The Merchant of Venice

Director: Jonathan Miller, John Sichel Jonathan Miller

Overview

Olivier stars in this production of the Shakespearean tragedy about greed and vengeance.

Product Details

Release Date:	05/17/2016
UPC:	0826663166569
Original Release:	1973
Rating:	NR
Source:	Shout Factory
Region Code:	1
Language:	English
Time:	2:08:00
Sales rank:	27,522

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Laurence Olivier	Shylock
Joan Plowright	Portia
Jeremy Brett	Bassanio
Michael Jayston	Gratiano
Louise Purnell	Jessica
Anthony Nicholls	Antonio
Anna Carteret	Nerissa
Charles Kay	Prince of Arragon
Benjamin Whitrow	Duke of Venice
Stephen Greif	Prince of Morocco
Kenneth Mackintosh	Tubal
Barry James	Salerio
Denis Lawson	Launcelot Gobbo
John Joyce	Balthasar
Nicolette McKenzie	Portia's Servant
Robin Meredith	Barber
Andrew Johns	Shylock's Secretary
Anthony Nichols	Actor

Technical Credits

John Sichel

Jonathan Miller	Director
John Sichel	Screenwriter,Director

Editorial Reviews

This production of The Merchant of Venice, like all versions, is dogged by the character of Shylock, the Jewish moneylender who demands his due of a pound of flesh for a forfeited loan. Undoubtedly, Merchant is the most difficult of Shakespeare's works for modern audiences, largely because Shylock inspires uneasiness -- not because of his actions, which are in keeping with the villains of other Shakespeare plays, but because of his ethnicity. While things are not drawn in clear black-and-white, it is nonetheless hard to escape the conclusion that the depiction of the Shylock character is inspired by anti-Semitism, even if the level of anti-Semitism may have been perfectly acceptable when the play was written. Jonathan Miller's production chooses to confront this fact head-on, emphasizing the multitude of times that Shylock is branded with the appellation "Jew," and demonstrating that prejudice was rampant in the society in which the moneylender lived. Laurence Olivier's intense interpretation makes Shylock a fully-rounded character: a villain, yet one with whom audiences can sympathize. There is exceptional work as well from Joan Plowright (even if she is perhaps a bit mature for the role), Jeremy Brett, and Michael Jayston. Shakespeare gave The Merchant of Venice other problems as well, most notably its uneasy mix of romantic comedy and heavy drama, yet its strengths are so vivid that they negate many of its weaknesses.