The Merchant Of Venice (1972)

In 14th century Venice, a young but poor noble (Christopher Gable) asks his anti-Semitic friend (Charles Gray) for a loan. Since he is cash poor until his ships come in, the friend agrees to loan the money but only if the young man is able to find a lender. A Jewish moneylender (Frank Finlay) agrees to provide the funds but demands a pound of Gray's flesh, literally, if the loan is forfeited. Of all Shakespeare's plays, I've always found THE MERCHANT OF VENICE the most disturbing because of its underlying anti-semitism. Though productions in recent decades have attempted to turn Shylock, the Jewish moneylender, into a sympathetic character, the text is still problematic. Though the other characters heap verbal abuse (including spitting on him) for his religion, he's the one who's humiliated and forced by law to convert to Christianity and all this with no irony! Meanwhile, the Gentiles all live happily ever after. All that aside, this is a decent production highlighted by Juanita Waterson's elegant costuming and by two strong performances, Finlay as Shylock who manages to makes us understand his need for revenge and Maggie Smith as Portia, the object of Gable's affection. Directed by Cedric Messina.