Although the BBC Television Shakespeare series is an uneven one, as has been said more than once, it is also a truly fascinating one and a must for anybody who wants to see all of Shakespeare's plays done as part of one whole big project. A big brave undertaking that should be applauded regardless of the execution, whether continually good, continually bad or inconsistent.
'Coriolanus' is no exception. It is not an easy play to perform or stage and dramatically is not as concise or as consistently gripping as other Shakespeare plays. One of Shakespeare's most compelling and more complex titular characters is one of the main interest points. While it is not a perfect production, flawlessness was not seen a lot in this series even in the best productions, for me 'The Tragedy of Coriolanus' is among the higher middle ones of the series and is as above satisfactory a performance of 'Coriolanus' as one can get. It is not completely bloodthirsty and it could have seared more but it is a long way from bloodless or bland.
It's with some of the production values where 'The Tragedy of Coriolanus' could have been better. The abrupt transitions in the editing being especially the case, but some of the lighting is on the overripe, obvious side at times as well and this is one of the productions in the series where a more austere touch actually would have been a benefit and blended more. Most of the time actually though, it is one of the more interestingly lit productions and does look very striking.
Not all the more action-oriented scenes completely work either, veering on the clumsy side of things but smoother editing would have helped things much better, also along with the crowd scenes pretty under-populated.
However, the sets are beautifully designed, on the most part apart from the editing and at times the lighting 'The Tragedy of Coriolanus' struck me as one of the better looking productions of the BBC Television Shakespeare series. The staging is coherent and more often than not has enough dramatic intensity and emotional impact to make the drama interesting and investable.
Thought personally that Alan Howard very much excelled as Coriolanus, it is a very committed and often fiercely powerful portrayal. The other acting standout is Irene Worth, sincere and poignant Volumnia. The character interaction is done very well as is the rest of the acting.
Overall, very well done. 8/10
