Starring Anthony Hopkins, Jessica Lange, Colm Feore, Alan Cumming, Laura Fraser, Harry Lennix, Angus
McFayden, . Written and Directed by Julie Taymer.
Roman General Titus Adronicus (Hopkins) has returned triumphantly to Rome after conquering the Goth army.
Throughout his life he has lost all but four of his twenty plus sons. But he does not question the loss - it is
the price to pay for service to Rome. He has captured the Goth Queen Tamara (Lange) and dragged her back
with him. As is Roman custom, Titus slays her first born to illustrate his devotion to Rome. She swears revenge
on Titus and all his family. Soon, Caesar dies and Titus is called by the Tribunes and his brother Marcus (Feore) to
be Emporer but he declines, advocating instead Caesar's wimpy, cunning first-born Saturninus (Cumming) to
be emperor instead. Bad move. Saturninus wishes to select Titus' daughter Lavinia (Fraser) for his wife, but
she and her betrothed refuse, and flee. He then takes Tamara to be his empress, and she accepts, thinking
this the best position from which she can gain retribution.
Tamara's euro-trash sons and loyal Moor Aaron (Lennix) devise a plan of revenge. They will rape and mame
Lavinia, kill her betrothed (who happens to be Saturninus' brother) and frame two of Titus' sons. The plan
works, but Titus eventually learns of the deception, and plots revenge on Tamara and the black-hearted Moor.
Titus Adronicus, often called Shakespeare's worst play, is a bloodthirsty orgy of revenge from start
to finish, making Reservoir Dogs look like a minor misunderstanding. It was his first play, and supposedly
his most popular, what with Elizabethan England's desire for violent, brutal entertainment. It's got a bit of
everything - a huge death count, considerable maiming, neverending blood flow and cannibalism that would
impress even Hannibal Lector. Oliver Stone has been criticized for over-the-top excess, but he has nothing
on Willy. Or Taymer. The film opens with a brilliantly staged funeral scene where Titus brings home his dead
sons into a Roman colisseum, doing an unusual goose-step into the arena. Director Taymer combines ancient
Roman swords and armour with motorcycles and cars to great effect. Taymer flashes forward to a Nazi Germany-like
state, where Caesar's sons Saturninus and younger brother drive through the streets with bullhorns and flags
trying to drum up support for each candidates righteousness and utter devotion to the glory of Rome. Some
viewers have never suggested this moving back and forth in time between Roman and Nazi times is a hard
to follow, but knowing these time changes were coming, I found it quite smoothly done. There are flaws, but
they mainly lie within the play itself. It takes a ridiculously long time for Lavinia to get around to informing the
family who raped and deformed her. And Tamara's disguise as the muse Revenge is a clumsy device to get
her sons into Titus' home. Much of the body maiming and revenge is pretty contrived and nonsensical. I
suppose it a bit unnecessary to suggest that neither Lavinia nor Titus could stand around after losing blood
and various parts of their bodies. Certain parts drag, such as the scene with Titus, Lavinia and his nephew
sitting around eating and discussing the catching of flies.
Taymer has attempted to play down the violence for violence sake, and demonstrates the tendency throughout
history of dictatorships and their practioners behaving ruthlessly and without conscience, as in power corrupting.
It mostly works, but the ridiculous amount of butchery and violence in the play somewhat betrays that goal.
Shakespeare clearly glorifies the violence and goes out of his way to contrive circumstances that allows more
of it to occur. But the film is saved by its fine cinematography, costumes and direction, and by several outstanding
performances. Hopkins plays Adronicus not as a crazy, power-hungry savage, but a man devoted to Rome
and his daughter, taking revenge to correct the wrongs inflicted upon his family by the wicked Tamara. His
personality gels right into the role, and I was able to understand Titus' pain, and why he did some of the crazy
things he did. Lange shows considerable strength and subtlety as Tamara, believably showing herself as strong
as any of the men. Feore and Cumming also turn in solid performances. But the revelation of the film is Harry
Lennix. Never has a character with no redeeming motivations been given such humanity. Aaron celebrates
his numerous deeds of treachery even in death, but I found myself admiring his strength of purpose even as
he performs indefensible acts. He dominates the screen each time he enters a scene. If you are prepared
for the violent nature of this play, Titus is an attractively mounted adaptation, the movie better than the
play from which it comes.
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