This movie relates a surrealistic rendition of a 16th century play by Thomas Middleton (sometimes credited to Cyril Tourneur). The movie is set in a feudal European society (Liverpool) in the near future, the opening scene relating a nuclear attack on Europe.
The acting is very good - Christopher Eccleston's emotions are believable and he brings the old English style of the play to life. The actors actually bring the old English to life in a way that Romeo and Juliet failed to. From the hatred of the Duke from the commoners to the expressions of Joy in the wedding sequences, the acting makes one feel as if the emotion is sincere.
The scenery manages to appear a post-apocalyptic impoverished city that is dynamic and pleasing to the eye. The images of the Duke become eerier as the film progresses, representing an authority that s all - encompassing. There is very little nature shown, though the glamorous buildings chosen as sets suggest opulence at the expense of the people, and are beautiful.
The writers modify the language to a degree to make the violent speech sharper and the whole script easier to relate to. The lines that appear in old English but were absent from the play blend in well and supplement the near - futuristic setting well. The whole story is in fact changed to some degree in order to make the futuristic set blend in well with the script.
Politically, there are many references to peoples' struggles. A poster depicting Oscar Romero, a martyr for his support of "Liberation theology" and a quote of his appears near the end of the movie. The original play in fact was released anonymously, probably because it depicts authority as reviled by the disgruntled populace. The play makes the royal family appear corrupt from their abuse of the law to an adulterous, murderous family life. The movie takes this further; dressing the Duke to resemble a vampire and making the heirs to the throne appear childish as well as greedy. The news is symbolized by an eye over a pyramid, the duke appears regularly as if he was Big Brother and even the popular Antonio is corrupt.
Not surprisingly, a leftist musical group, Chumbawamba was chosen to do the whole soundtrack. The music is more than stunning; it's atmospheric, melancholy adds graveness to the movie. In some ways the shows plays like a music video - even when the music fades the beauty of the old English is lyrical and allows the audio to flow seamlessly. Chumbawamba released a new version of "Don't Try this at Home" including bits of audio from the movie; the song appears during the credits and on the soundtrack. The lyrics of the song underline the undoubtedly political intent in the movie, and the original lyrics ironically relate very well to the plot of the movie.
The acting is very good - Christopher Eccleston's emotions are believable and he brings the old English style of the play to life. The actors actually bring the old English to life in a way that Romeo and Juliet failed to. From the hatred of the Duke from the commoners to the expressions of Joy in the wedding sequences, the acting makes one feel as if the emotion is sincere.
The scenery manages to appear a post-apocalyptic impoverished city that is dynamic and pleasing to the eye. The images of the Duke become eerier as the film progresses, representing an authority that s all - encompassing. There is very little nature shown, though the glamorous buildings chosen as sets suggest opulence at the expense of the people, and are beautiful.
The writers modify the language to a degree to make the violent speech sharper and the whole script easier to relate to. The lines that appear in old English but were absent from the play blend in well and supplement the near - futuristic setting well. The whole story is in fact changed to some degree in order to make the futuristic set blend in well with the script.
Politically, there are many references to peoples' struggles. A poster depicting Oscar Romero, a martyr for his support of "Liberation theology" and a quote of his appears near the end of the movie. The original play in fact was released anonymously, probably because it depicts authority as reviled by the disgruntled populace. The play makes the royal family appear corrupt from their abuse of the law to an adulterous, murderous family life. The movie takes this further; dressing the Duke to resemble a vampire and making the heirs to the throne appear childish as well as greedy. The news is symbolized by an eye over a pyramid, the duke appears regularly as if he was Big Brother and even the popular Antonio is corrupt.
Not surprisingly, a leftist musical group, Chumbawamba was chosen to do the whole soundtrack. The music is more than stunning; it's atmospheric, melancholy adds graveness to the movie. In some ways the shows plays like a music video - even when the music fades the beauty of the old English is lyrical and allows the audio to flow seamlessly. Chumbawamba released a new version of "Don't Try this at Home" including bits of audio from the movie; the song appears during the credits and on the soundtrack. The lyrics of the song underline the undoubtedly political intent in the movie, and the original lyrics ironically relate very well to the plot of the movie.