Steve Mentz

THE BOOKFISH

THALASSOLOGY, SHAKESPEARE, AND SWIMMING

  • Home
  • Steve Mentz
  • Humanities Commons
  • Public Writing
  • The sea! the sea!
  • The Bookfish
  • St. Johns

Julie Taymor’s Tempest

October 6, 2010 by Steve Mentz 5 Comments

The trailer for Taymor’s forthcoming sound-and-lights extravaganza Tempest is now on YouTube:

Tempest Trailer

It’s supposed to open Dec 10.  Maybe the class should all go together on our last night, 12/14?

Thanks to Tara for the link.

Update: Watched it again today & it looks fun, if perhaps a bit over-the-top.  Sorcery. Passion. Stupidity.  Treachery. Revenge — so go the subtitles.  An interesting summary, I suppose?

We certainly should go on 12/14.  Anybody know a movie theater close to campus?

Filed Under: E. 110 Fall 2010, The Tempest

Comments

  1. Nicole P says

    October 7, 2010 at 2:55 pm

    I think that would be a nice way to end the semester. While I’m not sure it will be the greatest film ever, it does have a great cast and watching Russell Brand perform Shakespeare is guaranteed to provoke a few laughs.

    Reply
  2. Tara Bradway says

    October 7, 2010 at 4:47 pm

    I agree, I think this would be a blast. I was tickled by the “Revenge” subtitle since that’s where my head is right now.

    I will bring duct tape to cover my mouth so I won’t be obnoxious if Taymor alters the script to “Thy *father* was a piece of virtue” …

    Reply
  3. Danielle Lee says

    October 8, 2010 at 1:52 am

    I had to do a double take when I saw Brand. It’s bad enough he’s doing the remake of Arthur. I’m really intrigued to see how he will handle Shakespeare. I have to say though, the trailer had a bit of a Harry Potter feel to it.

    Reply
  4. Steve Mentz says

    October 8, 2010 at 11:02 am

    I thought more Percy Jackson than Harry Potter, but maybe that’s just what my kids are into right now. I agree about the sound & light show. Maybe all movie magic looks the same these days? I certainly think that *The Tempest* itself was, among other things, a reaction to the new possibilities of the indoor theater that Shakespeare’s company had recently acquired. I think Andrew Gurr writes about this in our Norton ed. It’s interesting to think about modern film-makers being in comparable positions with computer-generated material.

    Reply
  5. Steve Mentz says

    October 11, 2010 at 12:58 pm

    On Friday I had dinner with a bunch of Shakespeareans (including Nicole’s professor from MSU) & talked with someone who’s seen a preview of the film. Her report gave two enthusiastic thumbs up. She said the mother-daughter stuff was great, & also that Taymor’s style really transformed the masque of the goddesses in Act 4.

    I’m still suspicious of the sound & lights show, but I’m looking forward to it.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

About Steve

Steve Mentz
Professor of English
St. John’s University
Read Bio

Pages

  • Coastal Studies Reading Group
  • Public Writing
  • OCEAN Publicity
  • Audio and Video Recordings
  • Oceanic New York
  • #shax2022 s31: Rethinking the Early Modern Literary Caribbbean
  • #SAA 2020: Watery Thinking
  • Creating Nature: May 2019 at the Folger
  • Published Work
  • #pluralizetheanthropocene

Recent Posts

  • The Wife of Willesden (BAM)
  • Water-Notes: Improving Water Quality in Short Beach
  • BBQ on Will’s Birthday (Fat Ham on Broadway)
  • The Knight of the Burning Pestle (Fiasco/Red Bull)
  • Snow in the North Country: #shax2023

Copyright © 2023 · News Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in