''The Tempest'' is a 1998 American

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

directed by Jack Bender. It is a modernized adaptation of the

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

'' The Tempest'' set in

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

starring Peter Fonda as Gideon Prosper, a character based on Shakespeare's

Prospero Prospero ( ) is a fictional character and the protagonist of William Shakespeare's play '' The Tempest''. Prospero is the rightful Duke of Milan, whose usurping brother, Antonio, had put him (with his three-year-old daughter, Miranda) to se ...

Plot

Gideon Prosper, a Southern slave-owner, is forced off his plantation by his younger brother Anthony before the outbreak of the

. Surviving in the Mississippi bayou, Prosper uses magic that he learned from one of his slaves to protect his teenage daughter and to assist the

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

Cast

* Peter Fonda as Gideon Prosper * John Glover as Anthony Prosper *

Harold Perrineau Harold Perrineau (born August 7, 1963) is an American actor best known for his roles as Michael Dawson in the ABC television series ''Lost'' (2004–2010), Augustus Hill in the HBO television series '' Oz'' (1997–2003), Sheriff Boyd Steven ...

Ariel Ariel may refer to: Film and television *Ariel Award, a Mexican Academy of Film award * ''Ariel'' (film), a 1988 Finnish film by Aki Kaurismäki * ''ARIEL Visual'' and ''ARIEL Deluxe'', 1989 and 1991 anime video series based on the novel series ...

Katherine Heigl Katherine Marie Heigl ( ; born November 24, 1978) is an American actress and former fashion model. She played Dr. Izzie Stevens on the ABC television medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'' from 2005 to 2010, a role that brought her recognition and ...

as Miranda Prosper *

John Pyper-Ferguson John Pyper-Ferguson (born February 27, 1964) is an Australian-born Canadian actor. He has appeared in a wide range of films and television shows. His notable works include playing Sonny Hamilton on '' Hamilton's Quest'', Peter Hutter on '' The A ...

as Gator Man * Eddie Mills as Captain Frederick Allen *

Dennis Redfield Dennis or Denis is a first or last name from the Greco-Roman name Dionysius, via one of the Christian saints named Dionysius. The name came from Dionysus, the Greek god of ecstatic states, particularly those produced by wine, which is sometime ...

as Wilfried "Willy" Gonzo *

Donzaleigh Abernathy Donzaleigh Abernathy is an American actress, author and civil rights activist. Early life Abernathy’s Mother was pregnant with her when her parents’ home was bombed in the pre-dawn hours of January 10, 1957 after the successful close of ...

as Mambo Azaleigh *

Jon Huffman Jon is a shortened form of the common given name Jonathan, derived from "YHWH has given", and an alternate spelling of John, derived from "YHWH has pardoned".Rhoda Griffis Rhoda Griffis (born January 9, 1965) is an American actress who has played supporting roles both in independent and mainstream films and television. Life and career Griffis appeared onstage in ''Angels in America'', '' Proof'', '' Collected Sto ...

as Sophie Dupree * Lonnie Hamilton as Old Ariel * Rachel Crouch as Young Miranda * Alex Van as Lead Raider * Tim Parati as Raider *

Charles Lawlor Charles B. Lawlor (June 2, 1852 – May 31, 1925) was an American vaudeville performer and composer of popular songs. He was born in Ireland and emigrated to the United States in 1869. Lawlor is primarily remembered today as the composer of th ...

as General Pemberton * David Dwyer as Sheriff * Rob Treveiler as Union Sentry * Roby Pettit as Picket #2 * Maxwell Bruce as Bluecoat * Bill Gribble as Scout * James Bigwood as Lieutenant *

Steve Coulter Steve Coulter is a team owner in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.Covitz, Randy (2003) "NASCAR trucks season preview: Rookie Kvapil moves in to championship truck", ''Kansas City Star'', 2003-02-16 His team, Xpress Motorsports, won the Truck Ser ...

as Lewis * Ethan Jensen as Picket * Dallas Miller as Field Slave * Don Shanks as Overseer * Gary Dow as Grant's Sergeant Major * Rick Lundin as Possee Member * Adrienne Reynolds as Delia * John Laporte as Surgeon * Patricia Buckley-Moss as Dancer * Mark Miller as Union Soldier * Diedra Orhant (stand-in for Katherine Heigl) * Johnny W. Wilbans as 2nd Union Sentry

Production

Filming took place at

Cypress Gardens Cypress Gardens was a botanical garden and theme park near Winter Haven, Florida that operated from 1936 to 2009. As of 2011, the botanical garden portion had been preserved inside the newly formed Legoland Florida. History Billed as Florida' ...

, and other locations in, and around, Charleston,

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

Broadcast

The film was broadcast on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

at 9:00 p.m.

Eastern Time The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and a small por ...

on Sunday, December 13, 1998.

Reception

In his 2001 book ''Shakespeare in the Movies: From the Silent Era to Today'', author Douglas Brode wrote that "Jack Bender's film emerged as yet another offbeat variation on Will's theme, but with the Bard's immortal poetry entirely excised." In a negative review for the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'', reviewer Daryl H. Miller wrote, "A miscalculation of epic proportions, this revision of one of the Bard’s masterworks is at times laugh-out-loud awful, at times offensive." In a negative review for ''

People A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of prope ...

'', reviewer Terry Kelleher wrote, "The low-key style that served Fonda so well in his Oscar-nominated ''Ulee’s Gold'' role doesn’t work for Prosper/Prospero, who needs a charisma that the actor can’t provide. The script gives Fonda two lines of actual Shakespeare at the end, and we admit he seems less than comfortable with the language." In a review for ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', reviewer Laura Fries wrote, "What makes this production universally appealing is that it lacks the pretenses that usually come with a literary-based telepic. Writer James Henerson plays on such ’90s issues as lost faith, selfishness, vengeance and loyalty to propel this Civil War-era saga."

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tempest, The 1998 films 1998 television films 1998 drama films American Civil War films American fantasy films American films based on plays American drama television films Fantasy television films Films based on The Tempest Films directed by Jack Bender Films scored by Terence Blanchard Films set in 1851 Films set in 1863 Films set in Mississippi Films shot in South Carolina Modern adaptations of works by William Shakespeare 1990s English-language films 1990s American films Television shows based on works by William Shakespeare