Film Review: Tempest (1982)

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(source: tmdb.org)

Film makers like to use Shakespeare's plays as basis for their work, but they are also aware that the average film audience today is very different from the average theatre audience four centuries ago. Therefore, many of film adaptations of Shakespeare's work tend to have plot setting and other important details different than in the original. One of the best examples is Shakespeare's drama The Tempest, which was very loosely adapted into Forbidden Planet, which would turn into one of the classics of science fiction cinema. Another interesting, although less successful adaptation was Tempest, 1982 romantic comedy directed by Paul Mazursky.

Protagonist, played by John Cassavetes, is Philipp Dimitrius, successful New York architect who is struck by midlife crisis and starts to make all kinds of impulsive decisions. After learning that his wife Antonia (played by Gena Rowlands) is having an affair with his boss, powerful and shady construction tycoon Alonzo (played by Vittorio Gassman), he decides to leave New York with 13-year old daughter Miranda (played by Molly Ringwald) and go to Greece on a prolonged vacation. In Athens he meets American lounge singer Aretha Tomalin (played by Susan Sarandon) and begin relationship with her. When confronted by Alonzo and Antonia who wants her daughter back, trio goes to a remote island when they will have only eccentric local hermit Kalibanos (played by Raul Julia) for company. Setting is beautiful, but their seemingly idyllic life begins to show signs of serious tensions before the fate, in the form of sudden storm, brings Alonzo's yacht in the vicinity of the island.

Tempest was one of the favourite plays for Mazursky and he has spent years trying to develop its modern-day adaptation. Based on the names involved, he had good reasons to expect a success. Cast is led by his friend and legendary character actor and director John Cassavetes, who is again paired with his wife Gena Rowlands, with whom he made a supercouple of American independent cinema. 14-year old Ringwald makes strong screen debut in a role that would pave way to her becoming one of the greatest teen film stars in 1980s. Raoul Julia also delivers impressive performance that would, among other things, allow him to show some of his music and dance abilities. The film puts attractive Greek locations to good use. Unfortunately, all that is of little importance because of mediocre script written by Mazursky and Leon Capetanos. Use of flashbacks is confusing, dialogue is mostly uninspired and many scenes – like the one in which jealous character of theatre director (played by Mazursky) who wants to cast his wife in the plays – either don't work or simply make film overlong. But the greatest flaw is in Mazursky's unsuccessfully trying to tie his film to the original play. Unlike the viewers of Forbidden Planet, who can enjoy it as science fiction film of its own and ignore all the references to the original, viewers of Tempest must have at least some familiarity with the play (which also happens to be one of the lesser knowns in Shakespeare's opus). And even those that know the play are likely to be disappointed with the film that uses the original play's plot directly only in around last thirty minutes. By that time it is too late for Tempest to significantly improve impression of itself and the audience is more likely to be pleased with different adaptations of Shakespeare's texts.

RATING: 4/10 (++)