441. GREAT CINEMA ADAPTATIONS: THE MERCHANT OF VENICE

Peter Josyph via Zoom   About Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, James Shapiro said that “much of the play’s vitality can be attributed to the ways in which it scrapes against a bedrock of beliefs about the racial, national, sexual, and religious differences of others.” Shakespeare’s most controversial play, it is also one of his most popular and dramatically exciting. Michael Radford's superb, streamlined 2004 adaptation stars Jeremy Irons as Antonio; Joseph Fiennes as Bassanio; Lynn Collins as Portia; and Al Pacino as Shylock, a role he played in several stage productions, including Shakespeare in the Park and on Broadway. Participants will be given a link to two short YouTube films, Bardtalk: The Merchant of Venice (Parts I and II), consisting of Dr. John Lutz discussing the play's main themes and characters with Peter Josyph, who also enacts Shylock in two scenes from the play. Expect a lively discussion!   1:00-2:00 p.m. / 1:00-2:30 p.m.