by Yazmin Ghonaim

TITUS Julie Taymor (1999) Titus, which marks the directorial debut of Julie Taymor (better known for her Tony Award winning Broadway version of "The Lion King"), is a film based on Shakespeare's earliest play, "Titus Andronicus". Having had success with her staged version of the play in 1995 in New York, Taymor states during an interview that the play's treatment of the elements of drama, violence and dark comedy offers modern spectators an intriguing portrayal of the poetics of tragedy, now via the filmic medium. Titus centers on the Roman general, Titus Andronicus (Anthony Hopkins), who ceremoniously concludes a victory against the Goths. He imprisons the Goth Queen, Tamora (Jessica Lange) and her two sons Chiron and Demetrius (Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Matthew Rhys), and sacrifices her third and eldest son, in spite of her desperate plea for mercy. Titus' position of power, however, is suddenly jeopardized when the corruptible Saturninus (Alan Cumming) becomes emperor and unexpectedly empowers a vengeful Tamora. All battles transcend political motivation and Titus soon learns that his targeted sons and daughter Lavinia (Laura Fraser) provide fertile grounds upon which will flourish the most horrid spectacles of human savagery. To complement the powers of such a terrifying tale of violence, Titus constructs unforgettable images, often of a surreal and shocking nature, which successfully enhance the poetics of their tragic essence. The production design (or overall visual appearance of the film) is the work of Dante Ferretti (Kundun); the characters are clothed by costume designer Milena Canonero (A Clockwork Orange); and the seamless flow from scene to scene is indebted to the subtlety of editor Francoise Bonnot (Z, Missing, Mad City). Modern images and sets (of Saturninus driving up in a limousine and of Mussolini's government center, or "square coliseum", for example) are juxtaposed against the original setting of the play. This offers a bold metaphoric representation of the ancient Roman empire as a fascist regime (or more intriguingly, vice-versa). Unfortunately, the failure to integrate these images and sets into the story prevents them from finding a more promising purpose, and instead, they simply deviate the natural narration of the events.		DVD Music Books Search by keywords:
Outstanding Features: Story, Editing, Production Design, Costume Design Titus Movie Review © 2000 Cinephiles - All rights reserved Photo © 1999 Fox Searchlight Pictures