In the 11 years since Ralph Fiennes triumphantly trod the boards in London and New York as Coriolanus, the celebrated English actor has been driven by the notion of bringing Shakespeare鈥檚 visceral history play to the big screen for the first time.
He was so driven, in fact, that Coriolanus also marks his debut as a director.
A special presentation at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival, Fiennes brings the same fierce intelligence and passion to craft an indelible portrait of the banished Roman general who allies himself with his sworn enemy to take revenge on the city that rejected him.
Shakespeare鈥檚 tale of rivalries, civil unrest and betrayal in ancient Rome portrays war as an eternal human drama.
So it鈥檚 fitting that Fiennes sets his film in contemporary Europe, with real Serbian soldiers blended into a cast of actors that includes Vanessa Redgrave (Anonymous, The Whistleblower), Brian Cox (Edwin Boyd, Zodiac), Gerard Butler (Machine Gun Preacher, Beowulf & Grendel, 300) and Jessica Chastain (The Tree of Life, Take Shelter).
The contemporary setting allows Fiennes to interject one crucial aspect of warfare today 鈥� mass media. Here, it punctuates the action with a baleful chorus of cable news commentary.
To capture both the disorientation of battle and the inner clamour of the drama鈥檚 hero, Fiennes鈥� inspired choice of cinematographer is Barry Ackroyd (Green Zone and The Hurt Locker, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award). With Coriolanus, Fiennes and Ackroyd create visual rhythms that are both propulsive and hypnotic, with deft hand-held camera work and bold closeups.
Coriolanus is a drama for the ages, a commentary on the seductions of war and an auspicious directorial debut from one of the world鈥檚 great classical actors.
Coriolanus will be shown this Sunday at 5 p.m. at the Rialto Theatre in Courtenay at the Driftwood Mall.
This is the last film of the Comox Valley Art Gallery/Toronto International Film Festival winter/spring film series. A new spring series will begin in April.
The films for the spring film series are:
April 1 鈥� Carnage (drama, comedy). Directed by: Roman Polanski. (CVAG is awaiting confirmation of this film. Tickets will be available once it is confirmed.)
April 15 鈥� A Dangerous Method (mystery and suspense, drama). Directed by David Cronenberg.
April 29 鈥� We Need to Talk About Kevin (mystery and suspense, drama). Directed by Lynne Ramsay.
Film tickets are $11 each, available at the CVAG Gift Shop, 580 Duncan Ave, Downtown Courtenay and Videos N More, 264 Anderton Road, Comox. If the film does not sell out, tickets will also be available in the Rialto Theatre lobby before the film (cash only, exact change appreciated).
All films are on Sundays at 5 p.m. and are fundraisers for the Comox Valley Art Gallery. For updates and more information on the films visit, www.comoxvalleyartgallery.com or call 250-338-6211.
鈥� Comox Valley Art Gallery
