Merchant of Venice, CA Screenplay

by Richard Martini

Overview

A screenplay based on the play "The Merchant of Venice" by William Shakespeare. Some years ago, the late great actor Ron Silver had agreed to play this character; a film producer named Shylock. I pitched the film to Tom Bernard at Sony Classic pictures and pointed out the "No one has made a screen adaptation of Shakespeare's play!" He didn't know that. A few months later, they announced the film adaptation of this play, directed by Michael Radford, starring Al Pacino. So much for inspiring great ideas. I've toyed with the idea of making this Dogme style, and may one day do so - but it's a fun idea for a play about a difficult subject - prejudice. 400 years after the play was first produced, it still hits home when it comes to people's preconceived ideas about heritage, religion and the lengths we go to protect our sense of our selves. The genesis was when I was at a film festival in Shanghai - some French producers were furious about a film poster that looked to be glorifying modern day Nazis - I interceded to help the filmmaker explain to these filmmakers that his poster was against the people on the poster, and against the idea of prejudice. It made me realize how the issue is always lurking just under the surface. Here's my humble version of William Shakespeare's play, set in modern day Venice, California, involving some filmmakers who are trying to raise money for their film, and go to a film producer for the funds.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940045248853
Publisher:	Richard Martini
Publication date:	08/22/2013
Sold by:	Smashwords
Format:	eBook
File size:	167 KB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Richard Martini (born March 12, 1955) is an award-winning American film director, producer, screenwriter and free lance journalist. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Boston University with a degree in Humanities, attended USC Film School and is a 2008 graduate of the Master of Professional Writing Program at USC. Martini grew up in Northbrook, Illinois. His first documentary film "Special Olympians"[1] won the 1980 Mexico City International Film Festival. He then made his feature film directorial debut with the “quintessential 80’s comedy” (TNT) "You Can't Hurry Love,"[2] which featured the debut of Bridget Fonda. Martini was a Humanities Major at Boston University, attended USC Film School. His student short film "Lost Angels"[3] was the film debut of fellow Chicago native Daryl Hannah. Martini left USC to work for writer/director Robert Towne ("Chinatown," "Ask The Dust")[4] where he did everything from typing up Towne’s notes to walking Towne's Oscar nominated dog Hira. (Hira has the distinction of being the only dog ever nominated in the writing category; when Towne's script for "Greystoke" was nominated, he used the pseudonym P.H. Vazak, his dog's official name).[5] It was after that Martini wrote his first feature “My Champion”[6] which starred Christopher (son of Robert) Mitchum and Yoko Shimada (Shogun). He then wrote the Charlie Sheen comedy “Three For the Road” for Vista Films.[7] Martini directed a comedy short “Video Valentino”[8] shot by fellow USC alum John Schwartzman (DP of “Seabiscuit”) and produced by Jonathan D. Krane. The short led to a deal with Vestron Pictures, where he made "You Can’t Hurry Love" starring Bridget Fonda, Charles Grodin and Kristy McNichol based on the short.[9] Martini then co-wrote and directed two films for Producer Jonathan D. Krane ("Look Who's Talking", "Face/Off"): Chicago-set Faustian comedy Limit Up,"[10] starring Nancy Allen and blues icon Ray Charles, and "Point of Betrayal,"[11] starring Dina Merrill, Rod Taylor and Rebecca Broussard. Martini then co-wrote and directed "Cannes Man" (also released as "Con Man" at Netflix)[12] starring Francesco Quinn and Seymour Cassel, with appearances by Johnny Depp and the "cast of characters who inhabit the film festival each year." Martini wrote and directed the Dogme 95 film "Camera – Dogme #15,"[13] shot on digital video; it follows the life of a video camera around the world.[14] He's also directed documentaries; "Tibetan Refugee"[15] explores the Tibetan community in Dharamsala, "White City/Windy City"[16] explores the relationship between Chicago and Casablanca in the Eisenhower "Sister Cities" program, and "Journey Into Tibet",[17] follows Buddhist scholar and author Robert Thurman[18] on a sacred journey around Mt. Kailash in Western Tibet. He co-wrote and produced “My Bollywood Bride”[19] starring Jason Lewis and Kashmera Shah (released as "My Faraway Bride.") Among Martini’s television credits include producing segments and appearing on the award-winning “Charles Grodin Show” on CNBC and writing an upcoming miniseries for HBO about the notorious House of Medici. He's also written freelance articles for Variety, Premiere, Inc.com, edited and wrote Epicurean Rendezvous' "Best 100 Restaurants in Los Angeles" and appeared in USA Today as a commentator about "American Idol."[20] He also contributed a chapter to Charles Grodin's book "If I Only Knew Then... Learning from our mistakes." (Springboard Press.) He worked on the films "Amelia" and "Salt" as a digital media curator, pioneering a method of previsualizing a film online, film director Phillip Noyce hired him to work on both films. As an actor, he's made numerous appearances in bit parts in various films, including "Salt" as the driver who drives Angelina Jolie out of North Korea. Based on his documentary about life between lives regression and Michael Newton's work, he's published his first book on Kindle, "Flipside: A Tourist's Guide on How To Navigate the Afterlife."[21] He's taught film directing at Loyola Marymount University, the Maine Media Workshops and the John Felice Rome Center. He's married and has two children, lives in Santa Monica, California.