Thomas Middleton and William Rowley's tragedy has been called "the most convincing picture of uninhibited sexual desire in Elizabethan drama". In this version, edited by Michael Hastings, much of the original sub-plot has been cut to concentrate on a dark story of lust and revenge between two ambiguous, guilt-ridden individuals. Bob Hoskins stars as De Flores, the "ominous ill-fac'd fellow" led by his desire for the imperious virgin Beatrice Joanna (Elizabeth McGovern) into murder and adultery. "It's a play I've always been fascinated by," says Performance producer Simon Curtis. "I saw Helen Mirren in a BBC production of it in the 70s, and that was a seminal experience for me. The Changeling is far more psychologically accurate than most plays of its period, and it has this taut, claustrophobic atmosphere that lends itself well to the screen."