AllMovie

Director William Woodman presents this 1983 adaptation of The Tempest on a set resembling a playhouse of Shakespeare's time. To suggest the vantage points of the audience in an oval-shaped Elizabethan theater, the camera zooms, roves, and changes angles. On the stage, there are no props except for Propero's staff, firewood, and a table set with food in act three. The backdrop remains the same save for lighting shifts. Such a mise-en-scéne requires a strong effort from the actors to coax life into the production and stimulate the imagination of the viewers. Unfortunately, though, the acting is generic and uninspired. In the lead role as (Prospero), Efrem Zimbalist gestures and recites lines with the enthusiasm of an automaton. If only he would shake a fist, throw pixie dust, or do a card trick -- anything to animate his performance. The other actors are better, but their performances are somewhat stiff and straightforward. Only William Hootkins as Caliban seems to understand that actors must do more than sit, stand, stare, and lurk. The costumes of the marooned king and his crew seem appropriate, but why is Miranda (J.E. Taylor) wearing a pink evening gown on a forested island? And what of Ariel's getup -- tight-fitting short shorts and a shoulder covering resembling epaulets? Shakespeare may be one of the world's greatest playwrights -- and The Tempest one of his best plays -- but even he needs a little help from the producers and performers "or else," as Prospero says, "my project fails."