Coriolanus

[valda]

Saw the film a few weeks ago, and in complete agreement with you Beate. Jon Snow is the best thing about it.

I've jsut realised who Jon Snow is

and even more embarrassingly I thought Jon Snow was a character in Game of Thrones

[steve9872]

The trouble is the politics of roman times and city states don't exist in the modern world. Even the elective system is different. Pretending its all the same now as then is the problem, only the human condition remains the same. ie. backstabbers and reasons for war remain the same. How wars are fought has changed drastically, it used to be mostly hand to hand and a sense of honour endured. These days the killing is mostly by remote control or at a distance and there's no sense of honour in it, so that early knife fight simply wouldn't have happened - it simply isn't efficient enough.

[biggins]

Felt like joining the people that walked out but stayed to the end. Wished I had stayed at home and watched Corrie instead.

[raj101]

Corrie or anus, indeed.

[alythonian]

I see I'm going to be in a minority of 1 (ish) here.

I saw this in Edinburgh tonight. It was about 65% full and there were approx 12 walkouts starting at 30 mins and most leaving around the hour mark. A mix of mature people and those in their 20s at a rough guess.

I appreciate that this was not everyone's bag, but I found it really really rewarding. The performance of Raph Fiennes was good but Vanessa Redgrave was mesmerisingly good as Coriolanus' mother. I also thought that Gerard Butler and James Nesbit more than held their own in that cast. I did find Brian Cox (and his bad hair dye) a disappointment.

The modern day setting of the Balkans really worked for me, and despite knowing how it ends (it is a Shakespeare tragedy after all) they managed to draw it out and draw the audience in and take you with them to the bitter and brutal end.

I accept 17th Century English can be a little testing, but I found my ear attuned to it after about 15 minutes, so for that reason I would go back and see it again as I think I would appreciate it more a second time. I think modern language would not have given it the gravitas it had with the original(ish) text.

Having watched Butler on Graham Norton last Friday I think it was naughty of the films' promoters (or the BBC) to use a clip of a fight with more or less no speaking in it. I suspect they are trying to sell it on the basis of a brutal war film with Gerard Butler based on Shakespear's Coriolanus rather than a Shakesperian adaptation of the original work set in modern times which is what it really is and as such appeals to a completely different audience.

[Yinster]

Back from Glasgow Cineworld. Pretty much full though a few singles seats about including one beside my friend with rude arrogant man put his big rucksack on.

Didn't realise it was a bromance film. And at one point my friend asked if the scene where Menenius (Cox) goes to try to make peace with Coriolanus (Fiennes) was based in a gay nightclub. Too many things I hated about this and not the language. It was poetic for the first 15 minutes and then somehow I felt the script wanted to be in a play rather than film. Got the just of it though subtitles would had helped.
Fiennes first attempt is just too arty farty for me.

Someone needs to tell Fiennes you don't need to spit all the time to be a good actor and OH just kept thinking of Voldemort whenever he was on screen. And did I see a pot belly on him? Surprising considering Butler is far more toned so should had defeated him in the knife fight. Volumnia (Redgrave) was indeed a mad character so didn't like her and Tamora (Lubna Azabal) the female citizen just bugged with her hatred towards Coriolanus.

1/10

[valda]

Back from Glasgow Cineworld. Pretty much full though a few singles seats about including one beside my friend with rude arrogant man put his big rucksack on.

Didn't realise it was a bromance film. And at one point my friend asked if the scene where Menenius (Cox) goes to try to make peace with Coriolanus (Fiennes) was based in a gay nightclub. Too many things I hated about this and not the language. It was poetic for the first 15 minutes and then somehow I felt the script wanted to be in a play rather than film. Got the just of it though subtitles would had helped.
Fiennes first attempt is just too arty farty for me.

Someone needs to tell Fiennes you don't need to spit all the time to be a good actor and OH just kept thinking of Voldemort whenever he was on screen. And did I see a pot belly on him? Surprising considering Butler is far more toned so should had defeated him in the knife fight. Volumnia (Redgrave) was indeed a mad character so didn't like her and Tamora (Lubna Azabal) the female citizen just bugged with her hatred towards Coriolanus.

1/10

me too1 I was really hoping that female would get a crack on the head And I did see the pot belly

[LiteupLee]

I understood it fine, but don't know if that eally made any difference?? I suspect it helped as concentrating helped me stay awake, which are were my points come from lol 4.5/10

Lets face it peeps, we need to look at this as a positive!! I mean can it get much worse for the rest of the year??? Onwards and upwards :)

[June]

Had to walk out, I love reading and watching Shakespeare, however I think he would turn in his grave at this performance. No rating from me as in my opinion this film was not worthy of any marks.

[steve9872]

Lets face it peeps, we need to look at this as a positive!! I mean can it get much worse for the rest of the year??? Onwards and upwards :)

You're going to regret saying that. Remember the guy who approved making that film will have approved many others we are yet to see. I predict a level of consistency which will drive us out of the cinema on a regular basis.