This film version of Shakespeare's play opens on an island where Prospero and his daughter Miranda have been exiled for many years along with their servant Caliban and a spirit called Ariel. Prospero is rightfully the Duke of Milan and a powerful sorcerer and while he sleeps a storm at sea wrecks a ship near the island. Aboard are the men he blames for his exile; including the King of Naples and his son Ferdinand. Ferdinand is separated from the others and captured by Prospero and accused of being a spy; Miranda vouches for him and gradually falls in love with him. Meanwhile others survivors plot against their king and Caliban plans to kill Prospero, who he claims stole the island from him.

This is the only version of 'The Tempest' that I've seen so I can't say how good an adaption it is; I can however say that it won't be for everybody. It is a bit confusing at first then as things are explained things start to make sense and finally as it ends one is left wondering how much of what we've seen was meant to be real and how much was meant to be the creation of a deranged mind! The film sometimes feels more like a TV play than a film; although I don't imagine a TV play made in the '70s would feature as much nudity. The cast do a solid job; I particularly liked Toyah Wilcox's portrayal of a punkish Miranda and Jack Birkett's disturbing performance as Caliban. Overall I'd say viewers some will love it some will hate it… give it a go and decide for yourself.

Derek Jarman's retelling of Shakespeare's "The Tempest". I never read the play or saw any version of it so I was a little confused about what was going on. It's something about a man named Prospero who's exiled to an island with his daughter Miranda, a REAL annoying slave and an angel (I think) named Ariel. His brother and the king did it to him (I'm not sure why) so Ariel fixes it that the king's son Ferdinand is shipwrecked on the island, becomes a slave of Prospero and falls in love with Miranda.

This is NOT a faithful retelling of the play. There's plenty of frontal male nudity--actor David Meyer (playing Ferdinand) is introduced completely nude for a lengthy time--and there are strange costumes, noises and settings all mixed with Shakespeare's dialogue! And the wedding has sailors doing a homoerotic dance AND posing afterwards. Then there's a woman all dressed up and lip-syncing (badly) to "Stormy Weather"...I honestly can't say I liked it but the acting is good and it's definitely the strangest Shakespeare adaptation I've ever seen. Jarman did another one like this years later--"Edward II"--which was better than this. Still this is a one of a kind and not without merit.

The stuff dreams are made of. A complete retelling of the play as a dream of vengeance: will baffle purists, but will delight the open-minded. A superb effort: great cinematography, acting, and script. 11-stars...***********