Prospero's Books

Director Peter Greenaway's adaptation of Shakespeare's The Tempest is famous for it's intense production values, striking tableaux and interesting sound design. Prospero, once the Duke of Milan, now reigns over a faraway island, living there with his only daughter, Miranda. Twelve years earlier Prospero's brother, in league with the King of Naples, had exiled Prospero and his daugther from their home. One evening, Prospero imagines creating a storm powerful enough to bring his old enemies to his island. He being to write a play about his Tempest, speaking aloud the lines of each of the characters. (official distributor synopsis)