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Al Pacino, "Looking for Richard", and a special poem !

Posted by Bambi B (A) on October 16, 2005 at 10:00:06

In Reply to: Merchant of Venice posted by warrenh@optonline.net on October 15, 2005 at 03:17:28:

warrenh,

I'm curious to know how Pacino does in "Merchant". I'm not one of those WS snobs that thinks only a Gielgud or Olivier can do Hamlet, but I'm also reasonbly sure that Mel Gibson can not- and Al Pacino can not do Richard III.

I found the documentary "Lookin for Richard" dir Al Pacino ,1996, hoighly interesting and entertaining. This movie is about Al Pacino trying to assemble some kind of umtimate cast and definitive interpretation of "Richard III". You will know this play from, "Now is the Winter of our discontent,..." and "A horse, a horse, an Oscar for a horse !" when it all goes wrong for the hunchback that murders kills his way to become King with no more regard for human life than a bush. It's a really good one, my two favourite histroies are "Richard III" and "Henry V".

"Looking" was actually about the immense vanity of Pacino whose brief portayal of Richard -in the distinguished company of no less a Shakespearen shoplifter as Wynnona Ryder- was just comic and painfully embarassing. Pacino calls up a few people he happnes to know for a free lunch they come over and they run around try gathering opinions on what makes good Shakepeare. Really, this all the intellectual insight of a nursery school recess. I can only guess Pacino did this so he could write off his four suites at the Plaza and catch a few shows during shooting. There is hardly a frame without Pacino's odd blank stare 30' wide across the screen. This is Kevin Costner level stuff.

I thought Pacino was brilliant as Ivy League smooth-talking white collar gangster Mike Corleone- really a fantastic modern transistion to Brando's Old World style. Just the difference of "Vito"and "Mike" mkaes a point of old and new. How those at Enron and government have beneiftted from coying Pacino's Mike Corlkeone cool Senate committee testimony! There was of course great directing, but Pacino calm menacing calculation was amazing and memorable.

Shakespeare's Richard III is really a (late Gothic) gangster too, but Pacino unwisely chose to play it straight as though he really wants to join thst rep company in Stratford. If anyone sees Ian McKellen in the movie veriosn of "Richard III"- who does it in a wonderful art deco, proto-NAZI style, he will see how many light years he should stand away from Shakespeare. Fortunately, the makers of "Looking" never let Pacino nor the other dupes in on the joke, and "looking" is highly recommended hilarity start to curtain for ol' Bard fans.

Much of Shakeseare is written in metered verse and Pacino doesn't have a clue. Whne you don't do the rhythm, those complicated speeches just become nonsense syllables and Pacino gets it wrong worse than anyone else with a flat Brooklym accent might.

Now a poem written especially for AudioAsylum, in the style of Sir Francis Bacon, on the subject of Al Pacino doing Shakepseare:

>>

O, Why hast Thine Stars so sore afflicted Us?

How dost my lord some Shakespeare a player those bright words proper seemingly task?
What should that man cut from himself and offer to unfair Dionysus
A salve that we slaves to Deus ex machina
Must bear when sadder must outside this war torn curtian's
O step too soon.

Such a man astride ahall on a horse of wise lost time long time into view gallop
Sword of the old gods's glass Reason high held, blood honed
His hard hands' he reins Mind's silver-tongued halter
Gait it true and smooth over those ragged verbs and hilly hist'ry
Rough strewn with rocky point
Made by idiots, oily slick and velvet gown'd Polotick
But hewn by God's own pen to liquid gold
That precious wind-borne Sun that our starved brains might warm a thousand years hence.

And Upon the stage his lungs bursting forth years of stolen lovers' silent sighs
And his strut is the strut of those Olden Kings that Solomon wise could award one baby twain'd in two
And still those that tuppence threw at the narrow gate
Will put hand to hand loud and long at mere talk of an infant slain.
Who this man is must needs make those he faces to two hours murders
And then to sighing lovers and gasping clowns and then to deaths of every kind cheerful
And all round when next this man his next patricide protest an mad seeming be And still more swords an unclecide commit and frinds and loversand Mothers all dead poison'd and bloody
Will still the next man on yourthousand men your stronger right side sit
Full and straight slap fingers five all high to their neighbours fair and foul alike to gleeful Murder .

And he will needst shine upon we unwashed few there pie-faced glint in a darkened hall
Unknowst buzz that flick'ring yellow'd Centuries candle light therein a gnat's eye of that Avon water'd Genius.

And that man, I must tell you all my only friends, that man,
Shining star from the firmanent of ways true and from both new and old well forge-melded shall
Not a man called be anything like "Al.

<< Here endedth the poem.

I enjoyed that! See why this is called Film "Asylum"?

Cheers,

Bambi B

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