Latest Merchant of Venice is excellent

[Colin]

As my local book club ponders Shakespeares classic Merchant of Venice, it will be hard for me not to envision the powerful performances of the excellent Al Pacino - and the often, but not this time, taciturn Jeremy Irons - in the wonderful 2004 movie of the same name.

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http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0379889/

Needless to say, the play itself is the bedrock of this enduring classic. Yet the legacy of sayings it contributes to Western civilization, the blatant racism, the period costumes, the atmosphere of <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Venice, plus the role of money, religion and women at the time all combine to make this an incredible performance.