reunion with Mallory, Alex, Jennifer and Elyse.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic, Morbid, Misunderstood.
Review: To start: _Titus_ is a bad play, and probably Shakespeare's worst work. It's melodramatic, ill-paced, and utterly over-the-top. However, this is a filmic adaptation I'm reviewing, not the Bard's written work. What Julie Taymor has done here is astounding: she has taken a low quality piece of work and, with costumes, landscapes and camera work that falls nothing short of astonishing, made it into a capitivating 3-hour experience that will make you laugh, cry and want to see it again.

The surreal atmosphere that unapologetically mixes 20s noir, mid 20th century machinery and ancient Rome is what makes the melodramatic plot and dialogue of the play work: when an unbelievable script is mixed properly with an unbelievable execution, another world, with its own rules and dynamics, is created. It's how Tolkien works, it's how 2001 works(with it's otherwise cardboard characters that take a seat behind Kubrick's elegant, awesome imagery.) It's vaguely cartoony in it's mechanics and epic, grotesque violence, and ends up being so much more than anything, I suspect, Shakespreare intended. Titus is a critique on the karmic nature of brutality, and also a gruesome look at human childishness.

Another aspect of this film I often see unfairly denounced is its blunt imagery. The scene in which a lamb is presented, echoing of the Biblical tale of Abraham and his son, and superimposed upon it is Mutius' head, the background awash with flames, is a prime example. Again, I insist that its non-esoteric, animated nature is what saves this wonderful gem of a movie, the dance number that begins Titus, and the hardcore techno blasts that accompany the presence of Tamora's villainous sons, all serve to expand(both ridiculously and aptly) on the glorification of violence and revenge. The ending scene(which, I admit, is bit heavy on the length; it could have been trimmed down, but ultimately does not ruin the movie) with two children of the play, one of which proves to be the only real adult in this entire story, is a symbol of new hope, hints of a Spring to follow the cold, merciless goings-on that they were victims of and voyeurs to.

On a somewhat digressive note, I would like to point out the superb acting that plays almost as much of a part of this film's success as Taymor's direction. Anthony Hopkins et al do a wonderful job of fleshing out plot-cog characters, and making them interesting and compelling through creative and witty inflection and facial expression.

To finish: I'm as critical of the avant-garde and nouveau-outre as anyone, I know crap can sometimes be sneaked into the spotlight under the guise of being innovative, but this is not crap. What we have here is perhaps the best interpretation of a Shakespearean play since Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet. This, I say with the full confidence of seasoned movie goer and critic. Please, do yourself a favor and rent this tonight.

Rating:
Summary: It's great, but it's not for everyone
Review: My opinion of most Shakespeare films is that you should not really judge them unless you have read and understood the play, and you certainly shouldn't bother with the films, especially to criticise, if you're not a fan of Shakespeare. The job of the directors is to present the play, not bear the responsibility of making you understand it. Titus takes an ever further exception, it's a bloody play with contents that would not agree with many viewers. If over-the-top violence, rape, mutilation and gore are not your thing, then by all means stay away from it. I happen to think it's a beautiful play that is neither inferior nor some depraved comedy, I will say it takes a certaiin sense of humor to enjoy it. I first read the play when I was 15 and it remains a a favorite. Taymore has done an admirable job in presenting the play in a form that is relevent and accessible, and her time blending themes do a lot for the play. Think if this had been performed in strict and proper setting? The fine cast would still be as fine but the whole purpose in making the film would have been lost, that purpose being that the heart of the material, the violence and cruelty are as alive today as they were in Rome. Ok, I could have done without the video games and so on, but I'm not having a fit over them. I think Taymore understands the play and presents it with intelligence and for me that makes a good Shakespeare director. The fine cast, as I said, is refreshingly more lively than pompous, favorites include Lennix, MacFadyan, Cummings, and Osheen Jones as an impressive Young Lucius. For those of you who like traditional Shakespeare, go to the theatre or watch an older film. For those of us Shakespeare fans who enjoy a more colorful and lively production, let us enjoy this. I'll call it a Masterpeice, and the best film of the year with an excellent cast and fun design ;)

Rating:
Summary: horror at its most disturbingly poetic
Review: There is no doubt that Titus is a brutal play, and it would be ridiculous to say that Taymor manages to redeem its more sordid moments...but she comes very close. Taymor knows the power of image and how a beautifully shot scene can take your breath away even when the words are less than top drawer ( of course, it must be said that even bottom drawer Shakespeare is pretty damn good). This film abounds with images of haunting and disturbing beauty that seem to ask that most frightening of questions : can acts of evil be beautiful? Perhaps the most heartstopping image is that of Lavinia, raped and mangled, standing alone atop a stump in a barren marsh. Her hands have been cutoff by Tamoras animalistic sons and they have been replaced with a bunch of twigs and as she stands Taymor pans out framing a picture of extraordinary pathos -- this is brilliant filmaking, this is filamking that takes your breath away. Of course the film would be nothing without the actors, who are a virtuosic lot. Hopkins Titus is a marvel of prismatic acting -- his move from noble (if flawed) father to a madman,who in his lunacy finds the light of truth, is remarkable and assured. Lange, the only non brit in the cast gives a bravuric performance, proving that she may well be one of the finest actresses in the world today. Her fabulous face, with its ability to go from angelic beauty to twisted ugliness on the turn of a dime only adds to a masterful performance. Of course one cannot forget Alan Cummings performance as the preening emperor -- brilliant! Lennix is GREAT as Aaron (clearly the model for Shakespeares greatest villain Iago). The supporting cast is flawless (especially the Lavinia and Tamoras two sons). Don't miss this movie it will move you deeply...how many recent movies can you say that about. Take that Phyllis Stein!

Rating:
Summary: Masterpiece!
Review: Titus was an incredible roller coaster ride from the beginning to the end. As an actress who loves and has studied/performed Shakespeare, I was once again stunned at the strange beauty of Titus and how it can be related to life today. The director used brilliant costumes, amazing sets, and unique anachronisms to make a gruesome play a very creative and moving masterpiece. Every character was believable and perfectly cast to make an unforgettable movie. Shakespeare will continue to amaze us until the end of time!

Rating:
Summary: Utter rubbish!
Review: I have never been so dissapointed with a film in all my life. This is stupidity of the highest order. Roman idiots dressed as nazis riding motorbikes and traveling in cars. Others dressed in punk rocker clothes, speaking into microphones. It is so pathetic it could be a comedy if it wasn't supposed to be taken seriously. Dull, drawn out, totaly lacking in any form of action. Actors all speaking in Shakespearian drawl. The only people who may like this are Shakespear buffs. Buy this at your peril. You have been warned!

Rating:
Summary: A Heady Union of the Surreal and the Visceral
Review: What I found most remarkable about Taymor's excellent adaptation of one of Shakespeare's most-maligned plays is the effectiveness of the time-scrambled imagery. One of the great things about film is its ability to visually comment on text and "Titus" does so in a way that is both accessible and challenging. Seeing Saturninus as a decadent Fascist or Chiron and Demetrius as S&M-chic Droogies resonates more than a period production would; the images help the viewer understand the characters while at the same time encouraging a more complex analysis of the play's outrageous violence and cruelty.

"Titus Andronicus" may well be among Shakespeare's least-important work but the film does an excellent job of making the play seem both relevant and profound. And besides all that, dig Revenge's crazy knife-helmet!

Rating:
Summary: Shakespeare's horrible secret
Review: War is two faced. Its political face, the one we witness occasionally on TV as we sit in our armchairs, is the war of glory, technology, idealism, and patriotism. We secretly welcome wars, minor foreign wars at any rate, as an opportunity to reaffirm our highest national ideals. We need a war every now and then, do we not. A clean, sanitary, impersonal war. A war we can fight vicariously from our TV screens, like an arcade game, and feel good about ourselves. A war we can win without losses.

In the real world, war takes on a very different face: nightmares. Hatred, physical pain, despair, entrapment, torture, rape, dismemberment, deceit, personal loss, revenge.

But those are only words. Unless one has a very, very vivid imagination, those words are just so ... pale.

And so every decade, an artist emerges who knows how to slam the horror of war in our face, and shocks us out of our complacency. You remember the Greek tragedies, of course. But Shakespeare?

Yes, Shakespeare wrote a horror piece. Titus Andronicus. Ugly, brutal, disturbing stuff. And today a brave, visionary, talented new film director named Julie Taymor has dusted off Titus and brought it to life with such fresh power, that it shatters our soul, even as our brain applauds the casting and our eyes revel in the photography.

A modern abstract masterpiece, Titus is a truly frightening film. It shows behavior so ugly, that surely mankind should've learned not to do those sorts of things any more.

After all, we're civilized, this is the year 2000. Personal brutality, like epidemic deseases, has no place in our modern, rational times ... right ?

Think again. Where there are wars, there are heroes, but there are also horrors.

Rating:
Summary: Too far gone to even be considered an "interpretation."
Review: After viewing this movie, it was more than plain to me that directress Taymor had bit off more than she could possibly chew. The idea of Taymor making her debut in movies by directing Shakespeare is preposterous in itself, and as soon as you see the first time she inserts ridiculous "visions" of limbs being burnt and men wearing deer heads, you'll realize that this "Lion King" directress has absolutely no place touching works by the great Bard. In addition, the "grand finale" of the movie consists of 3 entire minutes of NOTHING but a boy walking out of a theatre in slow motion. Such monstrosity and "post-modernism" may have a place on MTV, but they do not in the eloquent world of Shakespeare. Before she is allowed to touch another script, Taymor needs to learn the difference.