Coriolanus At The Cameo

The Cameo cinema is one of the fabulous independent cinemas in Edinburgh. On this particular occasion I went to see a screening of Ralph Fiennes production of Coriolanus with a Q and A with the man himself afterwards. I would have liked to have sneaked a picture of him for my blip but unfortunately I was close enough to the front to get anything good.

The film was very good though. Ralph played Coriolanus but also directed the film and chose to set it in modern times. Coriolanus is a soldier/warrior who has had great success in his military campaigns and then runs for consul. However, he refuses to play the publicity game and court the love of the people through flattery and showmanship. As a result he is double-crossed and exciled from Rome, vowing to take his revenge.

With all that's been happening recently in politics and the news, expecially the phone hacking scandal, setting it in modern times again shows how timeless Shakespeare can be. I highly recommend seeing this film if you get the chance. Even with the Shakespearan dialogue it's a compelling and exciting story.