The Merchant of Venice: The Movie

    • The Merchant of Venice: The Movie





      It is a great magnificent play that carries in its scenes several controversial topics. “The Merchant of Venice” is play by the one and only greatest in English literature William Shakespeare

      The news about that is: last September, the movie has been released. Not only that, but Shylock, the bitter sweet money-loaner of Venice, is played by the one and only greatest actor (well, for me at least!) Al Pacino

      The merchant, would be Antonio, the anti-Semitic who hated the Jewish money-loaner Shylock because of his evilness and greed. Antonio will eventually borrow money from Shylock, and if he fails to pay, then Shylock is entitled to get a “piece of his flesh” (Antonio’s flesh) in return.
      Other symbolic events take place that I personally think makes this play as interesting.




      People have been disturbed by the fact that play was chosen out of the rest to be filmed, especially not very long after “The Passion of the Christ”. Reason is that many think that the play conveys anti-Semitism (i.e. anti-jewishness) and that the movie specifically focuses on this aspect all through out.
      Well, others have (ridiculously) claimed that it is absurd to have Pacino as Jew, and not any Jew, but one who explicitly hates Christians. Why, how would an actor be “acting” if he had to be himself??


      Anyways, I do hope the movie arrives soon… I can’t wait to see it


      Here is one of the most famous quotes of Shylock, which I think added the ironic vulnerability to his villous character:

      I am a Jew
      Hath not a Jew eyes?
      Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions;
      fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases,
      heal’d by the same meanswarm’d and cool’d by the same winter and summer
      as a Christian is?
      If you prick us, do we not bleed?
      If you tickle us, do we not laugh?
      If you poison us, do we not die?
      And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?       -Shylock, Act III. Scene I. 58.

      (Here is the complete play))

    • Thanks a lot dear sister for sharing us this background of the coming movie. I really liked mostly to watch movies which are based from novels and plays. Two months ago, Oman channel TV show the play of Hamlet in two parts but I haven't the chance to watch the movie.
      But I will try to never miss this movie because it seems a great one for a great actor like Al pachino on it. I haven't go to the Cinema since long time, so it is a good chance to go and attend watching this one.

      There is something that can not be missed at all in all Shakespeare's plays which is showing the Christianity in a good way among other religions. Shakespeare tried always to chow that Christianity and Christians are the best people and honestly I hate Shakespeare in this point for he also criticizes Muslims and Arabs and show them as Barbarous in his famous play Macbeth. So, it seems that Shakespeare has not missed the chance again in this play, The Merchant of Venice, criticizing the Jews besides showing the Christianity as the best.

      I will try inshallah to read this play as soon as I have the chance and the time. Till now I just read 3 of Shakespeare's plays and it is really difficult in reading. So, we have to be very careful in reading his plays.

    • I cannot really wait to see this film showing,for you to enjoy, as I never watch films, foreign ones Imean
      I do not really know why but I don't. I would settle for one of the Arabic black & white classics,and with Scream mentioning Al Pachino
      it reminds me with the last film I did watch for him, Scar Face,though I saw the Arabic version of the movie, The Emperor, played in a magnificient way by Ahmed Zaki

      Sure it is hard to read for Shakespeare, as he used old English, and one needs to be of great knowledge of the okd English

      Merchant of Venice has been quoted in Arabic cinema and I cannot recall the titles of the movies based on it

      I remember I was fond with watching British drama based on novels but I do not know I lost interest
      You never know what is going on, people are changing, some move forward,others do it backwards. Lots of young people like tolisten to Abdelhalim Hafiz and Om Kalthoum though most were born years after both great singers have passed a way

      I know I am talking far a way,but I guess this is the typical 21st century disturbed mind

    • Scream كتب:

      Thanks a lot dear sister for sharing us this background of the coming movie. I really liked mostly to watch movies which are based from novels and plays. Two months ago, Oman channel TV show the play of Hamlet in two parts but I haven't the chance to watch the movie.
      But I will try to never miss this movie because it seems a great one for a great actor like Al pachino on it. I haven't go to the Cinema since long time, so it is a good chance to go and attend watching this one.

      There is something that can not be missed at all in all Shakespeare's plays which is showing the Christianity in a good way among other religions. Shakespeare tried always to chow that Christianity and Christians are the best people and honestly I hate Shakespeare in this point for he also criticizes Muslims and Arabs and show them as Barbarous in his famous play Macbeth. So, it seems that Shakespeare has not missed the chance again in this play, The Merchant of Venice, criticizing the Jews besides showing the Christianity as the best.

      I will try inshallah to read this play as soon as I have the chance and the time. Till now I just read 3 of Shakespeare's plays and it is really difficult in reading. So, we have to be very careful in reading his plays.


      :) You're welcome

      I too cant wait for the movie, especially because it has Al Pacino and in a very challenging and different role

      I agree, Shakespeare's plays are hell to read.. it takes me double the time to read it because i have to read it slower.. lol.. but its worth the effort.. you can sense the magnificent artistic vibe in every single line

      Its a very inetersting point that you made
      I have read that Shakespere was a memeber in an extrimist Christian group.. maybe this would emphasize what you said..

      I have read in one of the reviews that the movie is more focused on the christian anti-semitism issue than the play.. !!i we'll have to wait and see

      :) :) :)

    • Tenderness كتب:

      I cannot really wait to see this film showing,for you to enjoy, as I never watch films, foreign ones Imean
      I do not really know why but I don't. I would settle for one of the Arabic black & white classics,and with Scream mentioning Al Pachino
      it reminds me with the last film I did watch for him, Scar Face,though I saw the Arabic version of the movie, The Emperor, played in a magnificient way by Ahmed Zaki

      Sure it is hard to read for Shakespeare, as he used old English, and one needs to be of great knowledge of the okd English

      Merchant of Venice has been quoted in Arabic cinema and I cannot recall the titles of the movies based on it

      I remember I was fond with watching British drama based on novels but I do not know I lost interest
      You never know what is going on, people are changing, some move forward,others do it backwards. Lots of young people like tolisten to Abdelhalim Hafiz and Om Kalthoum though most were born years after both great singers have passed a way

      I know I am talking far a way,but I guess this is the typical 21st century disturbed mind


      You're still not into foriegn movies !!?? (except indian which i know you're into hehe)i

      I got excited for a moment when you said you did watch Scarface, but .. it was the fake arabic version .. how disappointing!! i'll go out today and rent this arabic version.. i heard its the exact same plot.. shame on them!!i

      Great legends, wether in music, cinema or any other aspect .. stay legends forever .. and not only for your people today .. but for the new generations to come
      doesnt matter when they died!!! when do you think Shekespeare died??s
      :)

      The Typical 21st century disturbed mind

      Yup
      Two words on that: Technology and Globalization


      #e Ok enough ... dont change the subject here anymore .. Mr. Moderator

    • i'll go out today and rent this arabic version.. i heard its the exact same plot.. shame on them


      and please get me this latest indian movie on your way
      #i #i #i

      I tell one thing, The Emperor is a copy of scarface as I said, but how Ahmed Zaki played the role is the positive remark about the film
      See it and I think you gonna like it

      I envy you two, I am back to envy $$-e , and to brotherly envy as I called it once #i , I envy you still reading some great novels and work for some great writers and peots. I hardly have time reading, and most if not all I read is
      Technology and Globalization
      And when I say time, I mean the time of peace of mind

      Thanks Mrs.Unfaithful, and enjoy The Emperor


    • I remember reading this story 10 years ago and I liked the way of thinking when it came to the judge saying that you can take a piece of flesh but not drop any blood and then he had to give up at the end

      I do not like Al pacino and I try to read the stories from their novels if I dont like the actors, and in regard to what you said Mrs Unfaithful, I want to point out that not arabic cinema faked the story in the Emperor but also americans have stolen the story of the lion king from a japanese anime movie and said that it's their idea. The real japanese character in the lion king was Kimba instead of Simba

      I hate the american cinema in a sense that they are steal stories.. Let say also like the arabic cinema, the american cinema has duplicated Vanilla Sky as well... it is not originally american, it's spanish and called "through my eyes" so what do you say about the american cinema? I won't say that they are not good but in my opinion (personally) most of the american movies are sooo hollywood and pointless. When The last Samurai came out, see how they have displayed the americans as heros and they always do, but looking at it from the historical point of view, do you think that everything was right and true? Of course not, hollywood has to add some of it's touches on the movie to end up with a hollywoodic ending

      The passion of the christ was not that good to me, although TECHNICALLY the movie was done very well as it caught the emotions of people. I think the merchant of venice won't anything to my knowledge about the story and I don't think it will be a big fuss

      Thanks Mrs Unfaithful for passing on information about the movie, and looking forward to see all of you guys commenting on the movie and telling me what you think about it

      Cheers



    • NaWaaaaaaar
      come on.. how come you dont like Al Pacino?? what did he do to you ???s
      #e #e

      No one predicted the movie would make a fuss, but the subejct of anti-semitism is a little sensitive... especially for american cinema
      Another thing is the role of AL Pacino .. but if you dont like him.. that wouldnt matter anyways :)


      about hollywood,
      true, alot of thier movies are not original plots, taken from other movies, but they do not claim them to be thiers, they actually coordinate it with the original movie makers to produce the hollywood version
      Vanilla sky... Penelope Cruz (spanish) in an originally spanish movie.. it cannot be a coincidence :)'

      And TAXI.. the originally french movie
      and the Grudge.. originally Japanese

      of course there might be un-announced stolen ones.. Hollywood ppl arent saints after all :)
      But it is justified .. It is hollywood!!!.. and most likely the original movie makers will be VERY proud that thier movie has been stolen by hollywood.. you see

      Now Disney is a totally other world.. they obviously steel and claim its thiers
      and no one would forget Aladin.. how they didnt even mention ANYWHERE that its an arabic folklore story... and a very famous one too.. and no one even reminded them

      whenever the merchant of venice is out, hope you'll watch it too
      come on.. you dont hate al pacino that much ?? ~!@n ~!@n

    • Mrs.Unfaithful كتب:



      NaWaaaaaaar
      come on.. how come you dont like Al Pacino?? what did he do to you ???s
      #e #e

      No one predicted the movie would make a fuss, but the subejct of anti-semitism is a little sensitive... especially for american cinema
      Another thing is the role of AL Pacino .. but if you dont like him.. that wouldnt matter anyways :)


      about hollywood,
      true, alot of thier movies are not original plots, taken from other movies, but they do not claim them to be thiers, they actually coordinate it with the original movie makers to produce the hollywood version
      Vanilla sky... Penelope Cruz (spanish) in an originally spanish movie.. it cannot be a coincidence :)'

      And TAXI.. the originally french movie
      and the Grudge.. originally Japanese

      of course there might be un-announced stolen ones.. Hollywood ppl arent saints after all :)
      But it is justified .. It is hollywood!!!.. and most likely the original movie makers will be VERY proud that thier movie has been stolen by hollywood.. you see

      Now Disney is a totally other world.. they obviously steel and claim its thiers
      and no one would forget Aladin.. how they didnt even mention ANYWHERE that its an arabic folklore story... and a very famous one too.. and no one even reminded them

      whenever the merchant of venice is out, hope you'll watch it too
      come on.. you dont hate al pacino that much ?? ~!@n ~!@n


      LoL.. what did he do to me?? Let me ask you this... what has he done to make you like him?? ;) hehe Naaah.. I just dont like him.. I didnt say he is not good, he is a good actor but I just dont like him.. So calm down sugar :P I will watch the movie 3ashan 5a6rik, wLa yhimmik :P