This has got to be one of the most successful update of Shakespeare's play to a different time period other than the Renaissance. This "Merchant of Venice" takes place in Germany in the 1930s, right before World War II and the Nazi's takeover of Germany.
This play is excellent in its' balance of both comedy and tragedy. The acting is excellent, especially the actor that plays Shylock. Shylock here is extremely motivated by the injustices of life as a Jew, and one can understand why he won't back down from his revenge. The actress that plays Jessica doesn't have a lot of lines, but she does come movingly across when she regrets having abandoned her father.
It's quite odd, that this play should have ended on a happier note because no one died, the bad guy was punished and everyone has a happy ending, but this play ended kind of sadly, as if it was foretelling the soon to be great tragedy in Germany where many Jews were soon massacred.
I wish I could've given a more specific review on this particular Shakespeare production, but it was a while ago and I can't remember everything except that it was very watchable and the portrayal of Shylock was absolutely memorable.
This play is excellent in its' balance of both comedy and tragedy. The acting is excellent, especially the actor that plays Shylock. Shylock here is extremely motivated by the injustices of life as a Jew, and one can understand why he won't back down from his revenge. The actress that plays Jessica doesn't have a lot of lines, but she does come movingly across when she regrets having abandoned her father.
It's quite odd, that this play should have ended on a happier note because no one died, the bad guy was punished and everyone has a happy ending, but this play ended kind of sadly, as if it was foretelling the soon to be great tragedy in Germany where many Jews were soon massacred.
I wish I could've given a more specific review on this particular Shakespeare production, but it was a while ago and I can't remember everything except that it was very watchable and the portrayal of Shylock was absolutely memorable.