A sumptuously shot Shakespeare classic led by an ensemble of acting luminaries.
Julie Taymor’s cinematic adaptation of this supernatural tale employs gorgeous cinematography and a cream-of-the-crop cast, not to mention it’s an excellent an and vastly entertaining literary brush-up. And really, what more could you ask for? It’s also one of only two of the Great Bard’s works steeped in sorcery, so there’s the constant feeling just about anything can happen onscreen.
Taymor adds a fascinating twist to the plot, turning the sorcerer Prospero into a sorceress, Prospera, played by none other than Helen Mirren. When her enemies shipwreck on the island she and her daughter Miranda call home, Prospera wreaks magical havoc on the beleaguered men as revenge for her banishment from a royal perch in Italy. And thus follow elements of tragedy, comedy and romance in almost equal measure.
As seen in her ACROSS THE UNIVERSE (2007), FRIDA (2002) and adaptation of another Shakespeare play, TITUS (1999) – not to mention her smash theatrical adaption of THE LION KING on Broadway – Taymor views the screen (or stage) as her canvas and applies colors liberally as one would to a painting. THE TEMPEST is gorgeous and sumptuous, a feast for the eyes. Not only artistically, but through the startlingly dramatic natural scenery of black lava rock, towering cliffs, exploding surf, barren landscapes and open skies I never realized Hawaii could provide. The film also employs just the right amount of CGI to further its storyline instead of shrouding it. Such can be seen in the spirit Ariel’s dances across the stratosphere or Prospera’s magical deliberations in her lair: celestial shapes and light patterns whirling, potions bubbling, flasks combusting. Ariel’s dramatic transformation into a jet-black harpy to terrify and stupefy the lost royals is for me one of the visual high points. Along these lines, Taymor always prioritizes her costumes, and so for THE TEMPEST enlisted the considerable talents of Oscar darling designer Sandy Powell. The sorceress’s shimmering feathered cape, rainbow array of her wardrobe and strictly corseted black dress as she confronts her equally black-clad royal prey add so much to this banquet of imagery.
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