Coriolano - Recensioni

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arielcips

Posted on 6/9/2011, 15:03

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Ecco una prima,interessante recensione di Coriolano ,che su Gerry però spende ben poco tempo):

www.cine-vue.com/2011/09/previews-coriolanus.html

Previews: 'Coriolanus'

January 2012 will see the release of Ralph Fiennes' adaptation of William Shakespeare's Coriolanus (2011), starring himself, Gerard Butler, Brian Cox, Vanessa Redgrave and Jessica Chastain. An all-too-often overlooked work in the Bard's repertoire, Coriolanus combines democratic politics and personal strife into an intriguing blend.

The film has already garnered a good smattering of kudos, perhaps partly because Coriolanus has received little attention on the big screen in comparison to other Shakespeare plays. For many, this will be a new tale, but its timeless quality lies with the universal truth that we continue to live in an age in which a politician's public persona means as much (or perhaps more) than the principles they stand for.

The story follows General Caius Martius (later renamed Coriolanus, played by Fiennes) in his ongoing struggle to win over the hearts of Rome’s citizens. In the face of a very public rejection, Coriolanus audaciously vows to defy the people and joins arms with his enemy Tullus Aufidius (Gerard Butler) to attack the city he once defended.

Over the past decade, Shakespeare plays have had little opportunity to shine in the way of blockbuster versions: whilst the illustrious catalogue of Lawrence Olivier and Kenneth Branagh masterpieces are left to gather dust in VHS bargain buckets and local libraries, audiences have been subjected to vacuous teen-flicks tenuously attributed to old-Bill, from Ten Things I Hate About You (1999), to She’s the Man (2006), and the downright pointless O (2001) (which claim to draw inspiration from The Taming of the Shrew, Twelfth Night and Othello, respectively).

Although there have been slightly more credible film versions of the Bard's work such as The Merchant of Venice (2004) (with Al Pacino as Shylock) and most recently The Tempest (2010) (which passed almost unnoticed in the UK due to limited release), not since Baz Lurhmann's Romeo + Juliet (1996) has a Shakespeare adaptation enjoyed both box office success and a good deal of critical acclaim.

Perhaps this is because Luhrmann's version was exceptional in its creative yet accessible engagement with the essence of the original text. From the trailer, Fiennes' version looks as though it will reinstate some much needed substance to Shakespeare on screen, whilst appealing to new audiences through an updated vision.

The film's Balkan state setting has become a popular alternate setting in stage versions of the tragedies - as much as I’d love to see Gerard Butler in a skirt again, it is perhaps refreshing that the characters appear suited and booted to bring Coriolanus firmly into our time, where the struggle for democracy still looms heavily on the horizon in countries throughout the world.

The film has a solid cast, with Fiennes in the titular role, screen veteran Brian Cox as Menenius and Vanessa Redgrave as Coriolanus' insufferable and overbearing mother Volumnia. The play is also deliciously gory - one of my first memories of Shakespeare is seeing a blood-drenched heart ripped from a body and paraded around the audience pit during a performance at London's Globe Theatre.

I will struggle to forget this arresting image - whether Fiennes' version has staying power such as this remains to be seen, but sound direction and an intelligent adaptation of the text will ensure it makes the difficult transition from stage to screen. Coriolanus gained much acclaim from critics when it premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival earlier this year, but only time will tell whether this also means box office glory for one of Shakespeare's most compelling tragedies.

Claire Ramtuhul

sabrinta

Posted on 9/9/2011, 10:02

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Una prima lunga recensione,buona,da Toronto

TIFF ‘11 Review: The Ralph Fiennes-Directed ‘Coriolanus’ Is As Well-Acted As It Is Challenging

From what little we know of Shakespeare‘s life, “Coriolanus” was one of his later tragedies; compared to his other works in the same vein, it’s one of his more complex ones, as well. It doesn’t offer us a father betrayed, like” King Lear,” or a good man undone by his own wants, like “Macbeth”; instead, it gives us a Roman general who, in his hunger for war, devours his life—family, country, honor—when the world will not let him be a warrior and, instead, insists he be a war hero. Thrust into politics, Coriolanus is a general, then a politician, and then despised by the people who called for his elevation—leading him to ally with his hated Vosican enemy Tullus Aufidus to attack his own homeland in a fit of rage.

As Ralph Fiennes’ big-screen directorial debut, “Coriolanus” is a remarkable effort—so remarkable, in fact, that you might be excused for finding the parts more interesting than the whole, or rather the performances and direction more interesting than the actual play they fix on the screen. A cynic will suggest that “Coriolanus” is one of the few Shakespearean plays left in the canon to not get a recent film adaptation—we’ve had Romeos, Macbeths and plenty of clowning comedies. Kenneth Branagh staked out traditional versions of both “Henry V” and “Hamlet,” while Ian McKellen gave us Pulp Shakespeare with his fascist and flinty “Richard III.”

Fiennes gives us “Coriolanus,” playing Roman general Caius Martius, pitted in combat against the Vosican forces in general and against their leader Aufidus (Gerard Butler) specifically. In modern camouflage, shorn bald and toting a machine gun, Fiennes’ general sets the tone—we get updates on a Roman equivalent of CNN, with pentameter issuing from suit-clad talking heads through tinny TV speakers. The tone is less Romans-versus-Vosicans than Serbs-versus-Croatians—and the work of cinematographer Barry Ackroyd of “The Hurt Locker,” “The Green Zone” and “The Wind that Shakes the Barley” is no small help in that regard.

Fiennes is a force of nature here—it’s as if after several years of profitably iconic noseless hissing as Lord Voldemort, he wanted to remind us he could act. As frightening as the general is—his siege of Coriolis is so brutal that after the conquest the honorific “Coriolanus” is appended to his very name—his mother is worse. Played by Vanessa Redgrave, Volumnia is a cold terror. “Had I a dozen sons … I had rather 11 die nobly for their country than one … out of action.” Vanessa Redgrave is terrifying here—precise and sharp, cutting bloodlessly. The general’s wife, Virgilia, played by Jessica Chastain, just wants her husband home safely—which is hard to imagine, as he seems not to care if that happens or not. And the senator Menenius—a bluff and booming Brian Cox—praises the general and tries to smooth his passage from the shouts of war to the whispers of politics. And—who could imagine?—Gerard Butler is surprisingly good as Aufidus, whether bellowing in rage or musing on his wounds.

Still, it’s hard to wrap your head around the play itself—“Coriolanus” isn’t the story of a man betraying a nation from the top down (like Richard the III) or of a man betrayed by his family from within (like” King Lear”); instead, it’s the story of a man whose flaws fit into the shattered time until they look something like honor, who is then betrayed from both sides, by the mob below him (Lubna Azabal and Ashra Barhom) and the tribunes above (James Nesbitt and Paul Jesson, who feel like they’re on loan from “In the Loop”—which is not meant as a dig, but, rather, a compliment). Coriolanus is a traitor we’re encouraged to root for, or a hero who betrays; it’s one of Shakespeare’s more complex roles, and it’s broken lesser actors. When Fiennes triumphs in the part, it’s more a measure of his brute blood-smeared intensity than anything more subtle or carefully shaped.

John Logan (“Gladiator”) is credited with the screenplay adaptation, and the cleanliness of this iteration of the tale is to his credit; at the same time, Fiennes doesn’t merely put the play on-screen. There are moments here of startling intimacy—whispers, promises, threats, pleas—that could never work on the stage, where the actor’s voice must boom to the back rows; Fiennes also recognizes the visual possibilities of film, playing with place and space in a way that no theatrical production ever could. The fight scenes are a little too fast—it’s hard to tell which Roman is doing what to which Vosican in some of the bigger action sequences—but the dialogue scenes are smooth and lush, with the measured meter of Shakespeare’s language issuing from actors who know how to do so. “Coriolanus” has the earmarks of a passion project, to be certain, but it also has the hallmarks of an assured film from an actor who nonetheless clearly demonstrates he knows that it takes more than just the art of acting to create a work of cinematic art. [B+]

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/arc..._ralph_fiennes/

sabrinta

Posted on 9/9/2011, 14:28

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qui un'altra...la prima che critica la recitazione e la scelta di Gerry come Aufidus!

www.hitfix.com/blogs/awards-campaig...l-in-coriolanus

Review: Ralph Fiennes and Vanessa Redgrave display Oscar potential in 'Coriolanus'

Shakespeare adaption works finds stride in performances

There have been a number of modern adaptations of Shakespeare's plays over the last two decades. So much so that transporting the classic tomes to a more contemporary setting isn't as fresh as it used to be. Therefore, when making that creative decision there has to be a specific vision that can transform the material into something fresh and new. Ralph Fiennes pretty much accomplishes that feat with his directorial debut, "Coriolanus."

A tale of reckless vengeance, the play and film is based on the life of legendary Roman hero Gaius Marcius Coriolanus. Coriolanus or Caius Martius (Fiennes) is persuaded by his mother Volumnia (Vanessa Redgrave) to run for the counsul of Rome after defeating the Volscian army lead by Tullus Aufidius (Gerard Butler). Coriolanus, however, is hardly a man of the people and finds himself sucked into a political web when he rails against the idea of the people having a say in the government. The tribunes of Rome brand Coriolanus as a traitor and banish him from the city. After spending quite a long time traveling outside "Rome" (or what appears to be an Eastern European inspired country), Coriolanus approaches Aufidius about uniting to defeat his former nation. They succeed brilliantly and only an emotional plea from Volumnia can halt Coriolanus from completing his wish to destroy the city. Coriolanus than returns to the Volscians where he is branded a traitor and killed.

As a filmmaker, Fiennes has a wonderful eye and his work with Logan in setting the work in the framework of a Serbian/Croatian conflict is smart and engaging. That battle scenes at the beginning are impressive and give the film a scope you wouldn't necessarily expect from the material. He's also assisted by a charismatic turn by Redgrave, a lively Brian Cox and his own passionate and gut-wrenching performance. Unfortunately, the film has two faults that prevent it from being the masterwork Fiennes was aiming for. The first is Butler who seems out of place as Aufidius. We're not doubting Butler can pull off something as difficult as Shakespeare, but his acting style doesn't mesh well with the rest of the cast in this instance. The second is more problematic. The entire film hinges on the dramatic moment when Volumnia convinces Coriolanus to call of his attack. It's a major change of heart for a man who has shown little but a zeal for military precision with little emotion in his actions. Redgrave and Fiennes give it their all, but it simply doesn't work on screen in context of the movie. It's similar to the climax from Baz Luhrmann's "Romeo + Juliet" where Romeo (Leonardo DiCaprio) wakes up to discover Juliet (Claire Danes) has mistakenly killed herself. Even after it was famously reshot, the scene still couldn't pull a tear from most moviegoers. That's pretty much the same case here.

On the awards front, Fiennes could be a dark horse in the director race (stretch), but is certainly a best actor candidate. Redgrave is the true contender here in best supporting actress race (assuming she doesn't get more support for her turn in "Anonymous"). Costumes, production design and cinematography all have legitimate shots as well.

More importantly, Fiennes joins the short list of actors who appear to have made a strong transition to directing. It seriously makes you wonder what he'll do next.

It is assumed "Coriolanus" has a one week Oscar qualifying run sometime in Dec. It is currently set to open in limited release an 13.

sabrinta

Posted on 30/9/2011, 09:50

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una buona recensione da uno "Shakespeare Club"
http://theshakespeareclub.blogspot.com/201...coriolanus.html

Coriolanus
Not strictly speaking a club outing, but nevertheless great Shakespeare.

Coriolanus is a difficult play; this is a first class movie. Ralph Fiennes directs and stars. His performance is outstanding. He is, I think, a better film actor than theatrical. On stage he can seem inanimate; on film, in close-up, we become aware of his eyes, which are the main tools of his talent. He is perfectly cast as Coriolanus. This is a tragic figure for whom honesty, both emotional and intellectual, is a weakness. He is not particularly sympathetically portrayed here, and yet the “lonely dragon” does garner our pity, as he surely must for the play to work, and this is due to Fiennes’s uncanny combination of fragility and brutality. This same quality I think gave weight to his part in Schindler’s List, in which, although he plays a monstrous character, he is not wholly monstrous, to the extent that we rather chillingly recognise him as human.

The supporting cast is equally good; even Vanessa Redgrave fails to irritate as Volumnia, and indeed the penultimate scene with Fiennes is riveting and bravely long (John Logan, screenwriter, producer and progenitor of the affair, has remained on the whole faithful to Shakespeare, and he and Fiennes have been unafraid to keep in what is central - but this is emphatically a movie, nonetheless). Brian Cox, as usual, is first rate and Gerard Butler looks very much the part as Coriolanus’s rival Aufidius, bravehearting his tattooed crew in his native Scottish accent. At any moment I expected him to declare “This is GLASGOW!”

Actually, the film is set in the recently-contemporary Balkans, and uses mock newsreel footage and Sky Newsflashes. The former works, the latter doesn’t, the sight of Channel 4 Newsreader Jon Snow speaking Shakespeare raising an unhelpful giggle rather than adding any verisimilitude. However, more than making up for this is the visual geography: a scarred, unfamiliar landscape. This is a world in which brute force thrives – in which, sometimes, it is morally necessary – and in which the sight of the warrior “sweating compassion” is therefore all the more telling.

Coriolanus is an undeservedly underperformed play. It is Shakespeare’s most overtly political, and provides perfect counterpoint to Julius Caesar (Caesar, unlike Coriolanus, having no principled scruples when it comes to loving the mob). Is Coriolanus a good man? Yes and no. Is Coriolanus a good film? Assuredly yes. Highly recommended.

sabrinta

Posted on 4/10/2011, 09:07

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ancora una buona recensione da un tipo che ha visto uno screening a NY,riporto la parte in cui parla di Gerry,per il resto vi rimando al link

Gerard Butler puts the 'mo into homoerotic in his scenes with Ralph - the shaving scene has so much head stroking I thought we might get a full-on happy ending. And Ralph's very good as the soldier whose war gets taken away from him, and he shows real promise as a director. Ultimately the film works on you intellectually - it's an interesting exercise in playing with audience sympathies - but everyone's so unlikable that it's hard to get too emotionally swept up in it which is what I generally expect out of Shakespearean tragedy. But it does ask plenty of loaded questions. It's a strong first effort.

http://mynewplaidpants.blogspot.com/2011/1...coriolanus.html

***

Un altro/a blogger pensa che Gerry meriterebbe la nomination all'Oscar non tanto per MGP quanto proprio per il suo ruolo in Coriolanus!! :wub:

The real surprise coming from the Shakespeare stuff this year, though, is Gerard Butler. Yes. You read that right. Gerard. Butler. AA was thoroughly impressed with him in Coriolanus, and though Butler seems to be trying to get a leading actor nomination for Machine Gun Preacher, AA thinks he’d be better spending his time campaigning for Coriolanus and a supporting nod. Early reviews of both movies are in line with this thinking and can I just—GERARD BUTLER, OSCAR NOMINEE. Oh god, please let this happen. I can trade the inevitable shame for the entertainment value of GERARD BUTLER, OSCAR NOMINEE. Of course, the real lesson here is that Supporting Actor is going to be the “weakest” of the acting categories and thus be open for the most surprises.

http://cinesnark.wordpress.com/2011/10/03/...for-the-oscars/

gemini78

Posted on 4/10/2011, 12:18

CITAZIONE

Gerard Butler puts the 'mo into homoerotic in his scenes with Ralph - the shaving scene has so much head stroking I thought we might get a full-on happy ending.

Questo alimenterà le chiacchiere su di lui :lol:

CITAZIONE

GERARD BUTLER, OSCAR NOMINEE.

ecco, nominiamolo!! :entusiasmo:

arielcips

Posted on 17/10/2011, 13:38

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Le recnsioni inglesi al Coriolanus di Fiennes sono tutte più che positive;e finalmente c'è spazio anche per l'interpretazione di Gerry!

http://mildconcern.com/2011/10/17/lff-review-coriolanus/

I lack any of the skills needed to write a satisfactory synopsis for Coriolanus, one of Shakespeare’s more complex plays so instead I point you towards Wikipedia to set the scene fully. Ralph Fiennes directs himself as Roman general Caius Martius, at first celebrated for fighting off rival forces from the Volscian army but later banished from Rome due to complicated political plotting. To take revenge on the city that betrayed him Martius joins the Volscian army, turning against his family and joining forces with his blood enemy Tullus Aufidius (Gerard Butler). Coriolanus being one of Shakespeare’s tragedies, things don’t end well.

Fiennes and writer John Logan have brought Coriolanus into the modern-day, not through the dialogue but certainly in the setting; now a war-torn contemporary city filled with gunfire and explosions. The start of the film is incredibly intense, filled with loud gun fights, Shakespearean shouting and plenty of blood. This is all a bit much before 10am on a Sunday morning and it’s a relief once this all dies down when we can get back to studied dialogue and acting we Brits do so well.

That’s not to say that the Shakespearean shouting is all done. Ralph Fiennes seems unable to rein himself in as he spits his way through every monologue, trying to reach the back row of the upper circle but instead coming on a little strong considering he is in close-up rather than on stage. The rest of the cast, Vanessa Redgrave, James Nesbitt, Brian Cox and Jessica Chastain, give much more understated and cinema friendly performances. As a director Fiennes is restrained; keeping the camera moving but allows room for the actors to strut their stuff.

The highlight of the film is the appearance of Jon Snow as a newsreader, surprisingly comfortable with Shakespeare’s dialogue and a big help in grounding the film in our reality. Gerard Butler also impressed with his best work to date.

Coriolanus is a fine modern adaptation of nobody’s favourite play, suffering a little from overacting and a slightly saggy plot.

Coriolanus is in UK cinemas on 20th January 2012.

ancora meglio quest'altra:

Coriolanus review: BFI London Film Festival
★★★☆☆
William Shakespeare's Coriolanus is one of the Great Bard's most complicated and longest plays, making an adaptation a brave move for the directorial debut of actor Ralph Fiennes. To counter this, Coriolanus (2011) boasts an impressive cast of great acting talent, including Vanessa Redgrave, Gerald Butler, Brian Cox and Jessica Chastain.

Fiennes has transported the action from ancient Rome to war-torn Eastern Europe. The great general, Caius Martius Coriolanus (Fiennes), has returned home from his country's current war to find himself at odds with the nation's citizens, who believe him to be a tyrant looking only for personal glory. When his ambitious mother Volumnia (Redgrave) states her wish that her son become consul of Rome, both the senate and the people turn against Coriolanus and exile him. Here, he is forced to ally himself with his past enemy Aufidius (Butler) in order to take revenge against his people.

Modern adaptations of Shakespeare have always met with mixed reviews. Many loved Baz Lurman's Romeo and Juliet (1996), whilst understandably many still wince at the memory of Ethan Hawke's abortive Hamlet (2000). Feinnes' Coriolanus falls somewhere between the two.

Along with Brian Cox, 300 (2008) Gerard Butler (who surprisingly plays his role exceptionally well), provide some of the most memorable and impressive scenes in the film. There are some great flourishes as Feinnes utilises his film's modern setting - Channel 4 news anchor Jon Snow reports on the country's political situation - which provide some truly enjoyably moments.

However, Coriolanus - like any Shakespearean hero - is not without its flaws. There are numerous scenes added to the text in order to provide context, which feel extremely clumsy. More surprisingly, the main problem lies with Fiennes' performance - in Coriolanus, he acts as if on stage. Screen acting and theatrical performance require different skills; this essential point appears to be something Fiennes has forgotten. He doesn't always utilise the camera, instead choosing instead to sweep across the set in a fashion all to reminiscent of his OTT performance as Voldermort in the Harry Potter franchise.

Fiennes seems to have opted for a subject a little too close to his heart, and this in turn has clouded his directorial judgement. Coriolanus is by no means entirely weak, at times possessing moments of flair and originality, but it is ultimately disappointing

ancora qui.

gemini78

Posted on 17/10/2011, 21:56

Mi fa piacere! Questa invece non è tanto positiva

Apparently Ralph Fiennes has wanted to turn Shakespeare’s Coriolanus (about a heroic Roman General elected by, then banished from, then returning to seek revenge on the people of Rome) since he first played the role on stage more than a decade ago. The surprise about his version, coming from an actor whose approach seems so classical, is the modernity and the energy of the tale’s telling.

Fiennes sets the film in ‘a place calling itself Rome’, in an unspecified time, but to me the look was most redolent of the images of the various Balkan wars of the 90’s (no surprise, given that the film was made in Belgrade). It’s also redolent – courtesy of cinematographer Barry Ackroyd – of The Hurt Locker, especially in its early scenes of massed crowds of protesters and battles, all captured with that same slightly grainy, shaky, aesthetic. It makes you wonder just how much of the visual side of the film really comes from début director Fiennes, and how much from his DP.

What you would expect Fiennes to have real control over is the acting, and for the most part the cast, and through them their director, impress. The standouts are Brian Cox as Senator Menenius, playing the consummate politician; always visibly calculating his responses and the way he addresses the present audience and Vanessa Redgrave as Coriolanus’ Mother, giving incredible depth of emotion and contemporary feel to 400 year old dialogue. Quality runs deep in this cast, with smallish roles for the likes of Jessica Chastain (as Fiennes’ wife) and the brilliant Belgian actress Lubna Azabal. However, the acting can be patchy, I suspect that Fiennes spread himself a little too thinly, directing a complex first film on a short schedule and playing the leading role. In the quieter scenes he is excellent – few seethe on screen as well as he does – but when the tone gets more bombastic, and the acting larger, Fiennes slips into his Voldemort performance (especially in the very last scene, when he hisses BOY at Gerard Butler). A couple of cast members also seem out of their depths; James Nesbitt may be speaking Shakespearean dialogue, but he is inescapably James Nesbitt, and Gerard Butler – though not guilty of as much shouty hammery as Fiennes – seems to struggle with the text, and often seems to be reading his lines.

Coriolanus is best in its energetic first 45 minutes, but begins to slip when it becomes more about politics than war, some of the modern symbolism hangs quite heavily on the film, and yet Fiennes doesn’t have a clear enough take on the time and place to give it real resonance. While it is patchy, what works – notably anything with Cox or Redgrave – works brilliantly, and many of the speeches still resonate strongly. If Fiennes restrains himself a little more in the future (a less complex shoot and a small part for himself perhaps) there is evidence here that he may make an interesting actor’s director yet, but Coriolanus is too hit and miss to be judged a real success.

2.5 / 5

http://www.frontrowreviews.co.uk/reviews/l...ry-day-17/12106

arielcips

Posted on 20/10/2011, 13:54

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eccone un'altra molto positiva,per il film e per Gerry:

http://www.frontrowreviews.co.uk/reviews/l...oriolanus/12236

What must be the fabric of a leader? And what happens when the exact qualities that would empower a man to be a good leader conflict with his opportunities to lead. Such is the subject of one of Shakespeare’s lesser lauded tragedies Coriolanus. Graduating in medium but not in theme stage veteran Ralph Fiennes directorial debut is a rich, powerful and haunting adaptation that, if sometimes overwrought, never fails to be less than utterly loyal to the subject matter it’s founded on. Fiennes has moulded Coriolanus into the perfect blend of stage and screen taking us deep into the eye of a tyrant. It is a grand and staggering achievement that transposes the timeless words of the Bard to a world that is technologically and visually contemporary but audibly and thematically archaic.

While directing off screen Fiennes also takes centre stage in the lead role of Caius Martius, a general who achieves the eponymous accreditation after a pitched, brilliantly shot, battle outside the town of Corioles. Primal, seething and powerful Fiennes utilises every stage garnered merit at his disposal to instil his character with the trademarks of his time; righteous anger born from conflict, contempt born from status and love born from honour. However the very traits that have earned him distinction prove to be his undoing as the snakes in the grass conspire to remove him from office. The resulting banishment leads Martius into the arms of his hated enemy Tullus Aufidius (a career high watermark performance from Gerard Butler) and ultimately on to bear down upon the city that both built and broke him.

A man literally too inimitable and indomitable to gather allies Fiennes creates a fascinating example of historical man. He brings to visceral life the kind of man that moved Shakespeare’s pen to paper and brought civilisations to their knees with nought but words and piercing stares. Like the greatest of the Bard’s anti-hero’s he’s a complex, nuanced and inscrutable champion of fluctuating virtues and morals but Fiennes plays the character so straight and with such gusto and conviction it’s impossible not to be compelled by his attracting audacity; demanding of empathy for an authority that defies all our contemporary notions of correct governance.

Coriolanus succeeds because it is very much about character, about relationships, and about their strengths and their weaknesses. It eschews direct focus on context and period – fleeting television reports and scrolling news banners provide much of the exposition – choosing to cast key players as the prevailing forces, and this is in keeping with Shakespeare’s writing itself as he too used outside contextual forces only as a vehicle for further highlighting the virtues or flaws of his players. Here Fiennes does this in equal measure by infusing his film with high drama born from the clashes of characters, not of armies or political powers. Key supporting roles are played superlatively by Venessa Redgrave as Coriolanus’ overbearing but caring matriarch, Brian Cox as the visibly calculating silver tongued politician Menenius and the porcelain Jessica Chastain as the wholly conflicted wife of the scorched hero.

There are tense and exciting action sequences but what thrills most is the ability of these people to lunge forward with language, parrying and striking each other down with the words they wield. This language holds the power to thrill in as great a measure as more tactile effects such as physical violence or explosions. This power to thrill with words, to excite the emotions and to leave an audience shell-shocked via a deadly verbal torrent is a skill Fiennes no doubt honed in the theatre and he certainly brings the power and dynamism of Shakespeare’s words to life infront of and behind the camera. Settling the camera within inches of Coriolanus’ face has the effect of reducing our will to rubble before his terrifying outspoken and incendiary verbal flourishes. Capturing our hesitance, intimidation and envy before his power and trading it in for awe, wonder and ultimately love as only a great hero can produce.

Of course, this type of narrative drive lends itself to histrionic performances but Fiennes cast excel in producing raw and moving – indeed stage worthy – performances that capture the mood of the scene in a tactile manner that never veers towards verbosity. And Fiennes’ hand crafts an elegant and affecting mise en scène which drives home the epic nature of the characters collisions. The strength here is that it allows us – even if sometimes the full meaning of the words slip through our fingers – to never be at a loss as to the attitudes or motivations of the ones speaking them. The atmosphere of the moment is carried forth by the component parts of the scene that overcomes any impenetrableness that can be felt at the uncorrupted text.

The updated setting actually works extremely well here with Fiennes never giving in to the opportunity for a guns and gore war feast. Neat moments like locating Coriolanus’ town meeting with the populace in a town market to supplement the similar ‘forum’ are appreciated touches. There is some contemporary resonance – the location for the filming taking place in and around Belgrade in Serbia – but the nature of this warring state isn’t ever highlighted much beyond providing a catalyst for the private wars between characters. But the fact that it does this so well compensates for a lack of any real contemporary bite to this classical tale.

Triumphantly cinematic and rousingly theatrical this is heart-gripping, adrenalin pumping filmmaking where we are bombarded by words not actions, and all’s the better for it. The language on display here may necessitate concentration and an openness to its linguistic complexity but that effort bears rich fruits. It will undoubtedly leave you hungry for the political intrigue, partisanship, factional feuding, warfare and great heroes that inspired the mind of the master whose play Coriolanus derives its life from.

Mina*

Posted on 21/10/2011, 10:47

gemini78

Posted on 23/10/2011, 20:36

Anche in questa recensione si parla di oscar per Gerry, anche se prima l'autore ci dice quanto fossero basse le sue aspettative su Gerry :...:

Coriolanus

Shakespeare is hard. Even for professionals, Shakespeare is hard. This is the message I got from John Logan, the Tony-award winning playwright (for RED), and a two-time Oscar nominee (screenplays for Gladiator and The Aviator). Logan’s resume is impressive, so for him to admit that Coriolanus, was tough to bring to the big screen is no joke. It was a struggle at every level—adaptation, selling, filming, distributing. That this film exists at all is proof of Logan’s, and Ralph Fiennes’, devotion to the work.

Coriolanus is one of Shakespeare’s late plays, one of the ones that during a time of collaboration (as Shakespeare’s age advanced he worked with co-authors) shows no mark of another hand. Coriolanus, like Cymbeline and The Tempest, is one of the last great works Shakespeare would produce alone. It is an incredibly difficult text. Having read the complete works of Shakespeare (which, yes, I have), I get asked a lot about which plays are the funniest, the saddest, the most boring, the easiest. The hardest? Coriolanus, hands down. The story follows Caius Martius, a Roman general who is incredibly good at his job and incredibly loathed by pretty much everyone. Martius is not a Hamlet, constantly blathering on about his motivations and misgivings. He’s a steely soldier of considerable skill, great pride and/or modesty—depending on how you read it—and prone to crushing bouts of revenge. He’s highly unlikeable.

The movie sets Martius’ struggle with Rome in the present, with combat in urban areas vaguely reminiscent of the Balkan wars of the 1990’s. Dress is contemporary and the script breezes through exposition using “Fidelis TV”, a 24-hour news network. For the most part, this works. Fiennes directed, his first time doing so, and his growing pains show, especially in the combat scenes. He’s much better in static spaces with scenes of smaller scope, but overall, he does a fair job of directing one of the densest, deepest texts you’re going to find in the English language. As Martius, who is dubbed “Coriolanus” following his victory in the city of Corioles, Fiennes is okay-to-pretty-good. I tend to think he overplayed Martius, giving in to some hammy instincts. I never pictured Martius raising his voice but for once, when he swears vengeance on Rome. I always imagined Martius as a powder keg with a long fuse, but Fiennes plays him as a firecracker, flying off the handle at the drop of a hat (mixed metaphors!).

Honestly, Fiennes might not have come off so heavy-handed were it not for Gerard Butler, who starred as Martius’ enemy, Tullus Aufidius. The leader of the “Volscians”, a kind of rebel invading force, Aufidius is Martius’ nearest military match, though he consistently comes out the loser when the two meet in combat. That is until Martius is banished from Rome following some political manipulation and Martius aligns himself with Aufidius to get revenge on those who wronged him. Butler is surprisingly really good here. He plays Aufidius with restraint—which I never thought I’d say about Butler—and ends up coming off really well against Fiennes’ bigger, louder performance. GERARD BUTLER, OSCAR NOMINEE could actually happen. God help us all.

Overall, the movie is a mixed bag of good intentions and effort. Vanessa Redgrave is stellar as Martius’ pushy mother, Volumnia, Jessica Chastain (Jesus, she’s in everything this year) is acceptable as his weepy wife Virgilia, and Brian Cox does great work as Martius’ political ally, Senator Menenius. Logan does an excellent job of weeding through Shakespeare’s difficult text and telling a cohesive story and Fiennes does an okay job of staging it. This play very rarely gets performed in any medium, so for Shakespeare enthusiasts I’d say it’s a must-see but you can skip it if that’s not your bag. I just…I can’t get over it. Gerard Butler was good.

http://cinesnark.wordpress.com/2011/10/19/...leeping-beauty/

sabrinta

Posted on 23/10/2011, 21:14

He's a lion that I am proud to hunt

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CITAZIONE

GERARD BUTLER, OSCAR NOMINEE could actually happen. God help us all.

arielcips

Posted on 24/10/2011, 09:32

He's a lion that I am proud to hunt

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..preferisco che non se lo aspettasse... se avesse scritto la solita giornalista fanatica non mi avrebbe convinto!!!

gemini78

Posted on 6/11/2011, 15:54

I just saw the UK premiere of Ralph Fiennes' Coriolanus. It's on general release in January. I can't quite be objective about this film because I think Fiennes sees Coriolanus very much as I do, and that just makes me so happy. You know, when you watch a film adaptation that really fits your own preconceptions about the source material, that is so satisfying. It may be that other people, who see the play differently, might not find this film as enjoyable, hard to say. The production and direction has the modern characteristic of making virtually all the dialogue quite transparent, while also (and not all modern versions do this) surprising you with how lovely the writing is.

Fiennes has taken out some of the awkward discourse which makes 'the people' look stupid, and has strongly emphasised Coriolanus' more or less psychotic violence. It's therefore quite a bit more pro-democracy than the original play. That means the film brings out that point I was discussing in relation to Walter White and Avon - the tension between socialisation and individuation. Coriolanus is a man brought up by his crazy mother to be outside the social group, to function as a warrior, and therefore he can't integrate into peaceful society when he has to, though he can love individuals. As the poster says Nature teaches beasts to know their friends.

What is the place of a warrior, or warrior personality, in the human community? I think this version of Coriolanus asks that question very finely, without forcing you into any answer.

As well as Fiennes there are excellent performances from Vanessa Redgrave and Brian Cox, and a lovely manly turn from Gerard Butler as Aufidius. The camerawork and production design were by people who have worked on the Hurt Locker, Private Ryan and Gladiator, and it has a feel of all of those. It was filmed in Serbia, and it fits very well into that landscape.

While I was watching it I found myself thinking 'this is the first new film I have seen which really speaks to the new political situation, makes the others look out of date'. And then I'm thinking 'what am I talking about, this script isn't new at all'. I know that sounds like I'm bullshitting, to praise Shakespeare ('oh he's so modern'), but you may well feel the same if you see this. Coriolanus is more relevant to the modern global condition than any just-written film I have seen lately. What is this quality of Shakespeare? It is beyond my understanding, literally, it seems supernatural. Everything is in there.

http://communicator.livejournal.com/842628.html

arielcips

Posted on 10/11/2011, 11:28

He's a lion that I am proud to hunt

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un giornalista che parla -tra altri film- di Coriolano,proprio per evidenziare il buon esito della recitazione di Gerry:

http://entertainment.stv.tv/film/278423-th...hering-heights/

My knowledge of Shakespeare is so barren I had to Google his name just to check I done gone and spelled it right, which probably doesn’t make me overtly qualified to expertly discuss the latest cinematic adaptation of his work. (Though I did already realise that he wasn’t appearing on the latest series of I’m A Celebrity, does that help my cause?)

Not to worry, for in-depth knowledge of the Bard of Avon – yes, I’ve moved on to Wikipedia now – doesn’t seem to matter too much in this instance, with this trailer ‘s booming soundtrack of rock music accompanied with enough action-packed editing to make you think this the sequel to Black Hawk Down.

Ralph Fiennes directs and takes on the title role in this new imagining of Coriolanus, giving it a modern-day setting and casting Gerard Butler opposite as an enemy of the Roman general. With this and Machine Gun Preacher the Scottish star is casting off a bit of the baggage that came with mainly slumming it in romcoms after 300, and it’s welcome to hear advance word that he’s rather excellent in this weightier role. (Release date: January 20)

41 replies since 6/9/2011, 15:03 560 views