Oh, good, it's Shakespeare. Or perhaps: Oh, god, it's Shakespeare.

Rating: 3/10 (16 June 2012)

Shakespeare and I don't get along very well. As a graduate of the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and former FOH Manager for Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory (SATTF), it's not something I'm particularly proud of. Mr. Ward succeeded in revealing Twelfth Night to me in secondary school and our companion for tonight's screening, Rev Nev, the font of all things Shakespeare, has tried, largely in vain, to remove the mental block I have with the bard.
The trouble is the language. I hear the first line and attempt desperately to understand every single word but inevitably fail. SATTF's Comedy of Errors last year is a notable exception that gave me hope and Branagh has this ignoramus in mind when he directs Shakespeare for the big screen. Absurdly, the most accessible production I've seen to date was a rendition of A Midsummer Night's Dream performed entirely in Korean.
So why did I hand over hard earned cash to endure yet more Shakespearean agony tonight? Well, I'm a sucker for a good cast and that of Coriolanus is right up there: Ralph Fiennes (who also directs), Brian Cox, Jessica Chastain, Vanessa Redgrave and, with a heavy heart, Gerard Butler. That and (in a quiet voice) the trailer impressed me.
Apparently, according to Nev, it was quite good. Shakespeare aficionados may be disappointed that the three-hour play has been pared down to a more manageable two hours and two minutes but for me the strained relationship with Shakespeare is finally over. I just don't know why I put myself through it.
It looked good, there's great vehemence and the spittle flies during the most impassioned soliloquies but I just didn't get it. If I'm to be judged by my understanding of Shakespeare then I am little more than a squished slug in the grooves of Coriolanus' boot. I concede Vanessa Redgrave is as compelling to watch as ever and her cobalt eyes manage to be both warm and piercing. She, as an actress and as her character, Volumnia, demands attention with her flawless (so I'm told) performance. Fiennes is powerful, absorbing and a very fine Coriolanus in Nev's book and this marks an impressive directorial debut.
For those who know, understand and love the works of Shakespeare, this apparently ranks a little below Olivier's Henry V. For those with an Ed-type brain, stick to Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet.
Ending on a high point, this was my tenth film of the year and January still has a week to run. At this end of 2012, my target of 120 films looks distinctly possible.
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