It's 1596 Venice. Jews face restrictions even in the liberal city state. They are forbidden to hold property. They charge usury which is something unChristian and are demonized for it. Bassanio (Joseph Fiennes) asks 3000 ducats from melancholy Antonio (Jeremy Irons) to woo wealthy heiress Portia (Lynn Collins). Bassanio is able to get moneylender Shylock (Al Pacino) to make it an interest-free 3 month loan but Antonio must give a pound of flesh if he fails to repay the loan. There is animosity on both sides. After Antonio's ships are lost, Shylock goes to court seeking his pound of flesh.

This is one of the more troubling Shakespearian plays to a modern audience. The villainous Shylock is the quintessential money-grubbing vengeful Jew that is the caricature Jew for every antisemite. There is no doubt that Al Pacino is brilliant and injects a humanity into a villain that is usually two-dimensional. In fact, it is questionable if Shylock is truly a villain in his hands. The comedy may not wear well especially as a modern play but Pacino turns it into something more compelling.

In the Sixteenth Century, there was a great intolerance against Jews. In 1596, in the liberal Venice, Bassanio (Joseph Fiennes) asks for a large amount to his friend, the merchant Antonio (Jeremy Irons),to travel to Belmont and propose the gorgeous Portia (Lynn Collins). Antonio has invested all his money in his ships and borrows from the usurer Shylock (Al Pacino),who proposes an unusual bond: if Antonio does not pay the money without any interest three months later, he might receive one pound of his flesh instead, at his choice. When Shylock's daughter Jessica (Zuleikha Robinson) runaway home with all his money and jewels, he becomes furious. Meanwhile, the load of Antonio sinks with three different vessels and he is not able to pay his debts with Shylock, and the Jew goes to court of Venice claiming the execution of his deal. In spite of many requests, his tough heart does not accept any other agreement further than the one established in their contract.

"The Merchant of Venice" is a great adaptation of Shakespeare play and a perfect vehicle for the brilliant Al Pacino, with a character, dialogs and screenplay tailored for him. Jeremy Irons is also fantastic on the other side of this tale of revenge with cruelty and forgiveness. The cinematography, costumes, landscapes and scenery are stunning and the beauty of Lynn Collins is amazing. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Mercador de Veneza" ("The Merchant of Venice")

I was both excited and intrepid about seeing Merchant of Venice, excited because of the cast and intrepid because I worried the film wouldn't leave the cast much to work with. But I was surprised, apart from being overlong with a few scenes that looked as though they could've done with an edit I found The Merchant of Venice to be a very good film. It looks exquisite, the scenery and costumes as well the cinematography are some of the loveliest and sometimes even most ominous of any film I've seen recently. The soundtrack is just as beautiful, the story is just as compelling as the play with the courtroom scene and ring scene quite interestingly done and the writing is nuanced, intense and full of humanity considering the difficulty of adapting the play. Al Pacino is both angry and dignified of some of the best work of his of the past 15 or so years. Jeremy Irons also impresses in a suitably loyal, melancholic and in some way hypocritical(in regard to his religious bigotry) Antonio, while Lynn Collins is luminous as Portia and Joseph Fiennes proves here he is more than a handsome figure. Michael Radford directs with efficiency and sympathy also. In a nutshell, a very good movie, not my favourite Shakespeare-adapted film but worthy. 8/10 Bethany Cox