The filmmakers have to make many decisions when coming up with the concept for the film; for example, the period in which they want it to be set, the location, the actors who will play the different roles and so on. This is before they can begin to think about staging, framing and capturing the action.
Once you have seen the film, use the following questions as starting points for discussion. If you have not yet seen it you can use the clips and images on this site to help you:
- The film depicts both civil unrest – protests by the people – and armed combat. Think back to any recent TV, online or print coverage you have seen of riots and disturbances in the UK or elsewhere in the world. How does this compare to the civil unrest shown in the film Coriolanus? And how is the modern media incorporated into the film?
- The play shows divisions of class in the contrast and tensions between the ordinary people and their rulers; the film keeps this aspect, and updates the action to the modern day. How relevant to today do you find these aspects of the plot? How does it compare to your views of the relationship between, for example, the people and the government in this country?
- How is combat portrayed in the film? What, if anything, does this portrayal remind you of?
