SHAKESPEARE

Synopsis

Documentary. Alan Yentob travels to the ghetto in Venice with novelist Howard Jacobson as he embarks on a retelling of The Merchant of Venice. Through a series of interviews, they examine the charge of anti-Semitism against Shakespeare, whose character Shylock remains one of the most divisive fictional Jews in history. How did the moneylender from Venice become such a useful propaganda tool in Nazi Germany? And how much of a liberty will Jacobson be taking when he uproots the action to modern-day Alderley Edge, and audaciously reinterprets the infamous ‘pound of flesh’?

Series

Imagine...

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Medium

Television

Technical information

Colour / Sound

Transmission details

27 Oct 2015 at 22:35 (Channel: BBC1)

Duration

70 mins

Credits

Director

Colette Camden

Contributor

Alan Yentob; Anthony Julius; Antony Sher; Howard Jacobson; Stephen Greenblatt

Additional Details

Production type

Documentary/Educational/News

Plays

Merchant of Venice, The

Subjects

Drama

Keywords

anti-Semitism; Shylock

Archive

Name

BFI National Archive

Web

http://www.bfi.org.uk/archive-collections/searching-access-collections/research-viewing-services External site opens in new window

Phone

020 7255 1444

Fax

020 7436 0165

Address

21 Stephen Street
London
W1T 1LN

Name

Learning on Screen Off-Air Recording Back-up Service

Email

services@bufvc.ac.uk

Web

http://bufvc.ac.uk/tvandradio/offair External site opens in new window

Phone

020 7393 1514

Fax

020 7393 1555

Address

For Learning on Screen Members only
77 Wells Street
London
W1T 3QJ