If The Merchant of Venice were a tragedy and Shylock its protagonist, this would be a perfect production. Since it is a comedy, and Shylock is the villain, there are problems.
This British National Theatre version cuts Shylock's asides, Jessica's scene in male attire, Old Gobbo, and much of Lancelot Gobbo.
Set in Edwardian England, it adds voice-overs (an off-screen scream after Shylock leaves the court and a Jewish requiem - the "Kaddish" - at the end of the play) and photographs of his beloved wife and daughter to make Shylock seem more sympathetic. As part of this process, Jessica and Lorenzo become unsympathetic characters who do not appear to be in love with each other. The romantic, "in-such-a-night" scene (5.1) is played with the two standing as far apart as possible, with the cold, presumably fortune-hunting Lorenzo smoking a pipe. The production ends with a guilt-stricken Jessica alone.
The cast, though a bit old for the parts, is uniformly and undeniably charming, and Olivier ranges from excellent to superb.
This reinterpretation of the play is by no means unusual or unjustifiable in a post-Holocaust world, and it makes an effective film.
