Friday 28th OCTOBER
TIME 10am- 12pmpm admission €2.00 Cineplex :
Killarney
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMME IN ASSOCIATION
WITH IFI
Supported by Kerry County Council
The Merchant
of Venice Michael Radford
USA-Italy-Luxembourg / 2004 / 138min / Colour
Continuing our tour of this accomplished screen revival of Shakespeare's
play in which Al Pacino shines as Shylock. Set in 16th century
Venice, the film makes its point of view clear from the outset,
with a written account of the situation of Jews during this
time, and the origin of the word 'ghetto'. In the opening sequence
we see a priest preaching against Jews from a boat, Antonio
(Jeremy Irons) spits on Shylock the moneylender, and a Jew is
thrown to his death in the canal. These events provide the context
for the play, and help explain Shylock's motivation for revenge.
Radford's film also makes central the way Shylock's anger is
compounded by the deceit of his daughter Jessica.During the
trial scenes Pacino excels himself as he moves from being arrogant
and vengeful at the beginning to his total devastation as he
realises he has lost everything.
12 Angry Men Sidney Lumet
US / 1957 / 96min / Black and White
This classic film starring Henry Fonda joins the Leaving Cert
Comparative Study for 2007.Despite our familiarity with legal
dramas, this film still has the power to provoke us into thinking
about the nature of justice.Director Sydney Lumet gets behind
each member of the jury as they debate and weigh up the evidence
available. It is the ‘hottest day of the year’ and
the claustrophobic atmosphere is heightened by the director’s
use of different lenses so that the backgrounds seem to close
in on the characters.
The belief that a defendant is innocent until proven guilty
challenges each character as they reveal their own interpretation
of right and wrong, and their potential to manipulate or clash
with others. It is not a film about solving a crime, rather
it is about sending someone to death row, a situation that is
still a reality in many US states.
|
