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Actors: Anthony Hopkins, Jessica Lange, Alan Cumming, Colm Feore, James Frain, Laura Fraser, Harry Lennix
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about Titus |
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The Roman general Titus Andronicus (Hopkins) returns successfully from the wars with Tamora, Queen of the Goths (Lange), in chains. For good measure, he has her oldest son killed before her eyes and those of his brothers, which makes them thirst for revenge. Caesar has died and his two sons Saturninus (Cumming) and Bassianus (Frain) contend to replace him on the throne. Titus supports Saturninus, who frees Tamora and makes her empress. Tamora's sons rape Titus's daughter Lavinia (Fraser) and cut off her hands and pull out her tongue so she cannot identify them. They also kill her true love, Bassianus. Tamora has a black lover, Aaron the Moor, who glories in plots and murders. Things go from bloody to worse, as nearly everyone grasps for power and revenge. This was Shakespeare's first big hit, a revenge tragedy that is nearly a horror story for its time and mostly neglected today. Director Julie Taymor, fresh from her triumph with the huge Broadway hit "The Lion King," adapted and shot this 1999 film in Rome and Croatia with out-of-time elements (motorcycles, video games, pool), dream sequences, and much graphic violence as well as startling visual imagery. The principals perform mightily, especially Hopkins, and though viewers well versed in Shakespeare will find it a wonder, the average American filmgoer may find it a tedious and unremitting downer.
--David Loftus, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of Titus |
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of movie:
- Roman Era
Taboo Sex Story?
Yes
Kind of sex:
- rape
Job/Profession/Poverty Story?
Yes
Job:
- prince/king/queen/knight
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- senior military
Age:
- long lived adults
Eccentric:
Yes
- eccentric
- deluded
- emotionally unstable
Hair color?
- white
Hair type
- (man) short/standard straight
Body type
- (man) muscular
Unclothed?
- Chest
Events of movie makes character more...
- irritated
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor?
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- bulging muscles
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Hair color
- brunette (Black)
Hair style
- (man) short/standard straight
Body type
- (man) very skinny
Unclothed?
- buttocks and chest
How much in movie?
- 60%
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Female
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- Prince/Nobleman/King
Eccentric:
Yes
- obsessed
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- 60%
Hair color
- blonde
Hair type
- (woman) medium/shoulderlgn straight
Body type
- (woman) ample chest and buttocks
unclothed?
- partially transparent clothes
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- Italy
City?
Yes
City:
- dirty, grimy (like New York)
- dangerous
Misc setting
- fancy mansion
- fort/military installation
- castle
- sports arena
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- very explicit references to deaths and torture
Movie makes you feel...
- in awe
Sex/nudity in movie?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- kissing
- licking
- orgies
- lesbians!
- actual description of sex
- seeing breasts
- seeing nude female butt
- seeing nude male butt
Any profanity?
- Occasional swearing
If soundtrack VERY NOTICEABLE...
- Orchestra/classical
Is this movie based on a
- play
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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