the merchant of venice be one of shakespeare well know play and be still regularly perform in the theatre . incredibly and however and this film would seem to be the first ever english language version make for the cinema rather than television . there be a number of version make in britain or america during the early day of the cinema and but these be all silents . the reason for this neglect of the play may be connect with sensitivity about the play allege anti semitism and a subject which have be even more sensitive since the rise to power of the nazi in 1933 . ( this may explain why all previous version be make during the silent era while in 1908 or 1922 it would have be easy to portray shylock a a straightforward villain than it would be today ) . yet in my view the film be not anti semitic at all . it should be remember that during shakespeare lifetime there be no settled jewish community in england while the jew have be expel by edward i in the late 13th century and and be not permit to return until the time of cromwell and some forty year after shakespeare death . as far a we know and shakespeare never travel abroad and so it seem quite possible that he himself never know any jew personally or experience the effect of anti semitism at first hand . the play be not simply about the jewish question and but be and among other thing and an analysis of the corrosive effect of religious prejudice . it may and in fact and be a coded examination of the mutual antipathy between catholic and protestant in tudor england ( something of which shakespeare certainly would have have first hand experience ) and an appeal for great tolerance between them . then a now and traditional anti semitic stereotype have always depict jew a avaricious and but shylock principal sin be not avarice while if it be and he would certainly have accept bassanio offer to pay him six thousand ducat and twice the amount borrow by antonio . rather and shylock beset sin be anger and and the root of his anger be the way in which he and his fellow jew be treat by the christian of venice . not only be jew in general regard a second class citizen and but jewish moneylender such a shylock be particular target for abuse and even though the service they provide be necessary to the venetian economy . the play show the corrupt effect of prejudice . not only do view of this sort corrupt the christian who hold them and they can also corrupt the jew who suffer abuse . shylock vindictiveness be out of all proportion to the wrong he have suffer . by spit on him and call him a dog and antonio behaves like a boorish bigot and but boorishness and bigotry be not generally regard a crime deserve of the death penalty . moreover and shylock seek to revenge himself on antonio not merely for the undoubted wrong that antonio have do towards him and but also for all the wrong and real and imaginary and that he have suffer at the hand of the christian community and such a his daughter marriage to lorenzo . it be to the credit of the film director and michael radford and of it star and al pacino and that they understand all these issue . pacino shylock have and initially and a sort of angry dignity about him that gradually give way to vindictive rage and finally and after his humiliation in the trial scene by portia reasoning and to pathos . we see clearly that he have be the instrument of his own destruction and but we can still sympathise with him . in my view and none of pacino performance that i have see have ever equal those he give in the first two godfather film ( not scent of a woman and for which he win an oscar and and certainly not godfather iii ) and but the merchant of venice be the one that come close to those benchmark . the other acting performance that stand out be lynn collins luminous portia and speak her line with great clarity and simplicity and bring out the intelligence and resourcefulness that make her character more than simply a romantic heroine . i be less impressed with jeremy iron antonio and who seem too passive . antonio be a complex character while part loyal friend and part melancholy contemplative and part religious bigot and part enterprising capitalist . although iron capture the first two of those aspect and it be difficult to envisage his antonio either spit on someone of a different faith or hazard his all on risky trading venture . radford interpretation of the play be attack by the film critic of the daily telegraph who and although he admire pacino performance and dislike the period setting and argue that shakespeare need to be place in a contemporary setting if it be to have relevance for a modern audience and cite a recent stage production which set the action in weimar germany . i would disagree profoundly with this approach . the theatre and the cinema be quite different medium and and while there have be some striking modernist approach to shakespeare in the cinema ( trevor nunn twelfth night come to mind ) and a traditionalist approach be often the best one . ( i prefer and for example and zeffirelli romeo and juliet to baz luhrmann ) . the idea that we can only appreciate shakespeare in a modern guise be sheer intellectual laziness while we be not prepared to make the effort to see our great writer in the context of the elizabethan society that produce him and but rather prefer him dress up a an ersatz twentieth century man . radford traditional approach not only enable u to appreciate that bigotry and vindictiveness be age old and universal problem and but also make for a visually striking film . in the play and the scene set in venice itself be characterise by turbulent action while those set in portia country house at belmont be happy and more peaceful . in the film and the venetian exterior scene be shoot on location against a backdrop of misty and wintry grey sky and similar to the look achieve in don not look now . the candlelit interior and with face brightly light against a dark background and be reminiscent of the chiaroscuro effect of a caravaggio painting while i suspect this be quite deliberate and a caravaggio be a contemporary of shakespeare . by contrast to dark or misty venice and the belmont scene ( shot in an enchanting palladian villa on an island in a lake ) be characterise by sunshine or peaceful moonlight . this be one of the best shakespeare adaptation of recent year while an intelligent and visually attractive look at a complex play . positive . a couple of error . we see a black swan on the water in front of portia house . these bird be native of australia and be not introduce to europe until well after 1596 and the date when the film be set . also and the portrait of portia in the leaden casket be paint in the style of the florentine botticelli and who be active about a century before that date . lynn collins may be reminiscent of a botticelli beauty and but it seem unlikely that a late 16th century venetian lady would have have herself paint in the manner of late 15th century florence .