''Revengers Tragedy'' is a 2002 film adaptation of the 1606 play ''

The Revenger's Tragedy ''The Revenger's Tragedy'' is an English-language Jacobean revenge tragedy which was performed in 1606, and published in 1607 by George Eld. It was long attributed to Cyril Tourneur, but "The consensus candidate for authorship of ''The Reve ...

'' (attributed to

Thomas Middleton Thomas Middleton (baptised 18 April 1580 – July 1627; also spelt ''Midleton'') was an English Jacobean playwright and poet. He, with John Fletcher and Ben Jonson, was among the most successful and prolific of playwrights at work in the Jac ...

in the credits, following the scholarly consensus). It was directed by

Alex Cox Alexander B. H. Cox (born 15 December 1954) is an English film director, screenwriter, actor, non-fiction author and broadcaster. Cox experienced success early in his career with '' Repo Man'' and ''Sid and Nancy'', but since the release and co ...

and adapted for the screen by Cox's fellow Liverpudlian, Frank Cottrell-Boyce. The film stars Christopher Eccleston as the revenge-obsessed Vindice, with

Derek Jacobi Sir Derek George Jacobi (; born 22 October 1938) is an English actor. He has appeared in various stage productions of William Shakespeare such as ''Hamlet'', ''Much Ado About Nothing'', '' Macbeth'', ''Twelfth Night'', '' The Tempest'', ''Kin ...

as the evil Duke,

Eddie Izzard Edward John Izzard (; born 7 February 1962) is a British stand-up comedian, actor and activist. Her comedic style takes the form of what appears to the audience as rambling whimsical monologues and self-referential pantomime. Izzard's stand- ...

as his lecherous son Lussurioso,

Diana Quick Diana Marilyn Quick (born 23 November 1946) is an English actress. Early life and family background Quick was born on 23 November 1946 in London, England. She grew up in Dartford, Kent, the third of four children. Her father was Leonard Qui ...

as the Duchess, Andrew Schofield as Vindice's brother Carlo (a version of the play's Hippolito),

Carla Henry Carla Henry is a British actress, most famous for her role as Donna in ''Queer As Folk''. She trained at Bretton Hall College. Her performances in stage productions such as ''Storm'' (Contact Theatre) and ''Habitat'' (Royal Exchange) and ''On ...

as his virtuous sister Castiza, and

Marc Warren Marc Warren (born 20 March 1967) is an English actor, known for his British television roles. His roles have included Albert Blithe in '' Band of Brothers'', Danny Blue in '' Hustle'', Dougie Raymond in ''The Vice'', Dominic Foy in '' State ...

and Justin Salinger as the Duchess's sons Supervacuo and Ambitioso.

Synopsis

The original play is set in a depraved Italian court, but Cottrell Boyce's screenplay relocates it to a futuristic version of

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

in the year 2011, following the aftermath of a natural disaster which has destroyed the southern half of

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...

. The city is a dystopia in which society is collapsing and where

vendettas A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one par ...

and the crude exercise of power are the norm. Jacobi's Duke is the most powerful crime lord in the city. Cottrell Boyce's script rearranges the play heavily and mixes the original Jacobean language with modern language.

Production

''Revengers Tragedy'' was shot and edited in

with an almost entirely local crew, including cinematographer Len Gowing, costumer Monica Aslanian, makeup designer Lesley Brennan and assistant director Kim Ryan. Cox's usual

production designer In film and television, the production designer is the individual responsible for the overall aesthetic of the story. The production design gives the viewers a sense of the time period, the plot location, and character actions and feelings. Wo ...

, Cecilia Montiel prepared a visual strategy which was executed by her co-designer Remi Vaughan-Richards. The producers were Margaret Matheson (who executive produced Cox's ''

Sid and Nancy ''Sid and Nancy'' (also known as ''Sid and Nancy: Love Kills'') is a 1986 British biographical film directed by Alex Cox, co-written with Abbe Wool, and starring Gary Oldman and Chloe Webb. The film portrays the life of Sid Vicious, bassist of t ...

'' for Zenith) and Tod Davies (Cox's wife, who also wrote and produced Cox's '' Three Businessmen''). The soundtrack of the same name was written and performed by Chumbawamba. In 2003, it was released by the band on their independent record label, MUTT.

Reception

The BBC's Jamie Russell gave the film 3/5 stars, stating "It exaggerates the play's confused identities, deliberate miscommunications, and sarcastic asides into an overblown exercise in outright camp." The review further states that the film's messages are "ultimately let down by the film's rough edges", and contains "moments that are painfully amateurish, "Revengers Tragedy" ultimately annoys as much as it exhilarates." ''

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), ...

''s Deborah Young described the film as "ambitious, sometimes exhilarating but ultimately not very new attempt to unleash the power of great literature past by punking it up." The ''

Time Out Film Guide Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to c ...

'' commented: "The stylistic intention, presumably, was old meets new with a Luhrmann-like flourish, but the modest resources on display result in a look somewhere between threadbare

Jarman Jarman is a first and surname. Notable people with this name include: * Alan Jarman, Australian politician *Andrew Jarman, Australian rules footballer *Barry Jarman, Australian cricketer and Australian rules footballer *Billy Jarman, English rugby l ...

and school play. One struggles to be impressed."

References

External links

*
''Revengers Tragedy'' page on Alex Cox website
{{Alex Cox Films directed by Alex Cox 2002 films 2000s science fiction comedy-drama films British science fiction comedy-drama films 2000s dystopian films 2000s English-language films British films based on plays Films set in 2011 Films set in Liverpool Films set in the future British post-apocalyptic films Films with screenplays by Frank Cottrell-Boyce 2002 comedy films 2002 drama films 2000s British films