Titus

	Review by Howard Anderson © 2000 Howard Anderson

Synopsis

Titus Andronicus, the great Roman general, returns home victorious from a long war with the northern Goths during which all but his four remaining sons have died. Lucius, the eldest son, reminds Titus that part of the victory ritual is the human sacrifice of an enemy prisoner. Titus chooses the eldest son of Tamora, the Queen of the Goths, who has been brought back to Rome as a captive with her three sons and the Moor, Aaron. Though Tamora pleads for her son's life, Titus carries out the ritual, not out of cruelty but out of what he conceives to be religious devotion. Tamora and her two remaining sons, Chiron and Demetrius, vow revenge. With that, the tale of double revenge begin -- first Tamora's and then Titus'. To the dismay of his family and friends, Titus faithfully supports the new emperor, the spoiled and corrupt Saturninus, who surprises everyone by taking the seductive and alluring Tamora for his wife -- an act that shocks and unsettles Titus and further enrages Titus' family, causing the disoriented Titus to kill one of his own sons in the dispute. Now the enemy is in a position of power and, through a truce is feigned by Tamora, the battle truly begins.

Review

From the opening sequence in "Titus" it is made very clear that this is no conventional Shakespeare adaptation. The alternate reality in which the story is set is a strange blend of ancient rome, Mussolini's Italy and the present. A similar and no less successful approach was taken with the 1995 adaptation of "Richard III", a film that starred Ian McKellen and Annette Benning, only there the setting was an alternate 1930's fascist Britain. So all though the premise of blending past and present with Shakespeare is nothing new, the basic idea is still taken to a whole new level with "Titus". There were also several things in "Titus" that reminded me very much of "Pink Floyd's The Wall", like the surreal atmosphere provided by the Penny Arcade Nightmare sequences and (just like Pink) Titus Andronicus gradual descent into madness, but the biggest Floyd flashback hit me during the very first minutes of the film, as you watch a boy sitting by a kitchen table playing more and more violently with his various toys. Suddenly the boy's imagined battle becomes reality and he finds himself carried away into this bloody and brutal tale of revenge and pain. And it is partially through his eyes that we get to bear witness to the tragic and atrocious acts that these people inflict upon each other.

Anthony Hopkins shows us once again why he is considered one of the best actor of our time, and likewise does Jessica Lange, but there isn't a single cast member here that doesn't deliver utterly stunning performances. Harry Lennix, Colm Feore, Laura Fraser, Angus MacFayden, Alan Cumming, Matthew Rhys and Jonathan Rhys Meyers all deserve high praise. As does Julie Taymore for directing this epic tale of vengeance, and I must say that it is quite a feat that she's been able to pull off with "Titus". The visual grandeur that the viewer is treated to is nothing short of breathtaking, and Director of Photography Luciano Tovoli has managed to perfectly capture this strange world of both beauty and brutality.

"Titus" is a great and entertaining film that is sure to please most people, and so, even if Shakespeare has seemed a bit on the boring side to some before, then I think they'll be pleasantly surprised by what Julie Taymor has put together here.

Image

20th Century Fox has become one of the front runners when it comes to flawless picture quality, and all though "Titus" is not quite up there with "Fight Club", the presentation is still impressive as hell. The colors scheme of "Titus" is for the most part kind of restrained, with the exception of red and blue, which are at times richly served up. The image still holds up perfectly, and it also displays amazing detail and depth. Black levels are also solid thoughout.

Sound

Like most Shakespeare adaptations, "Titus" is also mostly dialogue driven. Mostly... The opening sequence especially is sure to give your subwoofer quite a workout, but there are also a few other instances in the movie that offer good bass depth. The surround channels are excellently used during the Penny Arcade Nightmare sequences, in which they really come alive, but otherwise they are mostly used for Elliot Goldenthal's excellent score and some occasional atmospheric effects. And last, but most importantly, the dialogue is as solid as they come from begging to end.

Features

This 2-disc Special Edition from Fox is not as loaded as the previous "Fight Club" and "Independence Day", but there are still some mighty tasty extras included here. On disc 1 the only extra features are the three audio commentaries provided. The scene-specific commentary by Anthony Hopkins and Harry Lennix is a nice feature, and especially nice is the fact that you are given a list displaying the chapters in which they do offer some insight into this film and their own personal experiences. Julie Taymor's commentary is a lot more informative, and all though it runs for the duration of the film it is always interesting. There is also an isolated music score with commentary by Elliot Goldenthal. On disc 2 there's a section entitled Penny Arcade Nightmares, that gives you a breakdown of the FX utilized and shows you how these sequences came to be. There is a hefty 49-minute making-of documentary, a Q&A session with Julie Taymor recorded at Columbia University, a costume gallery, two American Cinematographer articles, one theatrical trailer, as well as one home video trailer and four TV-spots.

Overall Opinion

There is a lot of good things to be said about Julie Taymor's adaptation of William Shakespeare's "Titus Andronicus", and as for the bad... Well, nothing really comes to mind. The movie is by no means perfect, but what she has done here is quite extraordinary, and it is a movie that is immensely entertaining and always fascinating from the very first second. Even if Shakespeare is not your cup of tea you'd be smart to give this one a try.