The Tempest (1979) on Netflix
Exiled to a desolate island with his daughter Miranda, the magician Prospero rules the spirit Ariel. He raises a storm to wreck the ship carrying the brother who took his duchy.
- Netflix3.1/5
- IMDb6.3/101,409 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes60%
Trailer
Plot summary
Prospero was Duke of Milan. He gave his governing duties to his brother Antonio so he could study magic. Antonio overthrew him, and by an order from Alonso, the King of Naples, Prospero and his daughter Miranda were exiled to an island. There the spirit Ariel serves Prospero. Prospero commands Ariel to create a storm that brings Alonso's ship to the island and traps the survivors. Alonso's son Ferdinand is separated from his father. Ariel's singing leads Ferdinand to the house, where he and Miranda fall in love. Prospero accuses him of being a spy and shackles his ankles.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Tempest (1979)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Scholars including Kate Chedgzoy and Colin MacCabe criticized Derek Jarman for casting Caliban and Sycorax with white actors, forgoing the play's usual post-colonial reading. Jarman replied that following that interpretation would "load the whole film one way, make it more specific than general."
- Derek Jarman shot the film inside Stoneleigh Abbey, Warwickshire, choosing it because of budget constraints: the abbey gave him the atmosphere he wanted without access to an expansive or exotic set.
- Jarman used cut-up technique on the text, most notably moving the masque sequence from act 4 of Shakespeare's play to the end of the film and spreading the expositional dialogue across the film instead of keeping it in the early scenes.
- Jarman used blue filters and voice-over narration, including the sounds of heavy breathing, to emphasize the film's dream framing device.
