Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’ debuts on the big screen in December

“Our revels now are ended. These our actors, As I foretold you, were all spirits, and Are melted into air, into thin air: And like the baseless fabric of this vision, The cloud-capp'd tow'rs, the gorgeous palaces, The solemn temples, the great globe itself, Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve, And, like this insubstantial pageant faded, Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff As dreams are made on; and our little life Is rounded with a sleep.” ~ “Prospero” ~ Shakespeare’s The Tempest Act 4, scene 1, 148–158 ~ Every few years the entertainment industry takes up the charge of reinventing the works of William Shakespeare, either for television or for the big screen, and it’s that time again, as Touchstone Pictures/Miramax Films pick up the gauntlet with the mystical thriller, THE TEMPEST. A few things have undergone a major transformation in this interpretation of THE TEMPEST - the addition of computer generated special effects to provide a 21st century viewing experience, and sorcerer Prospero has changed gender into sorceress Prospera. Set to handle this daunting transformation is Oscar® winner Helen Mirren who is no stranger to performing Shakespeare’s works on film. 2010 marks the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s THE TEMPEST and it’s slated for limited release in the United States at select theaters beginning Friday, December 10, 2010. The film has already been screened at the Venice, New York and Mill Valley Film Festivals and is scheduled to launch in Argentina in February, 2011. THE TEMPEST has been rated as PG-13 for “some nudity, suggestive content and scary images.” Are you a purist in terms of The Bard’s work and enjoy seeing it only on stage in its original form, or would you consider seeing director Julie Taymor’s version on film?