Over the weekend the Weinsteins snatched up US distribute rights to Ralph Fiennes’ Coriolanus, updating Shakespeare in terms of a contemporary political thriller. That preemptive buy, made well in advance of last night’s premiere, confirms Harvey is savvy and prescient as ever. THR‘s critic Ray Bennett says Coriolanus is “a bloody delight”:
At a time when revolution is once again in the air around the world, Ralph Fiennes delivers a ferocious reminder of the perils in store when a warrior becomes the head of state.
Set in current times with Shakespeare’s language adapted skilfully by John Logan, and performed under Fiennes’ direction with modern phrasing, the film illuminates the playwright’s astonishing gift for timeless insight into what moves the human spirit and motivates ambition.
With her richest and plumiest role in years, Vanessa Redgrave as his mother Volumnia is a formidable figure. The Telegraph calls her “quite tremendous”:
The way she grasps and massages the part, you feel Shakespeare could almost have written it for her: she’s both implacable and hugely moving, advancing with steel in her entreaties and fire in her soul.
