Film Prospero’s Books (1991) directed by Peter Greenaway
Michael Clark plays Caliban in this film version of The Tempest. Caliban in this film is a highly interesting figure, full of the sharp contrasts that Shakespeare’s Caliban conveys. Physically, Clark’s Caliban is nude with a mixmatch of reddish shades on his skin. His body is almost always contorted, and we are introduced to him as he presumably defecates on, urinates on and otherwise defiles Prospero’s books. He is a rather grotesque figure.
Yet, just as no other character speaks such beautiful poetry as Shakespeare’s Caliban does, no other character dances like Clark’s Caliban. His movements are beautiful and intricate, a sort of combination of ballet and contemporary dance. He is both alarming and captivating to watch, someone who turns you away yet compels you to keep looking.
There is something about his dancing body that only he has access to, which no one else can likely fully understand. To me, Clark’s Caliban physically illustrates the sharp contrast between the monstrous and the poetic is audibly heard from Shakespeare’s Caliban. I wonder, how can someone considered so “savage” express himself and his body so beautifully and articulately? Like Shakespeare’s Caliban, this Caliban’s form of “poetry” makes me question who he really is versus who he is perceived to be.
Poetry of Caliban 