`Titus' is yet another vain attempt to `update' Shakespeare for consumption by the masses. Like others before it, this film maintains the original verse intact, while providing imagery that is artsy and hip with no real relationship to the original story. The good news is that the acting was potent and delivered a forceful rendition of Shakespeare's most disturbing play. The bad news is that the dark and bizarre imagery was at best distracting and at worst detracting.
Julie Taymor's imagery was somewhere between nightmarish and hallucinogenic. It was typical of a style I call Noir Bizarre, where dark themes are augmented by weird and disjointed images, replete with gruesome scenes and morbid undertones. Tim Burton's work is illustrative of this style. Taymor conjures a surreal version of ancient Rome with contrived retro/futuristic costumes, and modern period props such as motorcycles, automatic weapons and arcade games interspersed with horse drawn chariots and swords. Tamora's (Jessica Lange's) costumes were particularly outlandish.
It is invariably mentioned by the directors that make these Shakespearean updates that they provide an opportunity to bring Shakespeare to a new generation. They hope that adulterating his work by repackaging it with pop culture imagery will somehow make it more appealing to the masses. The irony is that just about all of them have been abysmal commercial failures. As soon as the masses discover that the Old English verse has been preserved, they steer clear. The only people who ultimately see these films are the people who liked Shakespeare in the first place, and they generally resent the visual perversion.
Despite my disdain for Taymor's strangely fantastic vision, the film was effective mostly due to the superlative acting of Anthony Hopkins, Jessica Lange, Alan Cumming, and Harry Lennix. Hopkins' sophisticated and wieldy presence provided a dominating force that bolstered the entire cast. Jessica Lange was maniacal as the evil seductress intent on revenge upon Titus and his family for the death of her son. Harry Lennix gave an absolutely demonic performance of Aaron, the malevolent moor whose only repentance was for the good deeds he had done in his life. Alan Cumming was also excellent as the sniveling Emperor being manipulated like a puppet by powerful forces on all sides.
In the final analysis, the peculiarity of Taymor's vision distorted but did not negate the excellence of the acting and the power of the play. I rated it a 7/10. I recommend that Shakespeare lovers not be driven away by the avant-garde presentation and allow themselves the opportunity to enjoy the awesome performance of a terrific cast.
Julie Taymor's imagery was somewhere between nightmarish and hallucinogenic. It was typical of a style I call Noir Bizarre, where dark themes are augmented by weird and disjointed images, replete with gruesome scenes and morbid undertones. Tim Burton's work is illustrative of this style. Taymor conjures a surreal version of ancient Rome with contrived retro/futuristic costumes, and modern period props such as motorcycles, automatic weapons and arcade games interspersed with horse drawn chariots and swords. Tamora's (Jessica Lange's) costumes were particularly outlandish.
It is invariably mentioned by the directors that make these Shakespearean updates that they provide an opportunity to bring Shakespeare to a new generation. They hope that adulterating his work by repackaging it with pop culture imagery will somehow make it more appealing to the masses. The irony is that just about all of them have been abysmal commercial failures. As soon as the masses discover that the Old English verse has been preserved, they steer clear. The only people who ultimately see these films are the people who liked Shakespeare in the first place, and they generally resent the visual perversion.
Despite my disdain for Taymor's strangely fantastic vision, the film was effective mostly due to the superlative acting of Anthony Hopkins, Jessica Lange, Alan Cumming, and Harry Lennix. Hopkins' sophisticated and wieldy presence provided a dominating force that bolstered the entire cast. Jessica Lange was maniacal as the evil seductress intent on revenge upon Titus and his family for the death of her son. Harry Lennix gave an absolutely demonic performance of Aaron, the malevolent moor whose only repentance was for the good deeds he had done in his life. Alan Cumming was also excellent as the sniveling Emperor being manipulated like a puppet by powerful forces on all sides.
In the final analysis, the peculiarity of Taymor's vision distorted but did not negate the excellence of the acting and the power of the play. I rated it a 7/10. I recommend that Shakespeare lovers not be driven away by the avant-garde presentation and allow themselves the opportunity to enjoy the awesome performance of a terrific cast.