Cymbeline
(2014/Lionsgate Blu-ray)
Picture:
B+ Sound: B+
Extras: C+ Film: C
Hollywood's
obsession with giving Shakespeare a modern film adaptation is
something you either love or hate. Using prose language in this
modern age sometimes doesn't always translate well, as seen here. At
the core, the dramatic themes are characters work, but ultimately
there's always something a little off as seen in previous Hollywood
Shakespeare films like Romeo + Juliet and Othello. Michael
Almereyda's Cymbeline
is no different - with this being the director's second Shakespeare
outing to film (the other being Hamlet
in 2000). Boasting an incredible cast including Ethan Hawke, Ed
Harris, Milla Jovovich, Anton Yelchin, John Leguizamo, and Dakota
Johnson the film is watchable but not a classic as it tries to appeal
to modern day audiences with the addition of some modern pop culture
elements (in one scene Mila Jovovich sings a Bob Dylan song) and the
motorcycle gang angle similar to that of Sons
of Anarchy.
Ed
Harris stars as Cymbeline, the king of the Briton Motorcycle Gang
(shades of Romero's Knightriders), a group that has forged an
uneasy truce with the Roman police force that allows them to do
business without interference. The apple of his eye is his daughter,
Imogen (Dakota Johnson), his only remaining child after the
disappearance of his two sons and the heir to his kingdom. He is
insistent that she marry Cloten (Anton Yelchin), the son of his
second wife, the Queen (Jovovich), but as the story opens, he learns
that Imogen has defied him by falling in love (and secretly marrying)
the penniless-but-true Posthumus (Leguizamo).
Cymbeline
is outraged by this and sends Posthumus into exile. The Queen is no
happier either by this revelation as she is the one behind the plan
for Imogen to marry Cloten, so that she may then kill both Cymbeline
and Imogen and make her son the king.
While
the truce between the Britons and Romans falls apart and leads to
bloodshed on both sides, Posthumus finds himself forced into a wager
with the Iachimo (Ethan Hawke), an agitator who bets him that he can
seduce Imogen and provide proof of the deed. Imogen manages to fend
off his advances, but late one night, Iachimo fakes the evidence and
the distraught Posthumus orders aide Pisanio (Leguizamo) to murder
Imogen in revenge for her unfaithfulness. Pisanio cannot bring
himself to do this and instead advises Imogen to disguise herself as
a man and go into hiding, which leads her to the doorstep of an old
man (Lingo) and his two sons. This all leads to the usual array of
Shakespearian plot twists--suicide, murder, war and magical potions
that make people seem dead just long enough to cause a
misunderstanding or two.
The
presentation on the disc is pretty flawless with a 1:85:1 anamorphic
widescreen high definition transfer in 1080p and an elegantly mixed,
lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 track. As for extras on the disc, we are
given an interesting Commentary Track with the Director, Ethan Hawke,
and Shakespeare expert Anthony Holden. Also, there's a Behind the
Scenes Featurette, Interviews with the Cast and Crew, and trailers.
With
a strong cast, this film is geared more towards fans of Shakespeare
that don't mind some modern day twists thrown in. If you're a fan of
the play or the story then I would definitely give it a go, but I
found the film as more of a one time watch.
-
James Harland Lockhart V
www.facebook.com/jhl5films
