Portia (The Merchant of Venice) original Portia Shakespeare drew from was Porcia Catonis, the wife of the Roman statesman Brutus. She was also compared to the wife of Brutus within the play in Act 1 scene 1 when Bassanio talks to Antonio. The strength of the role of Portia has made it attractive to many notable actresses. Frances Abington, Sarah Siddons and Elizabeth Whitlock all played Portia in the 18th century when actresses first started appearing on stage in performances of the play. More recently, the role has been depicted in the cinema and on television by a number of notable actresses such as Maggie
The Thief of Venice George Sanders were to play support roles, with filming to start in Italy on 1 November 1949. Sanders eventually pulled out. The movie was shot on location in Italy with studio work done at Scalera Studios. The "Christian Science Monitor" said that "a series of coups, captures and escapes take place with a great deal of running about but very little inventiveness." The "Washington Post" called it "a rip snorting Western" style film. The Thief of Venice The Thief of Venice or Il Ladro di Venezia is a 1950 Italian film directed by John Brahm. The US title was "The