Titus: The Illustrated Screenplay

Rating:
Summary: Perfect Companion to the Movie
Review: "If William Shakespeare were alive today, he would be writing and directing movies..." is the statement made boldly on the back of this book. Taymor delivered her vision of what might of been in the (highly underrated) bigscreen version of Titus, of which Titus: The Illustrated Screenplay, is based. This screenplay provides glorious color photos of key elements in the film, a complete word-for-word script, and tells just how Taymor brought the story from the stage to the screen. Fans of the cast may find some information lacking, and the book could have spent time detailing the costumes, but overall the book was hardly disappointing. The photographs are one of the best features of the book, most in full color and some spanning over two pages. These pictures show a great amount of the setting and costumes, as well as the emotions expressed in important parts of the movie, alongside bold print quotations that apply to the moment. What makes this a good companion to the movie though, is that it gives the full script of what is said in the film, often valuable to those that can't decipher the words directly from the actors' mouths. Shakespeare's writing can often be confusing to those not familiar with reading his stories. While there is some parts hard to understand, the book describes some of the meanings behind the characters' actions, helping to show what occurs. Some of Taymor's liberties are also pointed out, particularly the uses of anachronism throughout the storyline (to show how this story applies to modern times). Taymor takes some time to describe the process of making the movie. She goes into who is involved in the costumes, setting, score, etc. and also how the story became so important to her to make into a movie. However, there isn't a large amount of detail that could have been discussed in this part of the book. There is an illustration of a setting, but no drawings of the costumes, and little brought up about the cast behind each of the characters involved, which might have been of interest to fans. Despite the things that are missing though, the book is worth getting for what it does have. Those that enjoyed the movie will find this book equally enjoyable.

Rating:
Summary: Superb tie-in with the film
Review: If you're a lover of Taymor's unconventional movie, you will find equal delight in the book that accompanies it. Things like this are really quite rare. In my personal opinion, this is a bit of a treasure of a find.

The pictures alone are grand. And the word-for-word transcript of the text makes it perfect to read while simutaneously viewing the film. It really lets the impact of the weighty dialogue come out.

The introduction is of special interest to me- informative and insightful, it put the subject matter in context.

While I might have wanted more information concerning the behind-the-scenes goings on in the film, I find this a small quibble at best. Things this *unique* don't come around very often. Therefore, when they do, sieze them with joy.

Not only is Titus a powerful story, it is a beautiful film that speaks to our time. This book I found nearly as enjoyable as the movie. Like the other reviewer stated- if you liked the film, you will like this too.

I really am pleased in my decision to purchase this; I think you would be too.