Shakespearean language is delivered as if it was everyday speech. As Shakespeare, it has too much action footage (Coriolanus' face seems permanently streaked with blood), and as action, it has too much Shakespeare. It's one of his worst. Pushed by his ambitious mother to seek the position of consul, Coriolanus is at odds … The brilliance of this film lies with the actors. Fiennes, who previously played the title role in a celebrated London theatre, makes a suitably haughty and intense Coriolanus, while Vanessa Redgrave is in terrific form as the general's influential mother. Coriolanus, the hero of Rome, a great soldier and a man of inflexible self-belief despises the people. It currently holds an approval rating of 92% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 151 reviews, with an average rating of 7.38/10. His extreme views ignite a mass riot. Coriolanus is a Shakespearean tragedy that dealt directly with Roman politics, not the best play that Shakespeare wrote, but still unique in its own right. GENRE. 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. This is another BRAVEHEART. In the 1995 film version of "Richard III," for instance, Ian McKellen was cast as a fascist dictator of the 1930s. In Coriolanus he creates a film first and a Shakespeare film second. Coriolanus does not feel like the work of a first-time director. Yes, it's Shakespeare. For him, Coriolanus was the name of the speaker of his words. Mr. Fiennes pulls it off triumphantly. Featured Movie News. Needless to say, the filming, production values, etc., were fantastic; but it was the relevance of the film … As a first-time film director, Ralph Fiennes updates Shakespeare’s Coriolanus into a brutal tale of modern warfare (think The Hurt Locker, which shares a cinematographer in … It's a masterful piece of work that would be a real achievement for any director, let alone one making his debut. Centuries after he's been gone Shakespeare remains a remarkably relevant writer. It depicts the main character's journey from a battle-worn soldier to exile, to an enemy of the state. London Theater Review: ‘Coriolanus’ Starring Tom Hiddleston A scorching Tom Hiddleston leads director Josie Rourke's tense, revelatory staging of … Fiennes makes a powerful case for Coriolanus as an essential, contemporary drama, about democracy, class war and the nation state. While it is not a masterpiece, Cast: Gerard Butler, Ralph Fiennes, Brian Cox, Vanessa Redgravevisit http://www.hollywood.com for movie info. Why is Coriolanus rated R? Caius Martinus Coriolanus (Ralph Fiennes) is Rome's greatest general; his unpopularity skyrockets with the "common people" when he utilizes his power and influence to prevent them from having open access to the city's grain stores. Banished from Rome, he joins forces with his former Volscian enemy, Tullus Aufidius (Gerard Butler), and they attack it. Caius Martius Coriolanus (Fiennes, who, make no mistake, is a great actor) is an up-and-coming Roman leader, and we meet him as he’s being further decorated and empowered, surrounded by his ambitious mother, Volumnia (Vanessa Redgrave), and his deferential, lovely wife, Virgilia, played by the soon-to-be-overexposed Jessica Chastain, who is very good in this. He's made a historical curiosity relevant now, when our cities are in uproar and the citizens have taken to the streets. Fieness has chosen and used the material well. A powerful and relevant Shakespeare adaptation that firecely brings the story to life. While setting Shakespeare in modern times is nothing new, Fiennes' bruising, brutal take is both refreshing in its honesty and true to the Bard's spirit. One of the pleasures of Fiennes' film is that the screenplay by John Logan (" Hugo," " Gladiator ") makes room for as much of Shakespeare's language as possible. The acting in CORIOLANUS is absolutely fantastic. Mr. When he prevails, he's given the honorary title "Coriolanus," returns home and at the urging of his strong-willed mother, Volumnia (Vanessa Redgrave), runs for Consul. It reaches back to … The walls are covered with graffiti, grenade launchers replace swords, and we get the obligatory shot of warriors being blown toward us with an explosion blossoming behind. 2020 Toronto International Film Festival Preview Read More; What to Watch on FandangoNOW: ‘The Grizzlies,’ ’Antebellum,’ Pro Football Movies and More Read More; This Week in Movie News: ‘Borat’ Sequel is Coming Soon, Neve Campbell Officially Joins ‘Scream 5’ … The costumes, art direction and props could be used for an action film about most modern wars, including that in Bosnia, and indeed the film was shot on location in Belgrade. All rights reserved. There is a reason most of the sentences in action dialogue are not more than a few words long. More than half of the film's box-office revenue will come from overseas, where the film will be dubbed, and longer speeches are trickier to dub. Fiennes gave this … Warfare has cut off Rome's food supplies, there's rioting in the streets, and he leaves to join the siege of the enemy city Corioles. I. Fiennes' choice to adapt the play as a modern political power struggle is sometimes successful in its union of Shakespeare's prose to contemporary sociopolitical unrest, but also reveals itself to be a stale, pale echo of the bard's original play. In Film Reviews . The play Coriolanus transpired around 500 B.C., but the time period of the movie has been rendered irrelevant. Coriolanus is unexpectedly well-played. This isn't because of the language, it is as always beautiful, perhaps lacking in flashes of iconic genius, but still beautiful. This is Caius Martius (Fiennes), a general who has led Rome against its nearby Volscian enemies. Parents need to know that while it might be tempting to introduce teens to Shakespeare with this movie -- Coriolanus is adapted from one of The Bard's lesser-known plays -- the movie's somewhat modern wartime setting means that there's lots of strong, bloody violence, including guns and shootings, knife fights, hand-to-hand fights, and dead bodies. Coriolanus relents, but tragedy results. The modernization of the play is well executed, but it should be noted that the speech style follows Shakespearian literature. Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. Forgot your password? This does not come off always but it does work a surprising amount of the time. Movie Review | 'Coriolanus' He’s the Hero of the People, and He Hates It Ralph Fiennes, the director and star of “Coriolanus,” talks about adapting Shakespeare’s play for the screen. Get the freshest reviews, news, and more delivered right to your inbox! Soul! Did Shakespeare envision Coriolanus in Greco-Roman draperies? Coriolanus is a determinedly grim but smart, resonant film, faithful to the tone of the original, done with some skill and conviction. Modern-dress productions of his plays are common and can inspire intriguing viewpoints. January 19, 2012 by: Chris Bumbray. I had the pleasure of seeing Ralph Fiennes's "Coriolanus" at the St. Louis International Film Festival, on Nov 11th, 2011. Watch Coriolanus movie trailer and get the latest cast info, photos, movie review and more on TVGuide.com. Coriolanus Review By Amy Curtis 9 years ago Ralph Fiennes did what few have been able to do in the past; he made Shakespeare ’s Coriolanus interesting. Coriolanus is a determinedly grim but smart, resonant film, faithful to the tone of the original, done with some skill and conviction. Nominated for Outstanding Debut Feature at Cinema Eye Honors, Celebrate The HistoryMakers 20@2020: 20 Days and 20 Nights Streams Online Through December 20th, The Mandalorian Chapter 15 Recap: Those Poor Mudscuffers. Vanessa Redgrave is magnificent in Ralph Fiennes’s first feature, a film adaptation of Shakespeare's Coriolanus. and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and Fandango. Is this Shakespeare's hero? 2020 Toronto International Film Festival Preview Read More; What to Watch on FandangoNOW: Disney’s ‘Mulan,’ RZA’s ‘Cut Throat City,’ Ruby Rose in ‘The Doorman’ and More Read More; This Week in Movie News: Doctor Strange Joins ‘Spider-Man 3,’ Slinky Movie in the Works and More Read More How we rate movies. Featured Movie News. Directed by Ralph Fiennes. Transfer this story to "a place calling itself Rome," add the trappings and the suits of modern warfare, supply updates from cable news, and you have a movie which is not so much about the private patrician scorn of Coriolanus as it is about the motivation of most action heroes, which is to strut in macho display, inspire slaughter and mayhem, and provide reaction shots when things blow up real good. Actor-director Fiennes sets Shakespeare's military tragedy in a modern-day war setting, which gives it a meaty kick of recognition. This additional information about the movie’s content is taken from the notes of various Canadian Film Classification boards: Violence: - Violent acts shown in a realistic manner, with detail, blood and tissue damage. Only his mother can persuade him to lay down his arms. Coriolanus is rated R by the MPAA for some bloody violence. I imagine him alone in a room, writing by candlelight, intoxicated by language. By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy “Coriolanus,” the last play Shakespeare is known to have written solo, is eternally timely in its depiction of the dangers democracy faces at its extremes. Copyright © Fandango. Sidney Poitier’s 7 Most Memorable Performances, All Harry Potter Movies Ranked Worst to Best by Tomatometer. "Coriolanus" will ideally be seen in English. Why Fiennes chose to use Shakespearean text is confusing, especially when he must have known that Coriolanus isn't the most recognisable of Shakespeare's plays. MOVIE REVIEW: With Coriolanus, Ralph Fiennes takes one of Shakespeare's last and least-understood plays and drags it kicking, screaming and bleeding into the present day. Coriolanus is one of Shakespeare's lesser known plays and with good reason. Shakespeare's story involves a Roman who cares more about battle than about politics. While not a Shakespeare buff, I was drawn into Fiennes' directing debut, and found this modern update to be well worth watching. The best movies to watch . Synopsis Nature teaches beasts to know their friends. It's genre writing that entertains while tapping into enduring truths. It's creative yet difficult to understand, and definitely not for general audiences, who are likely only to digest the visual violence. This is all done well by Fiennes, but as a man who starred in this play 10 years ago in London, he has deeper feelings for it, and the key scenes are those between Coriolanus and his mother, to whom he seems more romantically attached than to his wife, Virgilia (Jessica Chastain). Apart from the infinite varieties of the human face, there are no sights in "Coriolanus" I'm not familiar with. Fiennes, an actor who can remake himself, is here lean and muscular, his head shaven, his neck a muscular trunk displaying a dragon tattoo. Caius Martius, aka Coriolanus, is an arrogant and fearsome general who has built a career on protecting Rome from its enemies. Coriolanus, review. Please enter your email address and we will email you a new password. and the Terms and Policies, I was on the edge of my seat through the entire film. I would have enjoyed more, because such actors as Fiennes, Vanessa Redgrave and Brian Cox let the words roll trippingly off the tongue. Who is to say that "Coriolanus" might not as well be set in the Middle East as in Rome — neither a place Shakespeare had ever seen? 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 Review. It goes for a more natural style where the action is blended with the environment and the dialogue is acted out rather than recited. The website's critical consensus states: "Visceral and visually striking, Ralph Fiennes' Coriolanus proves Shakespeare can still be both electrifying and relevant in a modern context." Review: Coriolanus. The modernization of the play is well executed, but it should be noted that the speech style follows Shakespearian literature. Ralph Fiennes's direction is flawless. Coriolanus fails to successfully create a believable environment for this verbose narrative to exist. The direction is incredible. One of the pleasures of Fiennes' film is that the screenplay by John Logan ("Hugo," "Gladiator") makes room for as much of Shakespeare's language as possible. I realize I savor Shakespeare in a different way than the typical Friday night action fan — who, lured by the violence and ferocity of the hard-boiled trailer and TV ads, will perhaps wonder why everyone is talking so strangely. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 79 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Now we have Ralph Fiennes directing and starring in "Coriolanus," one of the Roman tragedies, where the feral and discontented general is at war in "a place calling itself Rome." To be clear, this is an action movie based on Shakespeare's play, Coriolanus. In addition to taking the title role, Fiennes makes his directorial debut. Fiennes is fantastic, the music is stellar, the modernization is pure pleasure, and since the whole story is about the meanings of self-abasement you know I am there. PLOT: ... For those of you wondering how much action Fiennes was able to work into the film, pretty much the entire first act of the film … I suppose the action is the price Fiennes had to pay to do the Shakespeare, because a film this expensive must appeal to the masses. He carries an AK-47. It's because it is riddled with one dimensional characters that have no arc whatsoever. ...brilliant variations on the theme of nausea. To be clear, this is an action movie based on Shakespeare's play, Coriolanus. Most problematic is Coriolanus. I admired the movie even though I found it neither fish nor fowl. Ralph Fiennes directs and stars in this dramatic thriller about the revered and feared General Coriolanus' revenge on the city of Rome following his banishment. Coriolanus: film review – BBC, 1983 In 1983, as part of the sixth and penultimate season of their Complete Works of Shakespeare series, the BBC filmed Coriolanus . Coriolanus movie reviews & Metacritic score: Caius Martius ‘Coriolanus', a revered and feared Roman General is at odds with the city of Rome and his fellow citizens. This is a passion project for the award-winning British actor. The performances are uniformly excellent, and Fiennes owns the role of Coriolanus, conceiving of him as a proto-Kurtz with his descent into wilfully renegade activities. Movies. It depicts the main character's journey from a battle-worn soldier to exile, to an enemy of the state. Long ranked as one of the least accessible entries in the Shakespearean canon, ‘Coriolanus’ arrives on the big screen for the first time in this ferocious twent For him, Coriolanus was the name of the speaker of his words. What's the question Shakespeare has Coriolanus ask about public opinion? The point with Shakespeare is the language. Starring Ralph Fiennes, Gerard Butler, Brian Cox, Vanessa Redgrave and Jessica Chastain. Coriolanus, 2011. Don't have an account? Yes, you have to be an active listener, but the way these actors make the language so passionate and accessible truly is an accomplishment. "What's the matter, you dissentious rogues/That, rubbing the poor itch of your opinion/Make yourselves scabs?". By Rich Cline. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism. He is, alas, not a diplomatic politician (it's unwise to hold the people in contempt). Sign up here. Coriolanus received positive reviews. 151 reviews, with an average rating of 92 % on Rotten Tomatoes based Shakespeare. Relevant writer reviews, with an average rating of 92 % on Tomatoes., with an average rating of 92 % on Rotten Tomatoes based on Shakespeare 's military tragedy a. The story to life the freshest reviews, news, and they attack it it 's because it is with. Common and can inspire intriguing viewpoints addition to taking the title role, Fiennes makes directorial! Are likely only to digest the visual violence his former Volscian enemy, Tullus Aufidius ( Butler... But it should be noted that the speech style follows Shakespearian literature Shakespeare second... 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