Bard's conflicted hero has modern resonance

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Larry D. Horricks / The Weinstein Company Ralph Fiennes directed Coriolanus and portrays Caius Martius, centre; Gerard Butler, right, plays Tullus Aufidius.

Truth be told, I had neither seen William Shakespeare's Coriolanus nor read it in any of my Shakespeare university courses.

Ralph Fiennes's film, adroitly adapted by John Logan in a contemporary setting, is my first exposure. I am embarrassed to admit it because it's such a powerful work (it was one of T.S. Eliot's favourites) with particularly strong resonance here in the 21st century.

"Coriolanus" is the honorific bestowed on Roman General Caius Martius (played by Fiennes) after having returned to Rome following a significant military victory against the marauding Volscian army led by General Aufidius (Gerard Butler).

His fiercely patriotic mother Volumnia (Vanessa Redgrave), his wife Virgilia (the omnipresent Jessica Chastain) and the savvy Senate insider Menenius (Brian Cox) steer Coriolanus to seeking a consulship.

But Coriolanus has trouble with the "man of the people" role required. In fact, he despises the common people, a fact immediately apparent when he and his troops are called in to quell a riot.

Coriolanus's display of contempt and snobbery not only loses him the consulship, it gets him banished from Rome, a slap in the face that drives the embittered general into the arms of Aufidius, to whom he offers his military services.

There is much to admire here. I'll itemize:

-- Fiennes shot the film on location in modern-day Belgrade, Serbia, using contemporary military hardware, including automatic weapons and tanks. This kind of thing has been done before (as in the Ian McKellen Nazi-era version of Richard III) but it does force a consideration of the play's theme of duty vs. honour in an uncomfortably modern context.

-- Fiennes brilliantly uses television and various TV commentators for scenes of crisply communicated exposition.

-- A hint of a homosexual attraction between Coriolanus and Aufidius may seem a 21st-century construct, but it's absolutely right given the text of Aufidius's welcome to his foe: "I see thee here/ Thou noble thing! more dances my rapt heart/ Than when I first my wedded mistress saw." The previous full contact fight between the two men takes on undeniable homoerotic connotations.

-- After witnessing Vanessa Redgrave slumming in an Amanda Seyfried rom-com, it's a profound relief to see her unleash her full Shakespearean fury here.

-- Fiennes, the designated villain in many a Hollywood blockbuster lately, likewise proves his mettle as one of the Bard's most graphically conflicted heroes.

randall.king@freepress.mb.ca

Other voices

Selected excerpts from reviews of Coriolanus.

In his first film as a director, Fiennes proves that he knows Fiennes the actor inside out, with a self-knowledge that's rare, even admirable.

-- Mick La Salle, San Francisco Chronicle

You buy the concept, from start to finish, because it feels strong and purposeful and in sync with Shakespeare's own vision of a malleable, fickle populace and a leader raised by the ultimate stage mother.

-- Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

The questions Coriolanus poses are so timeless and urgent they could be pullquotes from today's op-ed page.

-- Dana Stevens, Slate

Coriolanus is such a proud, cold-hearted swine that spending more than two hours with him is a long, hard slog.

-- Christopher Tookey, Daily Mail

Riches of character are revealed, with copious visual invention.

-- Joe Morgentstern, Wall Street Journal

Ralph Fiennes makes Shakespeare modern and bloody brilliant.

-- Ray Bennett, Hollywood Reporter

The language lives, as do the people, who are present enough that it's almost a surprise no one brandishes that timely protest sign, "Occupy Rome."

-- Manhola Dargis, New York Times

Fiennes and Logan haven't made a definitive Coriolanus, but they've made a sensationally gripping one. They have the pulse of the play, its firm martial beats and its messy political clatter. They tell a damn good story.

-- David Edelstein, New York magazine

The great strength of Fiennes's film is simply its clarity and intelligence.

-- Andrew Pulver, Guardian

--Compiled by Shane Minkin

Movie review

Coriolanus

Starring Ralph Fiennes and Gerard Butler

Globe

14A

122 minutes

Four stars out of five

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 10, 2012 D6