Director Julie Taymor’s (Across the Universe, Frida) adaptation of the Shakespeare classic The Tempest includes one central deviation from its source material: the central character’s gender has been changed. Prospero is now Prospera, played by the incomparable Helen Mirren. The switch should change a major dynamic in the story–the relationship between Prospero/a and the daughter.
Critics don’t seem to be loving the film thus far, but here’s a nice summation from Entertainment Weekly’s Lisa Schwarzbaum:
Taymor repositions Shakespeare’s mysterious story of magic, revenge, and forgiveness on a strange island by turning the play’s vexed sorcerer, Prospero, into a sorceress, Prospera, played by Helen Mirren with moody feminist authority.
Personally, I enjoy most Shakespeare adaptations–even the bad ones–and am interested in what Taymor has done with this one.
Here’s the film’s trailer:
And an interview with Taymor on The Colbert Report:
| The Colbert Report | Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Julie Taymor | ||||
| www.colbertnation.com | ||||
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