A Flair For Shakespeare
If Shakespeare were always adapted with as much life as Julie Taymor imbued Titus with, nobody would consider it too “high brow” to enjoy. With an amazing cast and brilliant production design, this film easily draws attention away from previous regurgitations of The Bard. It’s also respectable that Taymor would pick one of the lesser read plays to enact, instead of the popular Romeo and Juliet or Hamlet, which are so easily recognizable to a mainstream audience.
Though Julie Taymor is known more for her Broadway hits, such as the latest The Lion King, she brings a wonderfully theatrical flair to this often neglected play of family feud and betrayal. In fact, everything about Tituss is theatrical, from the costumes to the spoken word, but due to the talent which presents it, this three-hour film is still heart-thumping entertainment.
After winning a huge war for Rome, Titus (Anthony Hopkins) returns to bury the sons of the Empire who died in battle. To calm his people he also kills the oldest son of Tamora (Jessica Lange), the Queen of the Goths, the victims of his last victory. Shortly thereafter, the government tries to make Titus an Emperor due to his many accomplishments, but he refuses the title. He’s tired and wants to retire to enjoy life a little instead. After getting yelled at by his petulant child Saturninus (Alan Cumming), Titus beseeches the council to bestow the coveted title upon him.
Saturninus proceeds to ruin the empire his father worked so hard to build, and even marries his enemy, Tamora, when his sister Lavinia (Laura Fraser) runs off with her true love. Everything slides further as Tamora’s lover, Aaron (Harry J. Lennix) plots Tamora’s revenge of the destruction of Titus’s family. Titus does nothing to stop the increasing damages to Rome or his own kin, merely begs Saturninus’s pardon and resubmits his loyalty. He wants the rest of his family to continue to honor tradition as well, but it’s impossible for them to adhere to Saturninus nonsensical ways.
Like most Shakespeare plays, the atmosphere is bleak and there is little hope of the renewal of good after the main character has succumbed to their fatal flaw. Titus has let go of the protective reins of empire in search of a peaceful life, but sees the life crumbling around him and is powerless to stop it. Not even he is safe from his son’s wasteful, decadent needs. It is difficult to pity someone who won’t try to help themselves in the face obvious assaults. He lets his own sons die, even fights for it, exclaiming that they are tarnishing the family name. Even his patient, loving brother Marcus (Colm Feore) can’t seem to talk sense into him.
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