The Merchant of Venice (2004)

The Merchant of Venice is a 2004 romantic drama film directed by Michael Radford, based on William Shakespeare's play. It is the first full-length sound film in English of the play—other versions are videotaped productions that were made for television, including John Sichel's 1973 version and Jack Gold's 1980 BBC production.

The title character is the merchant Antonio (Jeremy Irons), not the Jewish moneylender Shylock (Al Pacino), who is traditionally viewed as the antagonist and more prominent character. This adaptation follows the text but omits much. Director Michael Radford believed that Shylock was Shakespeare's first great tragic hero, who reaches a catastrophe due to his own flaws. The film begins with text and a montage of how the Jewish community is abused by the Christian population of Venice and brings attention to the fact that, as a convert, Shylock would have been cast out of the Jewish ghetto in Venice.

A co-production by the United Kingdom, Italy and Luxembourg, The Merchant of Venice was screened non-competitively at the 61st edition of the Venice Film Festival on 4 September 2004, in what was touted as its world premiere (the film was actually screened on 3 September 2004 at the Telluride Film Festival).