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William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice (2004)
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Having documented the rehearsal process for his take on Richard III (in Looking for Richard), Al Pacino now goes the whole way with this sumptuous production of one of the Bard's more controversial plays, which is often regarded as being anti-Semitic. As Jewish moneylender Shylock, Pacino gives a subtle performance, generally curbing his recent tendency to chew the scenery. But he's obviously having to work hard just to keep up with Jeremy Irons's quietly noble merchant Antonio, whose flesh Shylock demands as recompense for an outstanding loan, and Lynn Collins's hugely impressive Portia. Michael Radford's direction is straightforward and unflashy, while the film benefits from shooting scenes on location in Venice itself. Four hundred years may have dated the play, which reflects the prejudice of Shakespeare's time rather than ours, but this is still a stylish take on a still-resonant masterpiece. DA
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Tell us what you think
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Running time
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126min
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Country of origin
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UK / It
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Genre
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Period Drama
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Alternate title
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The Merchant of Venice
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Original language
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English
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Screenplay
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Michael Radford, from the play by William Shakespeare
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Theatrical distributor
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Optimum Releasing
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UK cinema certificate
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PG
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UK cinema release date
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December 2004
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Film certification logos reproduced by kind permission of BBFC |
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