Titus Review

General Titus Andronicus, (Anthony Hopkins), returns triumphantly to Rome after defeating Lavinia, Queen of the Goths (Jessica Lange) and her armies; he ceremoniously kills Lavinia`s eldest son, ensuring her lasting enmity. Offered the emperor`s throne, he rejects it in favour of the unstable Saturninus, (Alan Cumming), elder son of the late Caesar; and soon the new emperor is allied with Lavinia in violent opposition to Titus and his family... Julie Taymor`s adaptation of Shakespeare`s Titus Andronicus is, like the recent film of Richard III, modernised. This story of revenge is given a mainly 1930s, fascist era, setting, though there are more modern interpolations - a video parlor for instance- and some sequences, shot in a Roman arena in Croatia, evoke the original period of the drama. Anthony Hopkins plays Titus, and the casting is clever because there are clear allusions here to the actor`s famous role of Hannibal Lecter - in fact some pretty bloody events are covered in this R rated version of the play - rape, amputations, murders and the culinary use of body parts. Jessica Lange gives a powerful performance as the vengeful Lavinia, while Alan Cumming makes the evil Saturninus a genuinely weird, Hitler-like, character - and there`s a fine performance, too, from Harry Lennix as Aaron, the Moor used by Lavinia in her thirst for revenge. An adults only version of Shakespeare which is fiendishly effective.Margaret`s Comments:This adaptation of Shakespeare`s first, bloody play is given a wonderfully effective translation to the screen by Julie Taymor, an award-winning stage director, who seamlessly blends images of the ancient and the 20th century to present an age-old tale of revenge that reverberates through the centuries. The bloodletting that saturates the story hinges on two acts of the triumphant Roman General Titus Andronicus that reflect his rigidity of character. His cold-blooded execution of the oldest son of the conquered Queen of the Goths as a ritual act of retribution germinates vengeance in the mother`s heart and his subsequent refusal to accept the laurel wreath as emperor sets in motion the possibility of her revenge. Titus is a company man, to the extent that he kills one of his own sons because they`ve failed in their duty. This rigidity of Titus` and its aftermath is a life lesson for any age. Much of the language of the Bard is maintained, so important because he was a great poetic dramatist, the performances are outstanding, Hopkins as Titus only momentarily descending into Hannibal Lecter mode in the later part of the film, but still amazingly effective, Jessica Lange so sinuous and intelligent as Queen Tamora and as the `black` villain of the piece Aaron, Harry Lennix is diabolically sinister and yet heroic. The soundtrack is a vital plus, the design and locations, the costumes and Taymor`s direction all adding cumulatively to a stunning cinema experience