Revengers Tragedy, directed by Alex Cox (2002), soundtrack by Chumbawama
A film adaptation of the 1606 play (attributed to Thomas Middleton) set in post apocalyptic Liverpool. With language as flowery as Shakespeare, it tells a tale of revenge not unlike something we might see in the Bard's work, but pushed to a more sarcastic, cynical extreme. It's been called "black camp". Christopher Eccelston plays the protagonist, something of an Iago character, manipulating others like pieces on a chessboard (although for deeply personal reasons of righteous revenge), and proves himself capable as a narrating lead who can pull off "Shakespearean" as well as anybody. Eddie Izzard, while not the best actor in the film, certainly surprises that he can pull it off even a little.
I think i liked the play, and much of the acting in this is great, but the production ultimately failed for me. The punk stylings come across like a high school play (especially the various sons of The Duke, whose goofy physical acting didn't help matters), and some scenes fall flat against what is obviously an insufficient budget. It would have been interesting to see Cox to compensate for his lack of a hollywood budget by trying something more creative and play-like in his staging. Instead, it just looks like a b-movie Mad Max.
Great soundtrack, which I've actually owned for years despite having never seen the film. Cox fanatics and fans of historic theatre will want to watch this (why DO we ever get only just Shakespeare?), but it's inability to actually draw me in ultimately made it tedious, and i had to watch it in two sittings ('cause clearly i AM a Cox completist).
Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2013 9:52 pm
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