The Tempest (1960)

i must have seen a different film!!

A different way of telling a story

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Count me in too. I saw this as a kid and still recall with great pleasure that it was my introduction to Shakespeare and has lead to a lifetime love. As was the case for several other films of plays, the clever camera work was a definite plus. Loved making Ariel a sprite by playing with size. Having him ride on Prosperos shoulder certainly worked for me. What a lovely conceit! It made the scenes between them as magical as they were meant to be. Calaban is a bit of a monster but one with Burton's voice. All in all, even thinking about it and the wonderful cast brings a smile to my face. I visited the site and wasn't surprised to see the high rating and generally positive reviews. I feel exactly the same way. Well done all around and a wonderful introduction for kids that lingers on the mind and in the heart as well.

Hollywood has never done justice to William Shakespeare's The Tempest, and it is this 1960 TV version which I recommend to this day. It is short, to the point and has an amateurishness about it although the cast is superb. The lovely Lee Remick is in the role of Prospero's daughter, Miranda. Richard Burton plays the evil Caliban. If it were up to me, I would have cast Burton as Prospero. Burton was a heavyweight and would have brought a dignity to the character which is otherwise lacking. Roddy McDowell fits the part of Ariel. He prances around like one of Arnold's "girlie-men." The Tempest is one of Shakespeare's most likable plays. There is something comforting about its island setting, the storm and an old man working his magic to ensure his daughter's future. We know beforehand that good will triumph over evil.

I saw this on TV when it came out. I would have been 6 years old. I was enchanted, and to this day, The Tempest is still my favorite Shakespeare play, which I credit to this production. No, you wouldn't want it to be your only experience of the play, as the previous post points out. But if you get a chance to see it, give it a look. It's a good introduction, and a good way to "get your feet wet" if you feel challenged (as I confess I often do) by more authentic presentations of Elizabethan drama.

This is a production for Junior High students. The text has been bowlderized (all `improper' material is excised), all the language has been simplified so that no obscure words are used, and non-essential plot devices are eliminated. As an example of the last is any mention of Claribel, the daughter from whose marriage in Tunis they return from.The production is of a play, shot by one video camera. Costumes are fantastic, but with the anachronism that Prospero wears Ben Franklin specs. The sets are minimalist and mildly interesting. The whole effect has more of a junior educational tone than one which unleashes the power of the play.Some well-known actors are employed, and that is the only remarkable thing about this affair, and that only as passing curiosity.The Sebastian is a doofus from several TeeVee comedies. The Ariel is the `Psycho' guy, Roddie McDowell, which gives a strange air to his performance. The Caliban is Richard Burton, heavily disguised. Such an actor! This is from a period during which he describes himself as a hopeless, continual drunk who had sex with countless partners with great emphasis on costars. Makes you constantly aware of the Miranda, here Lee Remick, and whether the sexual approach in the play was mirrored in real life and what happened.