The Merchant of Venice (2004 film) The Merchant of Venice (2004 film) The Merchant of Venice is a 2004 romantic drama film based on Shakespeare's play of the same name. It is the first full-length sound film in English of Shakespeare's playother versions are videotaped productions which were made for television, including John Sichel's 1973 version and Jack Gold's 1980 BBC production. The title character is the merchant Antonio (Jeremy Irons), not the Jewish moneylender Shylock (Al Pacino) who is the more prominent character. This adaptation follows the text, but omits much. Director Michael Radford believed that Shylock was Shakespeare's first great tragic hero who reaches
On the Razzle (play) On the Razzle (play) On the Razzle is a play by Tom Stoppard. It is an adaptation of the Viennese play "Einen Jux will er sich machen" by Johann Nestroy, which had been adapted twice by Thornton Wilder. The first 1938 version, entitled "The Merchant of Yonkers", was faithful to the original material, but the second 1955 version, renamed "The Matchmaker", expanded the previously secondary role of Dolly Gallagher Levi, who later became the heroine of the Jerry Herman musical hit, "Hello, Dolly!". Stoppard's adaptation eliminates the Dolly character. The play's title is a euphemism often used by the British