Coriolanus
1984: Elijah Moshinsky

This is the BBC Shakespeare Plays version of the play. As such, it has fairly modest production values, targeted at the capabilities of broadcast television in about 1980. The images are not high-resolution, and the costumes and sets are modest (though they vary in art direction quite a bit from one to another). Over the years, moreover, some of the color has washed out of the images. But inasmuch as the goal of the process was to provide a complete set of performances of all the plays in the corpus, the project was a success: these plays capture some significant performances, using more or less uncut scripts, and unfettered by any “high-concept” distractions.

Alan Howard’s representation of Coriolanus is hard-edged and unappealing, but that’s probably part of the basic problem confronting the actor with the role: he’s not a very likable character. Howard embodies a conception of Roman severity as filtered through Renaissance English categories of thought. His contempt for the common Roman is palpable. Nevertheless, despite his pride and self-absorption, he is capable of intriguing introspection, which is, I think, part of what makes the play work.

Particularly memorable are Mike Gwilym’s Aufidius, Irene Worth’s Volumnia, Heather Canning’s Valeria, Patrick Godfrey’s Cominius, and Joss Ackland’s Menenius. The latter was at the peak of his powers, and his dark tones, coupled with his nuanced and measured delivery of his speeches, create an acoustic marvel.

If there’s something to complain about here, it’s that the whole is somewhat monochromatic, both in terms of dramatic tonality and presentation. Some of that is a function of the script, but it can be either accentuated or attenuated in the performance. The art direction for this particular production is (to my taste) overly severe, rendering almost everything in very dark hues with the occasional splash of blood and fire. Without some contrast, the palate wearies. Similarly the musical score (produced by Stephen Oliver) seems to me a bit pompous and tiresome. It is nevertheless a solid and watchable performance of a difficult play.

Buy the complete BBC Shakespeare Plays at Amazon. Note that this will require a Region 2 player or a region-free player: it will not play on most normal American DVD players. Nevertheless, the price is so reasonable that even with a region-free player thrown into the deal, you’ll come out ahead.

Buy the BBC Shakespeare Plays Tragedies Giftbox at Amazon. Unlike the complete series, this is in a North American video format, and it includes five plays: Antony and Cleopatra, Coriolanus, King Lear, Timon of Athens, and Titus Andronicus.

Buy the complete set of the BBC Shakespeare Plays or individual plays (including this one) in Region 1 format direct from Ambrose Video.