Shakespeare on film always presents difficulties, and it may come as no surprise to learn that this is the
first appearance on film of one of Shakespeare’s most ‘difficult’ plays. Officially classed as a comedy, The
Merchant of Venice has so many dark undercurrents, not least, to modern sensibilities, its blatant anti-
Semitism. Michael Radford wisely chooses to more or less ignore the awkward comedy and directs Al
Pacino’s Shylock in a very understated and almost iconoclastic performance that even by the standards
of Shakespeare purists is magisterial and tragic, the centre of gravity of the movie’s finely-judged
weightiness. With glorious production design revealing a painterly Renaissance Venice, and high calibre
supporting performances, notably by Jeremy Irons and Joseph Fiennes (Antonio and Bassanio, respectively),
the film moves at a slow pace, but is continuously absorbing and rewarding, and more than does
justice to the enduring complexities of the original play.
