Titus (film)
Encyclopedia
Titus is a 1999 film adaptation
of Shakespeare's revenge tragedy Titus Andronicus
, about the downfall of a Roman
general. It was the first film of the play (aside from TV
productions). The film was made by Overseas Filmgroup and Clear Blue Sky Productions and released by Fox Searchlight Pictures
. It was the film directorial debut of Julie Taymor
who co-produced and wrote the screenplay. It was produced by Jody Patton, Conchita Airoldi and executive produced by Paul G. Allen.
, where an invisible audience cheers. An army resembling the Terracotta Army
enter; Romans under the command of Titus Andronicus (Anthony Hopkins
), the general at the center of the play, return victorious from war. They bring back as spoils Tamora, Queen of the Goths (Jessica Lange
), her sons (Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Matthew Rhys
, and Raz Degan
), and Aaron the Moor
(Harry Lennix). Titus sacrifices Tamora’s eldest son, Alarbus, so that the spirits of his 21 dead sons might be appeased. Tamora begs for the life of Alarbus, but Titus refuses.
The Emperor of Rome has died and his sons Saturninus and Bassianus are squabbling over who will succeed him. The Tribune
of the People, Marcus Andronicus, announces that the people's choice for new emperor is his brother, Titus, but he refuses the throne in favour of the late emperor's eldest son Saturninus, much to the latter's delight. The new emperor takes Lavinia, Titus' daughter, as his bride
much to Titus's, his family's and Bassianus's chagrin, since Bassianus was previously betrothed to the girl. Titus's surviving sons help them escape and run for the Pantheon, where they are to marry. In the fighting, Titus kills his son Mutius. Titus is angry with his sons because in his eyes they are disloyal to Rome. The new emperor, Saturninus, dishonours Titus and marries Tamora instead. Tamora persuades the Emperor to feign forgiveness to Bassianus, Titus and his family and postpone punishment to a later day, thereby revealing her intention to avenge herself on all the Andronici.
During a hunting
party the next day, Tamora's lover, Aaron the Moor, meets Tamora's sons Chiron and Demetrius. The two are arguing over which should take sexual advantage of the newly-wed Lavinia. They are easily persuaded by Aaron to ambush Bassianus and kill him in the presence of Tamora and Lavinia, in order to have their way with her. Lavinia begs Tamora to stop her sons, but Tamora refuses. Chiron and Demetrius throw Bassianus's body in a pit, as Aaron had directed them, then take Lavinia away and rape
her. To keep her from revealing what she has seen and endured, they cut out her tongue
as well as her hands, replacing them with tree branches. One of the film's most effective -- and most terrifying -- scenes features Lavinia, post-rape and in pain, balancing helplessly on a tree stump in the middle of a field of them, wearing only her petticoat. When Marcus discovers her, he begs her to reveal the identity of her assailants; Lavinia leans towards the camera and opens her bloodied mouth.
Aaron then brings Titus' sons Martius (Colin Wells
) and Quintus (Kenny Doughty
) and frames them for the murder of Bassianus with a forged letter outlining their plan to kill him. Angry, the Emperor arrests them.
Later on, Marcus takes Lavinia to her father, who is overcome with grief. He and his remaining son Lucius have begged for the lives of Martius and Quintus, but the two are found guilty and are marched off to execution. Aaron enters, and tells Titus, Lucius, and Marcus that the emperor will spare the prisoners if one of the three sacrifices a hand. Each demands the right to do so, but it is Titus who has Aaron cut off his (Titus's) left hand and take it to the emperor. However, Aaron's story is revealed to have been false, as a messenger brings Titus the heads of his sons and his own severed hand. In Renaissance semiotics, the hand is a representation of political and personal agency. With his hand chopped off, Titus has truly lost power. Desperate for revenge, Titus orders Lucius to flee Rome and raise an army among their former enemy, the Goths.
Later, Titus's grandson (Lucius's son), who has been helping Titus read to Lavinia, complains that she will not leave his books alone. In the book, she indicates to Titus and Marcus the story of Philomela, in which a similarly mute victim "wrote" the name of her wrongdoer. Marcus gives her a stick to hold with her mouth and stumps and she writes the names of her attackers on the ground. Titus vows revenge. Feigning madness, he ties written prayers for justice to arrows and commands his kinsmen to aim them at the sky so they may reach the gods, understanding the method in Titus's "madness", Marcus directs the arrows to land inside the palace
of Saturninus, who is enraged by this added to the fact that Lucius is at the gates of Rome with an army of Goths.
Tamora delivers a mixed-race child, fathered by Aaron. To hide his affair from the Emperor, Aaron kills the nurse and flees with the baby. Later, Lucius, marching on Rome with an army, captures Aaron and threatens to hang the infant. To save the baby, Aaron reveals the entire plot to Lucius, relishing in every murder, rape and dismemberment.
Tamora, convinced of Titus's madness
, approaches him along with her two sons, dressed as the spirits of Revenge
, Murder
, and Rape
. She tells Titus that she (as a supernatural spirit) will grant him revenge if he will convince Lucius to stop attacking Rome. Titus agrees, sending Marcus to invite Lucius to a feast. "Revenge" offers to invite the Emperor and Tamora and is about to leave, but Titus insists that "Rape" and "Murder" stay with him. She agrees. When she is gone Titus's servants bind Chiron and Demetrius, and Titus cuts their throat
s, while Lavinia holds a basin in her stumps to catch their blood
. He plans to cook them into a pie
for their mother.
The next day, during the feast at his house, Lavinia enters the dining room, and Titus asks Saturninus whether a father should kill his daughter if she has been raped. When the Emperor agrees, Titus breaks Lavinia's neck, and tells Saturninus what Tamora's sons had done. When the Emperor asks for Chiron and Demetrius, Titus reveals that they were in the pie Tamora has just been enjoying, and then kills Tamora. Saturninus then kills Titus after which Lucius kills Saturninus to avenge his father's death.
The scene dissolves back to the Roman Arena where Lucius tells his family's story to the people and is proclaimed Emperor. He orders that Saturninus be given a proper burial, that Tamora's body be thrown to the wild beasts, and that Aaron be buried chest-deep and left to die of thirst and starvation. Aaron, however, is unrepentant to the end. Young Lucius picks up Aaron's child and carries him away into the sunrise.
took Shakespeare's script, added various linking scenes without dialogue (while cutting some of the text) and set the play in an anachronistic
fantasy world that uses locations, costumes and imagery from many periods of history, including Ancient Rome
and Mussolini
's Italy
; to give the impression of a Roman Empire that survived into the modern era. The opening scenes commence with a heavily choreographed triumphal march of the Roman troops, complete with motorcycle outriders. The selection of music is similarly diverse.
Apart from the deliberate anachronisms, the film follows the play quite closely. One of the experimental concepts in the film was that the character of Young Lucius (Titus' grandson) is initially introduced as a boy from the present who finds himself transported to the fantastical reality of the film. At the beginning of the film his toy soldiers turn into Titus' Roman army. At the end, when Titus' son Lucius avenges his father by condemning the villainous Aaron to a painful death, the boy takes pity on Aaron's infant son, carrying him away from the violence as he walks slowly into the sunrise. This ending is perhaps more positive than the ending of other productions of the play, including Taymor's stage production, in which Young Lucius is fixated upon the "tiny black coffin" holding the dead infant.
The film was shot at the Cinecittà
studios in Rome and on location at various historic monuments. The arena that appears at the beginning and ending of the film is the Arena in Pula
, Croatia
. The Emperor's palace is represented by the 1930s Esposizione Universale Roma
building in Rome. Some shots of underground tunnels and ruins were filmed at Hadrian's Villa
in Rome. The forest scenes were shot at Manziana
, near Rome. Titus's house is represented by an old house near an aqueduct
in Rome, and the streets where he rounds up his conspirators are the Roman Ghetto
.
Although the film did not do well at the box office, it was praised for its visual effects, design and attention to symbolism.
and is a typical Goldenthal soundtrack with an epic, inventive and dissonant feel.
. Nevertheless it received a "Critics Pick" from the New York Times.
Film adaptation
Film adaptation is the transfer of a written work to a feature film. It is a type of derivative work.A common form of film adaptation is the use of a novel as the basis of a feature film, but film adaptation includes the use of non-fiction , autobiography, comic book, scripture, plays, and even...
of Shakespeare's revenge tragedy Titus Andronicus
Titus Andronicus
Titus Andronicus is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, and possibly George Peele, believed to have been written between 1588 and 1593. It is thought to be Shakespeare's first tragedy, and is often seen as his attempt to emulate the violent and bloody revenge plays of his contemporaries, which were...
, about the downfall of a Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
general. It was the first film of the play (aside from TV
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
productions). The film was made by Overseas Filmgroup and Clear Blue Sky Productions and released by Fox Searchlight Pictures
Fox Searchlight Pictures
Fox Searchlight Pictures, established in 1998, is a film division of Fox Filmed Entertainment alongside the larger Fox studio 20th Century Fox...
. It was the film directorial debut of Julie Taymor
Julie Taymor
Julie Taymor is an American director of theater, opera and film. Taymor's work has received many accolades from critics, and she has earned two Tony Awards out of four nominations, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design, an Emmy Award and an Academy Award nomination for Original Song...
who co-produced and wrote the screenplay. It was produced by Jody Patton, Conchita Airoldi and executive produced by Paul G. Allen.
Plot
A boy eating at a table surrounded by his toys plays war; a bomb blast frightens him but he is rescued and taken to an AmphitheatreAmphitheatre
An amphitheatre is an open-air venue used for entertainment and performances.There are two similar, but distinct, types of structure for which the word "amphitheatre" is used: Ancient Roman amphitheatres were large central performance spaces surrounded by ascending seating, and were commonly used...
, where an invisible audience cheers. An army resembling the Terracotta Army
Terracotta Army
The Terracotta Army or the "Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses", is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China...
enter; Romans under the command of Titus Andronicus (Anthony Hopkins
Anthony Hopkins
Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins, KBE , best known as Anthony Hopkins, is a Welsh actor of film, stage and television...
), the general at the center of the play, return victorious from war. They bring back as spoils Tamora, Queen of the Goths (Jessica Lange
Jessica Lange
Jessica Phyllis Lange is an American actress who has worked in film, theatre and television. The recipient of several awards, including two Academy Awards, four Golden Globes and one Emmy, Lange is regarded as one of the première female actors of her generation.Lange was discovered by producer...
), her sons (Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Matthew Rhys
Matthew Rhys
Matthew Rhys Evans , known professionally as Matthew Rhys, is a Welsh actor, best known as Kevin Walker on the U.S. ABC family drama Brothers & Sisters, and as Dylan Thomas in The Edge of Love.-Early life:...
, and Raz Degan
Raz Degan
Raz Degan is an Israeli male model, and actor of the cinema, television, and theatre, who resides in Italy. In 2009, he co-starred in Barbarossa, an Italian film based on the life of Frederick I Barbarossa. In 2004 he played the role of Darius III in Oliver Stone's film Alexander...
), and Aaron the Moor
Moors
The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
(Harry Lennix). Titus sacrifices Tamora’s eldest son, Alarbus, so that the spirits of his 21 dead sons might be appeased. Tamora begs for the life of Alarbus, but Titus refuses.
The Emperor of Rome has died and his sons Saturninus and Bassianus are squabbling over who will succeed him. The Tribune
Tribune
Tribune was a title shared by elected officials in the Roman Republic. Tribunes had the power to convene the Plebeian Council and to act as its president, which also gave them the right to propose legislation before it. They were sacrosanct, in the sense that any assault on their person was...
of the People, Marcus Andronicus, announces that the people's choice for new emperor is his brother, Titus, but he refuses the throne in favour of the late emperor's eldest son Saturninus, much to the latter's delight. The new emperor takes Lavinia, Titus' daughter, as his bride
Bride
A bride is a woman about to be married or newlywed.The word may come from the Proto-Germanic verb root *brū-, meaning 'to cook, brew, or make a broth' which was the role of the daughter-in-law in primitive families...
much to Titus's, his family's and Bassianus's chagrin, since Bassianus was previously betrothed to the girl. Titus's surviving sons help them escape and run for the Pantheon, where they are to marry. In the fighting, Titus kills his son Mutius. Titus is angry with his sons because in his eyes they are disloyal to Rome. The new emperor, Saturninus, dishonours Titus and marries Tamora instead. Tamora persuades the Emperor to feign forgiveness to Bassianus, Titus and his family and postpone punishment to a later day, thereby revealing her intention to avenge herself on all the Andronici.
During a hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
party the next day, Tamora's lover, Aaron the Moor, meets Tamora's sons Chiron and Demetrius. The two are arguing over which should take sexual advantage of the newly-wed Lavinia. They are easily persuaded by Aaron to ambush Bassianus and kill him in the presence of Tamora and Lavinia, in order to have their way with her. Lavinia begs Tamora to stop her sons, but Tamora refuses. Chiron and Demetrius throw Bassianus's body in a pit, as Aaron had directed them, then take Lavinia away and rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
her. To keep her from revealing what she has seen and endured, they cut out her tongue
Tongue
The tongue is a muscular hydrostat on the floors of the mouths of most vertebrates which manipulates food for mastication. It is the primary organ of taste , as much of the upper surface of the tongue is covered in papillae and taste buds. It is sensitive and kept moist by saliva, and is richly...
as well as her hands, replacing them with tree branches. One of the film's most effective -- and most terrifying -- scenes features Lavinia, post-rape and in pain, balancing helplessly on a tree stump in the middle of a field of them, wearing only her petticoat. When Marcus discovers her, he begs her to reveal the identity of her assailants; Lavinia leans towards the camera and opens her bloodied mouth.
Aaron then brings Titus' sons Martius (Colin Wells
Colin Wells (actor)
Colin Wells, born 11 September 1963, is an English actor best known for his role as Johnno Dean in the long-running television drama series, Hollyoaks....
) and Quintus (Kenny Doughty
Kenny Doughty
Kenny Doughty is an English actor who trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Married to the actress Caroline Carver.-Filmography as Director:-Filmography as Actor:...
) and frames them for the murder of Bassianus with a forged letter outlining their plan to kill him. Angry, the Emperor arrests them.
Later on, Marcus takes Lavinia to her father, who is overcome with grief. He and his remaining son Lucius have begged for the lives of Martius and Quintus, but the two are found guilty and are marched off to execution. Aaron enters, and tells Titus, Lucius, and Marcus that the emperor will spare the prisoners if one of the three sacrifices a hand. Each demands the right to do so, but it is Titus who has Aaron cut off his (Titus's) left hand and take it to the emperor. However, Aaron's story is revealed to have been false, as a messenger brings Titus the heads of his sons and his own severed hand. In Renaissance semiotics, the hand is a representation of political and personal agency. With his hand chopped off, Titus has truly lost power. Desperate for revenge, Titus orders Lucius to flee Rome and raise an army among their former enemy, the Goths.
Later, Titus's grandson (Lucius's son), who has been helping Titus read to Lavinia, complains that she will not leave his books alone. In the book, she indicates to Titus and Marcus the story of Philomela, in which a similarly mute victim "wrote" the name of her wrongdoer. Marcus gives her a stick to hold with her mouth and stumps and she writes the names of her attackers on the ground. Titus vows revenge. Feigning madness, he ties written prayers for justice to arrows and commands his kinsmen to aim them at the sky so they may reach the gods, understanding the method in Titus's "madness", Marcus directs the arrows to land inside the palace
Palace
A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word itself is derived from the Latin name Palātium, for Palatine Hill, one of the seven hills in Rome. In many parts of Europe, the...
of Saturninus, who is enraged by this added to the fact that Lucius is at the gates of Rome with an army of Goths.
Tamora delivers a mixed-race child, fathered by Aaron. To hide his affair from the Emperor, Aaron kills the nurse and flees with the baby. Later, Lucius, marching on Rome with an army, captures Aaron and threatens to hang the infant. To save the baby, Aaron reveals the entire plot to Lucius, relishing in every murder, rape and dismemberment.
Tamora, convinced of Titus's madness
Insanity
Insanity, craziness or madness is a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity may manifest as violations of societal norms, including becoming a danger to themselves and others, though not all such acts are considered insanity...
, approaches him along with her two sons, dressed as the spirits of Revenge
Revenge
Revenge is a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. It is also called payback, retribution, retaliation or vengeance; it may be characterized, justly or unjustly, as a form of justice.-Function in society:Some societies believe that the...
, Murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
, and Rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
. She tells Titus that she (as a supernatural spirit) will grant him revenge if he will convince Lucius to stop attacking Rome. Titus agrees, sending Marcus to invite Lucius to a feast. "Revenge" offers to invite the Emperor and Tamora and is about to leave, but Titus insists that "Rape" and "Murder" stay with him. She agrees. When she is gone Titus's servants bind Chiron and Demetrius, and Titus cuts their throat
Throat
In vertebrate anatomy, the throat is the anterior part of the neck, in front of the vertebral column. It consists of the pharynx and larynx...
s, while Lavinia holds a basin in her stumps to catch their blood
Blood
Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....
. He plans to cook them into a pie
Pie
A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that covers or completely contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients....
for their mother.
The next day, during the feast at his house, Lavinia enters the dining room, and Titus asks Saturninus whether a father should kill his daughter if she has been raped. When the Emperor agrees, Titus breaks Lavinia's neck, and tells Saturninus what Tamora's sons had done. When the Emperor asks for Chiron and Demetrius, Titus reveals that they were in the pie Tamora has just been enjoying, and then kills Tamora. Saturninus then kills Titus after which Lucius kills Saturninus to avenge his father's death.
The scene dissolves back to the Roman Arena where Lucius tells his family's story to the people and is proclaimed Emperor. He orders that Saturninus be given a proper burial, that Tamora's body be thrown to the wild beasts, and that Aaron be buried chest-deep and left to die of thirst and starvation. Aaron, however, is unrepentant to the end. Young Lucius picks up Aaron's child and carries him away into the sunrise.
Cast
- Anthony HopkinsAnthony HopkinsSir Philip Anthony Hopkins, KBE , best known as Anthony Hopkins, is a Welsh actor of film, stage and television...
as Titus Andronicus, victorious Roman General who declines a nomination for Emperor upon his return to Rome. Following a post-war ritual of executing the proudest warrior of his enemy, the vanquished Goths, Titus draws the ire of Tamora, unaware of her inevitable appointment as the Queen of Rome. - Jessica LangeJessica LangeJessica Phyllis Lange is an American actress who has worked in film, theatre and television. The recipient of several awards, including two Academy Awards, four Golden Globes and one Emmy, Lange is regarded as one of the première female actors of her generation.Lange was discovered by producer...
as Tamora, defeated Queen of the Goths, who swears revenge against Titus and the Andronicus family for the atrocities visited upon her eldest son, an executed prisoner of warPrisoner of warA prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
, using her newly-claimed powers as Queen of Rome - Jonathan Rhys-MeyersJonathan Rhys-MeyersJonathan Rhys Meyers is an Irish actor and model.He is best known for his roles in the films Velvet Goldmine, Mission Impossible III, Bend It Like Beckham, Match Point and his television roles as Elvis Presley in the biographical miniseries Elvis, which earned him a Golden Globe for Best Actor,...
as Chiron, one of Tamora's sons. - Matthew RhysMatthew RhysMatthew Rhys Evans , known professionally as Matthew Rhys, is a Welsh actor, best known as Kevin Walker on the U.S. ABC family drama Brothers & Sisters, and as Dylan Thomas in The Edge of Love.-Early life:...
as Demetrius, one of Tamora's sons. - James FrainJames FrainJames Dominic Frain is an English stage and screen actor. He is possibly best known for his role in the Showtime series The Tudors in which he appeared as Thomas Cromwell from 2007 to 2009, and for his role as vampire Franklin Mott in season three of the HBO drama True Blood, as well as his role...
as Bassianus, one of the deceased emperors sons and brother to Saturninus. - Laura FraserLaura FraserLaura Fraser is a Scottish actress.-Early life:Fraser is the daughter of Rose, a college lecturer and nurse, and Alister Fraser, a scriptwriter who also worked in business. She attended Hillhead High School and is a former member of the Scottish Youth Theatre...
as Lavinia, daughter of Titus and fiancee of Bassianus - Harry Lennix as Aaron, servant and illicit lover to Tamora, and the chief architect of her vengeful plans against the Andronicus family
- Alan CummingAlan CummingAlan Cumming, OBE is a Scottish stage, television and film actor, singer, writer, director, producer and author. His roles have included the Emcee in Cabaret, Boris Grishenko in GoldenEye, Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler in X2: X-Men United, Mr. Elton in Emma, and Fegan Floop in the Spy Kids trilogy...
as Saturninus, brother to Bassianus and newly-crowned Emperor of Rome. Spurned by his attempts at claiming Lavinia as his new bride, he forsakes the Andronicus family and turns instead to Tamora as his new bride. - Colm FeoreColm FeoreColm Feore is an American-born Canadian stage, film and television actor.-Early life:Feore was born in Boston, Massachusetts to Irish parents who lived in Ireland for several years during Feore's early life. The family subsequently moved to Windsor, Ontario, where Feore grew up.After graduating...
as Marcus Andronicus, Roman Senator and staunch ally of his brother, the ailing Titus. - Osheen Jones as Young Lucius, Titus's grandson and a key-character in the sense that he observes most of the key events.
- Angus MacfadyenAngus MacfadyenAngus Macfadyen is a Scottish actor.Angus Macfadyen was born in Glasgow and was brought up partly in Africa, France, the Philippines and Singapore. His father was a doctor in the World Health Organisation. He was once engaged to actress Catherine Zeta-Jones.Angus attended the University of...
as Lucius, Titus's eldest son and loyal soldier. Following his failed attempts at freeing his condemned brothers, Lucius is banished from Rome and defects to the Goths, where he rallies a sizeable army to challenge Saturninus. - Kenny DoughtyKenny DoughtyKenny Doughty is an English actor who trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Married to the actress Caroline Carver.-Filmography as Director:-Filmography as Actor:...
as Quintus, one of Titus's sons. - Blake RitsonBlake Ritson-Early life:Blake attended the Dolphin School in Reading, Berkshire until 1993, before going to St Paul's School, an independent school for boys in Barnes in West London on an academic scholarship. He then attended the University of Cambridge, where he studied English and Medieval Italian, Dante...
as Mutius, one of Titus's sons. - Colin WellsColin Wells (actor)Colin Wells, born 11 September 1963, is an English actor best known for his role as Johnno Dean in the long-running television drama series, Hollyoaks....
as Martius, another of Titus's sons. - Raz DeganRaz DeganRaz Degan is an Israeli male model, and actor of the cinema, television, and theatre, who resides in Italy. In 2009, he co-starred in Barbarossa, an Italian film based on the life of Frederick I Barbarossa. In 2004 he played the role of Darius III in Oliver Stone's film Alexander...
as Alarbus, Tamora's eldest son who is sacrificed, setting the events of the play into motion. - Geraldine McEwanGeraldine McEwanGeraldine McEwan is an English actor with a diverse history in theatre, film, and television. From 2004 to 2009 she appeared as Miss Marple, the Agatha Christie sleuth, for the series Marple.-Background:...
as the Nurse, who brings Aaron his son
Background and production
Director Julie TaymorJulie Taymor
Julie Taymor is an American director of theater, opera and film. Taymor's work has received many accolades from critics, and she has earned two Tony Awards out of four nominations, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design, an Emmy Award and an Academy Award nomination for Original Song...
took Shakespeare's script, added various linking scenes without dialogue (while cutting some of the text) and set the play in an anachronistic
Anachronism
An anachronism—from the Greek ανά and χρόνος — is an inconsistency in some chronological arrangement, especially a chronological misplacing of persons, events, objects, or customs in regard to each other...
fantasy world that uses locations, costumes and imagery from many periods of history, including Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
and Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
's Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
; to give the impression of a Roman Empire that survived into the modern era. The opening scenes commence with a heavily choreographed triumphal march of the Roman troops, complete with motorcycle outriders. The selection of music is similarly diverse.
Apart from the deliberate anachronisms, the film follows the play quite closely. One of the experimental concepts in the film was that the character of Young Lucius (Titus' grandson) is initially introduced as a boy from the present who finds himself transported to the fantastical reality of the film. At the beginning of the film his toy soldiers turn into Titus' Roman army. At the end, when Titus' son Lucius avenges his father by condemning the villainous Aaron to a painful death, the boy takes pity on Aaron's infant son, carrying him away from the violence as he walks slowly into the sunrise. This ending is perhaps more positive than the ending of other productions of the play, including Taymor's stage production, in which Young Lucius is fixated upon the "tiny black coffin" holding the dead infant.
The film was shot at the Cinecittà
Cinecittà
Cinecittà is a large film studio in Rome that is considered the hub of Italian cinema.-History:The studios were founded in 1937 by Benito Mussolini and his head of cinema Luigi Freddi for propaganda purposes, under the slogan "Il cinema è l'arma più forte"...
studios in Rome and on location at various historic monuments. The arena that appears at the beginning and ending of the film is the Arena in Pula
Pula
Pula is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, situated at the southern tip of the Istria peninsula, with a population of 62,080 .Like the rest of the region, it is known for its mild climate, smooth sea, and unspoiled nature. The city has a long tradition of winemaking, fishing,...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
. The Emperor's palace is represented by the 1930s Esposizione Universale Roma
Esposizione Universale Roma
EUR is a residential and business district in Rome, Italy, located south of the city center. The area was originally chosen in 1930s as the site for the 1942 world's fair which Benito Mussolini planned to open to celebrate twenty years of Fascism. EUR was also designed to direct the expansion of...
building in Rome. Some shots of underground tunnels and ruins were filmed at Hadrian's Villa
Hadrian's Villa
The Hadrian's Villa is a large Roman archaeological complex at Tivoli, Italy.- History :The villa was constructed at Tibur as a retreat from Rome for Roman Emperor Hadrian during the second and third decades of the 2nd century AD...
in Rome. The forest scenes were shot at Manziana
Manziana
Manziana is a comune in the Province of Rome in the Italian region Latium, located about 40 km northwest of Rome.Manziana borders the following municipalities: Bracciano, Canale Monterano, Oriolo Romano, Tolfa.-External links:* *...
, near Rome. Titus's house is represented by an old house near an aqueduct
Aqueduct
An aqueduct is a water supply or navigable channel constructed to convey water. In modern engineering, the term is used for any system of pipes, ditches, canals, tunnels, and other structures used for this purpose....
in Rome, and the streets where he rounds up his conspirators are the Roman Ghetto
Roman Ghetto
The Roman Ghetto was a ghetto located in the rione Sant'Angelo, in Rome, Italy, in the area surrounded by today's Via del Portico d'Ottavia, Lungotevere dei Cenci, Via del Progresso and Via di Santa Maria del Pianto close to the Tiber and the Theater of Marcellus...
.
Although the film did not do well at the box office, it was praised for its visual effects, design and attention to symbolism.
Style
The film, in the spirit of the play, is garishly violent. The brutality builds up throughout the film to the climactic ending, when Hopkins, dressed as a chef, serves Tamora's two sons to her in a pie. This leads to a domino-like path of carnage, in which nearly every important character dies. Taymor engages with a "freakshow" style for her film, creating lurid cutscenes and incorporating elements of vaudeville, such as when Titus is shown the heads of his two sons and his own chopped-off hand.Soundtrack
The score to the film was created by Taymor's long-time friend and partner Elliot GoldenthalElliot Goldenthal
Elliot Goldenthal is an American composer of contemporary classical music. He was a student of Aaron Copland and John Corigliano, and is best known for his distinctive style and ability to blend various musical styles and techniques in original and inventive ways...
and is a typical Goldenthal soundtrack with an epic, inventive and dissonant feel.
Reception
The film received mixed reviews and, as of August 2011, has a 68% fresh score on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
. Nevertheless it received a "Critics Pick" from the New York Times.