The Tempest

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Category: Comedy

Year: 2010

Rating: 7.5/10 (160 votes)

Director: Julie Taymor

Country: USA

Language: English

Runtime: 110 min

Release Date: 10 December 2010 (USA) See more »

Writers: Julie Taymor (screenplay), William Shakespeare (play)

Movie Storyline
In Julie Taymor's version of 'The Tempest,' the main character is now a woman named Prospera. Going back to the 16th or 17th century, women practicing the magical arts of alchemy were often convicted of witchcraft. In Taymor's version, Prospera is usurped by her brother and sent off with her four-year daughter on a ship. She ends up on an island; it's a tabula rasa: no society, so the mother figure becomes a father figure to Miranda. This leads to the power struggle and balance between Caliban and Prospera; a struggle not about brawn, but about intellect.

Cast:
Felicity Jones - Miranda
Jude Akuwidike - Boatswain
Reeve Carney - Prince Ferdinand
David Strathairn - King Alonso
Tom Conti - Gonzalo
Alan Cumming - Sebastian
Chris Cooper - Antonio
Helen Mirren - Prospera
Ben Whishaw - Ariel
Djimon Hounsou - Caliban
Russell Brand - Trinculo
Alfred Molina - Stephano

Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

Color: Color

Filming Locations: Anaehoomalu Bay, Hawaii, USA

Soundtracks:
"Where The Bee Sucks" Performed by Ben Whishaw Music by Elliot Goldenthal Lyrics by William Shakespeare

Trivia:
The decision to switch the gender of the lead character was a diving board to a whole new appreciation of the play. It had everything to do with Helen Mirren and a coincidental exchange that Julie Taymor had with the actress. When Taymor encountered Helen Mirren at a party, she had already envisioned Mirren in the role and their conversation cemented her decision. "We were talking Shakespeare," Taymor recollects, "and she had no idea I was planning this film when she mentioned that the first Shakespeare she ever did was Caliban in 'The Tempest,' and she actually said to me, 'You know, I could play Prospero-as a woman.' And I said, 'Do you want to? Because I've been preparing a film version of "The Tempest" with exactly that in mind.' And, fortunately, she said yes."

Quotes:
Caliban: [from trailer] This island is mine!

User Review:

There's Something About Prospera , rated: 7/10
The Tempest opens with a shot a sand castle that melts away when water rains down upon it. This shot is probably one of the most interesting ones in the entire film, even if Julie Taymor has so brilliantly made every shot beautiful. It also is a really great shot because it is silent with the exception of the sound of the rain. And that is the major problem with this film. The acting and cinematography are fairly solid, but a good portion of the film is extremely hard to understand due to fast-moving Shakespearian English. Some of the film also ventures into the realm of the bizarre with an odd electric score and overly long special effects sequences. The Tempest is not bad; Julie Taymor could have done better.

The Tempest's somewhat simple, and yet somewhat complicated story follows Prospera (Helen Mirren) and her daughter, Miranda (Felicity Jones). That's right. Taymor changed Prospero's gender for this one. Prospera was banished from Milan, where she was believed to be practicing black magic. Her brother sent her off in a boat with Miranda and she ended up on a deserted island. Prospera plans to bring Miranda back to power in Milan through manipulation and trickery. To begin executing her plan, she summons a storm that brings her brother and the King of Naples to her island. A great supporting cast includes Alan Cumming, Djimon Hounsou, Russell Brand, and Chris Cooper.

It may be impossible for Julie Taymor to compose a beautiful shot. Though I was not a fan of the special effects, everything that was shown was interesting. Stick around for the credits, which are set to shots of books falling through water. This a simple, but specific example of some of Taymor's best work in this film.

The acting is also great in this. Helen Mirren shines as Prospera, a role that could have been made for her 400 years ago by Shakespeare. I have no idea why Taymor decided to change Prospero's gender, but it was all worth it just to see Mirren play her. Djimon Hounsou is also excellent as Caliban, a power-hungry slave that attempts to form a conspiracy to overthrow Prospera. Among one of the biggest surprises is Russell Brand. Brand, who often plays dirty rock stars in movies such as Get Him to the Greek and Forgetting Sarah Marshall, gets (sort of) serious as a drunk who teams up with Caliban.

Unfortunately, the film is rather hard to understand. The sound was horrible, but I am not totally sure that the version I saw was completely finished. Any dialogue in the first five minutes was inaudible because the sound of the waves crashing on the ship was so loud. On top of this, Taymor has written a masterful but difficult script in Shakespearian English. Die- hard Shakespeare fans may be pleased, but most other people will be lost for most of the movie.

Sometimes, directors start making mistakes when they try to get experimental. That is what may have happened with The Tempest. Taymor had so much potential to make a great film, but what came out in the end was a good-looking but tiresome movie. The acting is phenomenal, but the sound is not. The cinematography is great, but the script cannot match it. For Shakespeare fans, The Tempest is a must-see, but for everyone else, it is probably only a rental.

Note: This was seen at the New York Film Festival. The sound may have still been unfinished at this screening.