Titus

Rating:
Summary: Shame On You
Review: I purchased this movie on DVD not because I had ever heard anything about it but because it was a 2 disc set and from the cover design, it looked like it would be a great movie.  Well as you might have guessed, looks can be quite deceiving.  Although the actors were all talented, the entire movie was done in Shakespearian English.  So you spend the entire movie going what did he say?  what was that? and then pressing rewind to find out.  A trick is to turn on the sub-titles options if you get the DVD version.  Although you will still have to occasionally push the rewind button to catch a line or two, it will make the movie much easier to follow.  As for the movie itself, the plot was great and if it was in modern day English would have probably been a pretty good movie (maybe).  As for the bonus disc you get with your two DVD set - well that is a joke and an out and out insult to DVD technology.  SHAME ON YOU 20th Century Fox.

Rating:
Summary: The Merging of Past and Present not all it claimed to be.
Review: From everything I had seen regarding Titus, I expected a film of epic proportions, perhaps understated by the box office, but very good nonetheless. What I got was a confusing, and very little of what I was expecting. In fact, it was bad enough that 50 minutes into the movie I turned it off because I was unable to follow the plot well enough.

I had expected a Film about a Roman General (Titus) and a woman (Tamora of the Goths) who eldest son was put to death by Titus's orders. I did not expect the film to open up with a child playing with soldiers on a kitchen table. Nor did I expect to see soldiers on motor cycles, people running for emperor in automobiles, or a Big Band at Emperor Saturnine wedding to Tamora. I understood that it was director's way of merging past with present, but I wasn't expecting and I think that's what ruined the movie for me.

The acting in the movie was decent, but from what I saw there were weak spots. Alan Cumming appeared as your typical slimy power hungry man, which has it's weak and strong points, namely that every slimy guy always seems to act out of anger.

Anthony Hopkins pulls off a Decent Titus, although it seemed that whenever he was getting to a point where he must play the heard hearted general/father, his facial expression belied his words. He appeared to be nearly smiling in some places where he was casting off his family for causing him to lose face.

Jessica Lange presented Tamora, Queen of the Goths well, although there were places where she appeared to drift off into another character all together. One notable account was when she encouraged Saturnine to restore Titus back into his old rank, and forgive his children for acting against him. She appears to go into a trance, and spits out words about avenging her son's death. It wasn't the words of a queen wanting revenge, it was more like the ranting of a madwoman, which she didn't seem to be.

All in all I was disappointed with the film, and if I ever see it again and change my thoughts on it, I'll re-review it, but it was a let down after all the rave reviews I had heard of it. Perhaps if I had been warned it was merging past with present I would have liked it more, but my initial confusion threw me enough that I could not enjoy the film.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent adaptation
Review: Julie Taymor has achieved a triumph, making an excellent film out of some of Shakespeare's worst material (the plot seems to steal from Macbeth frequently). The result is very theatrical and uber-decadent, with faint echoes of Fellini's Satyricon (which I did not like), and a complete disregard for historical period constraints---yet all of these potentially ruinous elements are held in check by the solid structure and dignified language of the original script.

The initial and final scenes are slightly dubious; aesthetically refined, but probably unnecessary.

The architectural set design, cinematography, and acting are all excellent. And I might add I was almost ready to become a vegetarian after the climactic "feast" scene....

Rating:
Summary: Taymor and Hopkins Impress
Review: Much has been written about how visually stunning this film is. It is simply difficult to watch this movie and not walk away knowing you have seen a work of art.

For the most part, I love Julie Taymor's style. The set design, the costumes, the locations, and the casting all intermesh in a way that leaves you hungering for more. Ms. Taymor liberaly and wisely cut Shakespeare's original script.

More magnificent than the Roman armor, the classical and neo-classical sets, the vivid blue clay, and the blood red cloaks, Anthony Hopkins made this film more than an art film. His connection to the character is evident and moving. Titus is a ruthless, almost heartless man. Hopkins relishes in the subtleties the part requires and helps the viewer explore these subtleties with his characterization. By the end, your heart is with Titus . . . so much so that it may frighten you.

The other performances were all very impressive. Jessica Lange and Alan Cumming did admirable jobs. Nothing more or less than you would expect of them really. The actor who portrays Aaron, name escapes, filled out his role well. I am sure we will se more of him.

My only criticism was the superficial treatment of the two Goth brothers. I understand Taymor's decision to make them pleasure seeking, video-game playing punks, but the music video approach to shooting them left me disappointed. The actors themselves looked and performed like rejects from Duran Duran than heartless and vicious young demons. They should have reflected a greater darkness. They do not haunt, frighten, or energize. They are a bit ridiculous.

All in all, this movie is a great investment. Not only do you get a fantastic film, but the DVD extras are valuable. Seeing Hopkins, Lange, and Taymor during the rehearsal process is a rare treat.

Rating:
Summary: Chicken salad from chicken poop
Review: We all know that this play is not the Bard's best work. In fact, we usually can't tell whether to laugh or cry. But Julie Taymor has transformed this klunky text into a film of depth and compassion. Her unity of vision and "take no prisoners" devotion to her purpose produces a work of art that quite transcends its raw material. And Hopkins has what must be his finest hour since "10 Charing Cross Road". (Or maybe "Remains of the Day"; anyway, it certainly beats spearing Bart the Bear.) The DVD has terrific extras and a bonus disc to boot. Recommended for fans of Shakespeare, of Hopkins, and of bold filmmaking.

Rating:
Summary: The Best DVD in my collection...
Review: I'm kind of embarrassed to say that I actually picked this DVD up because of the cover-art ... well, not really ... I also figured it had to be half-decent if Anthony Hopkins was in it, and my girl-friend said thet Colm Feore was amazing in the films she had studied. I had heard very little about this film when it was in theaters - just that it was based on Shakespeare's first blockbuster play and that it was quite violent. I have since watched this thing about 7 times, and at almost 3 hours in length, that means two things ... 1: that it must have depth, both visually and character-wise, for it to keep my interest again and again, and 2: I must have a lot of free time ... This film is definately not for everyone, I had some trouble following it at first, I never was much for Shakespeare back in school when it was forced upon us (which it should've been) but after watching it a few times, occasionally with captions on, and then again with the most insightful commentary I have heard about a film, or anything for that matter, this is at the top of my list of favorite films, amongst StarWars, Twin Peaks, and Buffalo 66.(these films are in no way similar to each other?!) The extra's on this thing are amazing. The most interesting ones would be the feature commentary with Julie Taymor, the Q & A segment she held after a screening with theatre/film stidents, and the very indepth 'making of' documentary - which shows EVERYTHING: including the actors practicing lines and reading the script together for the first time, and set designers and prop-makers designing sets and making props (tee-hee). Anywayz ... I say pic this DVD up, and if you don't like it, hell ... go rent "Last Action Hero" ... so there.

Rating:
Summary: Angus Macfadyen made me see it...
Review: How does one describe this comedy/tragedy/drama? I think of it as a spoof on Shakespeare...well, it is Shakespeare, but I don't think it was supposed to be a spoof. This isn't necessarily the director's fault--modern, civilized society, free of public torture and beheadings, is sure to respond differently to the definition of entertainment of Elizabethian times.

I fast forwarded my way through parts of this movie. Violent is not the proper adjective--cruel, black-hearted meanness is much more descriptive. Did people have mind altering substances in the middle ages? Of course they did. Even so, some of the violence appears without motive or provocation.

Despite the horrific story, the film is a spectacular display. Julie Taymor is a talented director. She has a unique sense of style in much the same way that John Woo does. This film contains stunning visuals, elaborate sets, dark humor, and great acting. The story transcends time and place, and doesn't even try to seem plausible. But that's also a flaw, because the emotions and the events don't ring true. A fatal flaw that, but one I would subscribe to most (all?) of Shakespeare...he was a dramatist after all, not a realist.

If you are a Macfadyen fan, you might enjoy this film. He looks amazing in black leather or bare chested under running water. You'll see some great close ups of his strange blue/green eyes. As far as his performance, he is good, but not entirely convincing. It's hard to see him as a warrior. There is a gentleness, a lack of athleticism about him-- he is reactive, not aggressive. But if warrior Lucius doesn't intimidate, he is a capable protector...he gets the job done.

Jessica Lange and Anthony Hopkins give heartfelt, amazing performances, but the rest of the cast shines too, including Alan Cumming and Harry Lennix.

Too bad the story is so deranged.

Rating:
Summary: Tedious in the extreme
Review: I was really looking forward to seeing this film and when I finally did I must say that it was one of the most dissapointing films I have ever seen. The first ten minutes or so are fantastic and so are the last ten or so, but the two hours in between are just boring, trendy and downright annoying. This movie is so MTV, generation X that I was cringing all the way through(suprisingly Titus' mobile didn't ring at all, maybe it was turned off, or maybe I just slept through that part). The violence that everybody is talking about is not at all graphic and is very infrequent. The ending is the only graphically violent scene in the whole film and is no worse than you have seen a million times before. Even the scene where a girl has her hands cut of and replaced with twigs is not as bad as it sounds. The cutting off of her hands is not shown, just her stumps after the incident, even then it's all nice and clean, somewhat sterile actually. The orgy scene has a bit of nudity, but this is also no more graphic than any other film. The ending is well played out and is really the only time that the film starts to get a little gritty and atmospheric. This simply isn't worth nearly three hours of your time. Not the orgy of sex and violence you may be expecting and apart from that, not even close to being a decent film.

Rating:
Summary: Stunning visuals and gutwrenching brutality
Review: I was shocked at first to hear that this was actually Shakespeare's most commercially-successful play in its day. When I thought about it, though, it made sense that such a blood-drenched revenge play would appeal to people more than a great love story or complex tragedy of inner-torment. "Titus" is often mentioned as one of Shakespeare's weakest plays, too, although that's a little like saying that "aviation" was one of Leonardo Da Vinci's "weaker" areas. This movie version of "Titus" is really stunning. The production design is staggering--hardly surpirising given Taymor's imagination--and the acting is great. The story is very brutal and merciless but, hey, so was ancient Rome. All-in-all, I thin this is one of the best film versions of Shakespeare I've seen, even if the play it's based on lacks true greatness. I'd also recommend the 1950's production of "Julius Caesar" (with Brando as an incredible Marc Anthony) and Kurosawa's "Throne of Blood"--his version of "Macbeth" and still the best film treatment of Shakespeare I've seen.

Rating:
Summary: A Wondeful Rendition of a Difficult Masterpiece
Review: For all its gruesome detail and its history of critics' attempts to deny it a place in Shakespeare's canon, Titus Andronicus remains the most popular of Shakespeare's plays in the author's own time. From this fact, we must take away the painful truth--this is Shakespeare's most representative play of his age. If we delve into this play demanding meanings we can easily comprehend or values we will share, we may well be demanding too much. Certainly, the stage history of this play over the last century supports this--Titus is rarely staged, and I have sat among audiences that dwindled by 90% by the intermission during excellent productions. In other words, this is a hard play to watch, with a history of hostility from both audiences and critics.

Clearly, Julie Taymor considered this carefully when she was assembling her cast. I would have sat through this film if only to watch this amazing group in action. Of a cluster of simply stellar performances, Jessica Lange's stands out for me; she is incredible as she switches seamlessly back and forth from grief-stricken mother to vicious avenger to political virago. Anthony Hopkins balances her powerful performance with a Titus who chills the blood, swerving from iron general to abandoned veteran to confused patriarch of a family doomed by his lack of understanding and vision.

Taymor sets this amazing cast in a fusion world of fascist, Roman (classical and modern), and current elements; she crafts each moment--indeed, each second--to fit flawlessly into a unified vision of horror. Costuming, settings, effects, props are all wonderfully united to create the nightmarish world of patriarchy unable to examine its own realities and its need to deal with those outside its logic.

I wish so much that this film had been available when I was teaching this play at the university level. Taymor has given every university-level Shakespeare teacher a fabulous instrument for teaching Titus from a variety of perspectives. I am grateful, too, for the inteviews and descriptions included in the DVD version, as they provide even more fertile material for discussion at a graduate level. I would start at Taymor's lack of discussion of the ferocious xenophobia and sexism of this play; I would also love to discuss the Elizabethan elements of the play with a group of advanced readers. I am grateful to Julie Taymor and her wonderful cast and staff for providing us with an excellent version of a truly difficult and painful play.