The Merchant of Venice
1980: Jack Gold

This is the entry into the BBC Shakespeare series. It is cleanly performed, though I personally found it less than completely arresting. It is, nevertheless, one of the few that is not really focused on wringing the play out for a social or political agenda.

Gemma Jones takes the pivotal role of Portia here; she is at least ten years too old for the role (she was 38 in 1980), and she plays it with a tight, almost repressed, reserve. The result is not bad or unappealing, but it substantially dampens the appeal of the romantic element of the story. Warren Mitchell’s Shylock has less cinematic flair and grandeur than Olivier’s, but at the same time it supports considerably more nuance in the characterization, and I ultimately like it a good deal better.

Viewers of the Indiana Jones or The Lord of the Rings movies may be amused to see a relatively youthful (and much slimmer) John Rhys-Davies in the relatively minor role of Salerio.

Buy the complete BBC Shakespeare Plays at Amazon. Note that this will require a Region 2 player or a region-free player: it will not play on most normal American DVD players. Nevertheless, the price is so reasonable that even with a region-free player thrown into the deal, you’ll come out ahead.

Buy the BBC Shakespeare Plays Comedy Giftbox at Amazon. Unlike the complete series, this is in a North American video format, and it includes five plays: As You Like It, The Taming of the Shrew, The Tempest, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and The Merchant of Venice.

Buy the complete set of the BBC Shakespeare Plays or individual plays (including this one) in Region 1 format direct from Ambrose Video.