With an Oscar-geared release already set for December 2nd, Ralph Fiennes‘ ambitious directorial debut of a contemporary adaptation of William Shakespeare‘s “Coriolanus” now has an intense, epic trailer to hype up its end-of-year unveiling.
The film debuted at this year’s Berlin Film Festival to a rousing reception and particular praise for the supporting performance of Vanessa Redgrave — many pundits are already calling her an award-season threat — as the hero’s mother, Volumnia, but also for the ensemble cast which includes Fiennes as the titular character alongside Gerard Butler, Jessica Chastain, Brian Cox and James Nesbitt.
The scenes presumably depicting the nation’s uprising against Coriolanus is a bit uneasy in light of recent events but the strong military influence (dictated no doubt by the work of “The Hurt Locker” duo DoP Barry Ackroyd and sound mixer Ray Beckett) is clearly evident and hopefully will be able to bring the theater of Shakespeare to a modern setting. The original story follows General Coriolanus as he enters the Roman Senate on the insistence of his mother. However, when he is banished from Rome for rioting after failing to win the public’s support, he must team with sworn enemy, Tullus Aufidius, in taking out revenge on the city. It remains to be seen what changes John Logan has made to the contemporary adaptation — Fiennes previously noted that the script “edited [the play] quite aggressively” — but, either way, we can’t wait to see what the actor-director has conjured here.
Fiennes has also just confirmed that his next effort behind the camera will be an adaptation of “The Invisible Woman,” a tale depicting the love story between Charles Dickens and Nelly Ternan. Script comes courtesy of Abi Morgan with lensing set to begin next spring with a £12m budget for a fall release.
[CC2K via FirstShowing]