Tempest the Movie

I finally got a hold of that movie I mentioned before, and I found it very interesting. In the very beginning, "Prospera" (Helen Mirren) describes to Miranda how she used to be the wife of the duke. The duke died, and the dukedom was given to her. And her brother decided that the sorcery she'd been up to was good for slander so that he could get a hold of her position. She says something like, "He knew that others of my sex had died for much less," referring to witches burned at the stake. What I think is interesting is that I think Shakespeare died in 1616, which would have been a century before witch-hunts were in full swing.
The other thing I noticed was that Caliban was played by a black man, really making people grit their teeth when Prospera says, "What, ho, slave!" Caliban is obviously a primitive and weak creature, one who fears Prospera's power. It plays on the emotions a bit when in the end, Prospera gives him a disapproving look and he walks out of her cell. Man, just steppingo n feet, right and left! They've officially hit on race, and gender. There's not much more a modern interpretation of Shakespeare can take.
My favorite part was the music, because I remember thinking while I was reading the text, "I wonder what this song would sound like?"Ariel sings his tunes in a sort of eerie way, constantly changing keys. Fitting for the eerie and chilling feeling he is supposed to give to those who hear. Even the epilogue was sung by a woman (don't know if it was Helen Mirren or not) during the credits. That one reminded me of 'Across the Universe,' the tribute to the Beatles. The guitar in it was slightly Beatles-esque.