Search - Revengers Tragedy on DVD

Alex Cox treats his audience like intelligent people - refre

libbylou | NY | 02/28/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Artistically, this is a very interesting presentation of the story. By setting it in modern pronunciation (AKA Liverpool accents), the director forces us to understand how closely it resembles our own world; he even mentions in the extras how fitting it was that during the filming the US and Britain entered an actual war of revenge - unfortunately this world is politically strife with revenge and it makes the film that much more topical when he hands it to us in a setting full of factory-lined alleyways, chain link fences, corrugated metal and modern contraptions to allegorically dig in the point.

The actors were absolutely perfect for their roles, every one of them (though i must confess to have a particular weakness for Derek Jacobi and Eddie Izzard - they're just both so interesting in their own right) and unlike Leonardo DiCaprio's Romeo, they actually seem to know what they are saying. The manner of speaking incorporates both old style prose and modern day curses and slang, which only seems to further anchor it to the set and make the collaboration of 17th century play and modern day trappings seem all the more natural - kind of a cute way of talking too. The language is very powerful, definitely gets it's point across.

There is makeup on men (as one should expect when reading Eddie Izzard on the playbill), but rather than being a contagion that spread to the other actors I do see this makeup as an artistic advantage. Besides tying the movie to it's stage roots (where all men wear makeup), the makeup visually divulges the excess that these rich men were treating themselves to, and also outlines their vanity very well indeed.

I also found fascinating the movies' proposition that different leadership would simply find different reasons to be corrupt. I am very glad that they left in the scene with the confrontation of the mother. She had toyed with the idea of selling her daughter's favors for the goodwill of the duke. Not only did the confrontation scene provide continuity by tying up this loose end, but it also lets the audience know how fine a line we all walk - how easy it is for vengeance to go too far and for one to become no better than their enemy.

This is the best adaptation of an out-of-date play to the screen that I have seen yet. While I do enjoy old plays, it is very hard to relate to them. The licenses that Alex Cox has taken are illuminating and keep you on your toes.
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