Titus

William Shakespeare's tragedy "Titus Andronicus" gets something of a Baz Luhrmann "Romeo & Juliet" style treatment from director Julie Taymor, in her visionary film adaptation of the play, "Titus," starring Anthony Hopkins and Jessica Lange. It's one of the more brutal and disturbing offerings from the bard, who seeks to expose the myriad chambers of darkness that can be found within the human psyche, which Taymor (who also wrote the screenplay) ferrets out and presents to optimum-- if often disconcerting-- effect. It's a tale of revenge and madness; of revenge born of grief, and madness born of sorrows layered upon sorrows that are simply beyond the endurance of mortal man, the attendant emotions of which Taymor captures in a tapestry of images plaited throughout this blood stirring drama, making it-- for better or worse (as this is one that's definitely going to "stay" with you awhile)-- an altogether unforgettable motion picture experience.A soldier for forty years, General Titus Andronicus (Hopkins) has commanded the Roman legions to countless victories on the field of battle, and along with his army is just returned home from their latest conquest. Once in Rome, Titus will oversee the ceremonial salute to the fallen and the burial of those who died in battle; then he will attend to his prisoners, the Queen of the Goths, Tamora (Lange) and her three sons. For Titus, life is in order and all is well; but though he doesn't realize it yet, all of that is about to change.Titus has four sons, but it is his only daughter, the beautiful Lavinia (Laura Fraser), who will play a leading role in the drama that is about to unfold, which begins with the untimely death of Caesar. Though it is but an opinion, when Titus is asked which of Caesar's son's he favors for succession, Saturninus (Alan Cumming) or Bassianus (James Frain), his choice holds sway, and subsequently triggers an irreversible chain of events which ultimately beget the final tragedy of the story. Before the end, however, Titus Andronicus will suffer the agonies of hell; but into that dark night, he will not go quietly.Within the first few minutes of a film, a good director will let you know what you're in for, and Taymor succeeds in doing so here. The riveting opening sequence, in which Titus and his soldiers march in hypnotic cadence into Rome, sets the style and tone for all that follows. Taymor's staging and choreography are brilliant; orchestrated to draw in the audience and hold them, and she does, in absolutely mesmerizing fashion. Set in ancient Rome, Taymor nevertheless refuses to be bound by the parameters of "era," going "out of the box" to draw upon and blend time periods in an effort to realize her personal vision and bring her imaginative presentation of the play to fruition. There are microphones, for example, in front of the Capitol; and in procession through the streets of Rome, chariots are preceded and/or followed by automobiles and motorcycles. All of which is played out against a rhythm of excitement that effectively impacts the drama, bringing it all so vibrantly to life. To find the true pulse of the story, Taymor evokes a sense of Olivier/Welles/Branagh and fuses it with a combination of Luhrmann and "West Side Story," which makes her film not only emotionally involving and compelling, but visually stunning as well. And though she draws upon the best of the best to make her film all that it can be, what you see on the screen it pure Taymor; the expression of a unique and inimitable artistic genius.As Titus, Anthony Hopkins gives a solid, if not his best, performance. His portrayal is thoroughly convincing (which goes without saying, of course, with Hopkins), but the usual pure and resonant timbre of his voice occasionally and quite noticeably falters, though his elocution remains a study in perfection. An actor who can play any role, Hopkins may always be remembered as Hannibal in "Silence of the Lambs," but without question, he was born to play Shakespeare. One would think, in fact, that his resume would be filled with cinematic adaptations of such; curiously, however, it is not. And while his Titus may be comparatively sub-standard "Hopkins," in the end, he manages to make the role his own with yet another memorable performance.Initially, casting Jessica Lange as Tamora seems an odd choice, inasmuch as this is her first foray into the Shakespearian arena. In the final analysis, however, it is very much in keeping with the less than conventional approach Taymor employs here, and Lange comports herself well with her portrayal of the malevolent Queen of the Goths. She lends a definitive physical countenance to the role, and in her eyes you can discern the shadows that plague her soul and the fire that sparks her quest for revenge. It's a performance that goes far in demonstrating that Lange is, indeed, a consummate actor, with a range that substantiates her stature as an Oscar winner.Also turning in performances of note are Cumming, who is deliciously loathsome as Saturninus; Fraser, whose Lavinia is endearingly fragile and vulnerable; and Harry J. Lennix as the manipulative, despicable Moor, Aaron.The supporting cast includes Colm Feore (Marcus Andronicus), Angus MacFadyen (Lucius), Osheen Jones (Young Lucius), Jonathan Rhys-Meyers (Chiron), Matthew Rhys (Demetrius), Kenny Doughty (Quintus), Blake Ritson (Mutius), Colin Wells (Martius), Raz Degan (Alarbus), Ettore Geri (Priest) and Constantine Gregory (Aemelius). There's no escaping the fact that the story of "Titus" is gruesome, to say the least. Many will find it offensive, even insufferable, especially the ending, which is a sordid business no matter how you slice it. But the vigor and vision of Taymor's production makes it engrossing, stimulating entertainment that is entirely accessible and will appeal to an audience that transcends hard core Shakespeare aficionados. If not madness, there is definitely magic in her method, which is more than evident on the screen. And that's the magic of the movies.

The critics have historically rated Titus Andronicus as a weak early work of the great Shakespeare. Yet Julie Taymor's film interpretation is startling in its presentation, challenging the viewer with visually shocking scenes and superb acting so as to allow the viewer to reconsider this work. Even though I found the play to be blood thirsty and cruel with rash behaviors contrasted against devious and evil plots, the quality of the acting propels the film forward and the unique set designs and costumes continually keep the eye amused even when the plot becomes preposterous.The storyline is centered around the mindless violence that humans inflict upon other humans, the desire for revenge which can take on a drive like thirst or hunger, the nature of sarcastic cruelty that objectifies another human being and thus makes it permissible to torture them. It is about power, the consequences for rejecting power, and the consequences of confronting power.Titus is a man who makes many mistakes. He is superbly played by Anthony Hopkins. He makes a series of mistakes that set the world against him. He selects to make a human sacrifice of the eldest son of the Goth Queen Tamora, setting her on a path of vengeance that does not end. He kills one of his own sons for disobeying him when the sons were making decisions based on genuine regard for the wellbeing of their sister whereas Titus had begun to make decisions in the rare air of honorable loyalty to an Emperor who did not deserve the crown. He is offered the throne by the Senate and yet he gives it to the decadent eldest son of the emperor rather than to his upright younger brother and beloved of Titus' daughter Lavinia. He makes a series of terrible judgments and brings terrible ruin upon his family and himself. The emotions of Titus are not predictable or stereotypical. For he laughs at the death of his sons as he contemplates their severed heads. He is cold matter-of-fact when he encounters the vile tortures inflicted on his beloved daughter. He rashly trades one of his hands in a bad deal that he foolishly and emotionally falls into. But the redeeming aspect of the story is that finally Titus gets smart. He finally becomes cunning and acts like he has gone insane. He finally learns to control and hide his emotions and his revenge becomes as sweet and terrible upon Tamora as her cruelty had been to him. In his final scenes, Hopkins gleefully dances in his revenge as he watches Tamora eat a meat pie made from her two younger sons. And then we see the coldest of calculations as he breaks the neck of his poor tortured daughter whom he knows he can not longer protect.Jessica Lange is wonderful as Tamora, the Goth Queen, who rises from a poor and dirty political prisoner of Titus, to the wife of the Emperor and thus in a position to carefully plot and execute revenge on Titus and his family for the death of her elder son. Tamora is a wonderful character with an outstanding wide range of emotions displayed. She is the cunning advisor to the foolish young Emperor and seductress to the handsome black slave, Aaron the Moor. I found some of her strongest scenes to be when she begs for the life of her eldest son and when she must deny Lavinia assistance as Tamora's two younger sons rape Lavinia, cut out her tongue, and cut off her hands.Tamora's handsome black lover, Aaron the Moor, is a fascinating character for he is a slave taken from his people, and having a brilliant and wicked mind, he plots great evil deeds and pits the two warring families together like a master chess player. He finds most of the people in either family to be highly suggestible fools. Harry Lennix is a fantastic actor in a chilling role. I understand that this may be the first black character in English drama. How wonderful that he is a character of shrewd cunning cruelty. The scene where he tricks Titus into cutting off his hand, the scene where he kills the nurse who brings him his illegitimate newborn son, and the scene where he negotiates for his son's life by confessing all his deeds are all three totally superb chilling acting.All the cast were powerful. Laura Fraser is fragile and beautiful as Lavinia. Michael Gross was outstanding as Marcus, the brother of Titus. Angus McFadyen is masterful and believable as Lucius, the elder son of Titus. Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Matthew Rhys play the parts of the queen's two younger sons, totally wild and decadent and cruel. Alan Cumming's was good as he Emperor Saturnalis, but he screams many of his lines.This tale of dismemberment, torture, cannibalism, and revenge is blazing hot in this interpretation.

Mi adaptación favorita de la obra de Shakespeare. Son dos DVD región 1 y llegó en excelentes condiciones; cuenta con subtítulos en español.

Ich sehe gern Filme über die Shakespeare Dramen und finde die Handlung , auf diese DVD sehr gut gespielt wird( soweit ich das als Laie beurteilen kann ) , vor allem natürlich Anthony Hopkins . Der Film gibt das William Shakespeare Drama Titus Andronicus als Spielfilm , mit dem original Shakespeare Text wieder. Warum nun die Handlung in zwei verschiedenen Zeiten ( im alten Rom und in der Neuzeit ) spielen muß , frage ich mich , denn ich sehe da keinen Vorteil für das gesamte Drama , es nervt nicht , trägt aber auch nichts positives bei , wie bei manch anderen modernen "Kunstwerken" . deshalb nur vier Punkt . Der fünfte Punkt gehört ganz klar dem Service der Lieferfirma !!! Ich hatte einfach nach einer DVD in der Richtung gesucht , gefunden - und bestellt - und dabei gar nicht berücksichtigt das Weihnachten unmittelbar bevorsteht , trotzdem bekam ich mein Bestellung einen Tag nach Weihnachten , dafürein ganz großes Lob an die Lieferfirma.

Création esthétique et psychologique troublante, Shakespeare au plus haut et au plus sombre.La mise en scène heurtera peut-être des spectateurs trop habitués à des formats dirigés, mais rien de foufou non plus, c'est simplement créatif, un peu dans la même veine qu'Edward aux mains d'argents.Anthony Hopkins est dans son éléments, les autres acteurs ne sont pas en reste et j'ai été psychologiquement perturbé les 3 jours qui suivaient. C'est aussi la marque d'une oeuvre artistique réussie : vous toucher, que vous le vouliez ou non. Vous êtes prévenus...

Solamente una puntualización. En la descripción del producto, de cualquier DVD o blu-ray, pongan por favor la región claramente. Gracias.

Don't remember this if and when it came to theatres but this was an amazing movie! I love Shakespeare and this was one of the best interpretations of any of his plays, I have ever seen . The scenery, costumes, and music are a marvelous dance of time periods, quite surprising, but well suited to the action. Anthony Hopkins and Jessica Lang give outstanding performances as do all the other actors. The bonus features and interviews with the director are just as facinating.I only takes a little while to get into the swing of Shakespeare's English and Julie Taymor does an exceptional job of helping the audience understand. This timeless story of revenge and it's consequences has us actually cheering for Titus even as he turns barbaric.I would recommend this to all. Even if you are not a big fan of Shakespeare, this may make one of you.