Presentation Caliban - Dir. Julie Taymor

Film (2010) - American
Directed by Julie Taymor
Premiered at the Venice Film Festival

Presentation of Caliban
21.25-26.08 - First introduction to Caliban, scence with Caliban, Prospero and Miranda.
I feel this reading and presentation of Caliban is very much a postcoloniost reading, many of Caliban attributes remind the watcher of what they imagine to be native tribes men from land which Britain was beginning to colonise.
He is presented as a large, black man with different patches over his body of what seems to be dried mud. He only wears a small piece of cloth around his waist as clothing, which associates him more with tribes from places like Africa and the rainforest, places which the western world were colonising at the time. The mud patches to only make him seem dirty and unclean, contrasting with the rest of the characters who are clean and fully clothes, it also accentuates his connection with the earth and the island- they almost seem as one. Like an animal he is camouflaged. His seems very big in comparison to Prospero at certain point which alludes to his strength, but since he is still a slave of Prospero it relates him back to being a powerful animal.

Caliban

Australian Aborigines 

You can see a very clear likeness between this photo of Caliban from the film and this image I found of google of Australian Aborigines, a tribe of people from that westerners did invade and try to colonise. There are similarities between clothing; both are wearing very little apart from a small wrap around the waist, skin colour; the aborigines even have white paint on them like Caliban but whilst for them this is decoration its made to seem that its part of Caliban's natural completion and poses.

The voice of Caliban is very gruff and unclear, alluding to how Miranda taught him how to speak english, it not his native tongue. He is also very aggressive in his speech with lots of threats and curse, this added with his large amount of erratic and large movements when speaking makes him seem quite formidable. Traymor accentuates this with her directions to the actors playing Prospero and Miranda, they also seem fearful of Caliban both taking defensive stances and being ready to fight. When he climbs over the rock initially he is silhouetted, he almost seems to rise from the rocks which accentuates his character coming from and being of the earth.
Traymor adds to the post colonist reading in the end of act 2, scene 2 which is at 56.46 on the film where Caliban in celebration seems to do a tribal dance.
The music used when he's climbs over the rocks and confronts the two characters adds to the tension and also to the post colonist reading. It seems to be very simplistic tribal drums and instruments played irregular.
Traymor makes you feel a small amount of sympathy for Caliban, when he speaks the lines 'when tho cam's first, thou stork's me and made much of me...' his voice is softer and almost sad and regretful. It contrasts with the harsh threats that Prospero served him the line before and the watcher could be seen to pity Caliban. Yet, Calibans character turns again aggressive after this, reverting to his loud, gruff, angry voice and the watcher finds out about how he tried 'violate the honour of my [Prospero] child'.
Caliban's never walks tall, he seems most comfortable crouching - moving on his haunches - and when he walks - as seen when carrying the logs, he moves with his whole body. This alludes to his animistic nature as these are very animalistic qualities and contrast greatly the other characters like Prospero's and the Lords movements.

His relationship with Prospero is not a good one, he is angry with this character for being ruled by her shown by his aggressive behaviour and actions towards her. Yet, he is also very fearful of Prospero's and her magic shown especially when she threatens him with cramps and his whole body convulses up and no longer takes the aggressive powerful stance of before.
This fear is again shown in the scene with Act 2, Scene 2 which in the film begins 41.21. Traymor presents us Calibans power by showing him not only carry heavy logs but bring them above his head and throw them down. When Caliban see's Stephano from a distance he believe it to be a spirit sent by Prospero to punish his, when the actor speaks the line we can clearly hear the fear in his voice which again shows how Caliban is scared of Prospero.

When Caliban is with Stephano and Trinculo, Traymor directs the actors and cameras to make it seem that Caliban is shorter than both Stephano and Trinclulo. Although we know from the earlier scene with Prospero that Caliban is large and powerful having him below these characters accentuates how the idea that Caliban knows only how to serve.