Macbeth

Rating:
Summary: Shakespeare as Cinema!
Review: Purists beware, Roman Polanski and Kenneth Tynan have cut, rearranged, and shaped Shakespeare's material to make a MOVIE! And what a grand film they created. Flowingly cinematic, with stunning location filming and superb cinematography the many cuts allow for a smooth narration without sacrificing the gut and heart of the play.

There was much controversy when this film debuted, probably due to it being financed and produced by Hugh Hefner and Playboy, and probably because it was unblinkingly bloody upfront (although the blood is in the play, much of it is naturally offstage), and because of nudity in several key scenes (including the witches....all those old nude crones, while factually correct, no doubt upset many). Today, these seem like perfectly reasonable choices. The film is relentless and remorseless, as befits the story. I don't know what part of Polanski's personal tragedy had any part in his work here, but the direction is excellent. Finch and Anis are fine as the murderous Laird and his Lady, as is the rest of the cast.

If you want the play, see the play. If you want a stimulating and fully realized CINEMATIC treatment of Shakespeare's great themes of greed, ambition, murder, guilt and destiny, see this finely produced, directed, and acted work. Well worthwhile.

Rating:
Summary: Atmosphere is the Strong Point of this Version
Review: Roman Polanski's MacBeth is a particularly bloody rendition of the play - the battle and murder scenes are a bit of a shock if you're used to, say, Orson Welles' version, or the old BBC one with Nicol Williamson. John Finch plays a fine, strapping MacBeth - his performance is as good as his Henry IV done for the BBC a few years back. He and Lady MacBeth are young and beautiful, one of the first times they were portrayed this way, to make a contrast with their bloody deeds. The fine, weird score and the often rainy, muddy scenes add much to this production, which might not be for everyone but is certainly decent enough to watch in order to have another version on hand with which to savour the poetry. Polanski made this film soon after his wife, Sharon Tate, was killed by the Manson gang; it is thought (how could it be thought otherwise?) that he put his upset into the "look" of this film.

Rating:
Summary: MEDIEVAL MAYHEM
Review: With no fanfare, Roman Polanski's "MACBETH" -- his first film after the murder of his wife Sharon Tate and her friends by the Manson gang -- has quietly appeared on retail shelves.

Shakespeare's notoriously bloody "Scottish play" is perfectly captured by the equally notorious director in what has widely been viewed as a venting of his personal rage.

Many have also noted in this bravura piece of moviemaking that incoporates Shakespeare's blatant themes of witchcraft, rampant paranoia, spousal manipulation and finally evil triumphant a continuation of Polanski's "Rosemary's Baby." A metaphorical sequel of sorts.

The bleak exteriors shot almost exclusively in the "golden hours" of dawn and twilight add immeasurably to the overall feel of authenticity. The great locations and sets, with their terrific attention to detail, give a sense of immediacy to the homicidal happenings. Blades slash and blood spurts as the dirty deeds of misbegotten power usurped are played out.

Polanski has an intuitive gift for staging, and he is at his best in giving a literal interpretation to Shakespeare's many will-known metaphors. The "Is this a dagger I see before me?" scene is a standout as is the visit of Macbeth to the witches den where he sees his future. This is perhaps the director's most visually spellbinding work.

Jon Finch is effective as a morose Macbeth with great, emotive diction. In contrast, Francesca Annis is a pale, pathetic nymphet of a wife. It is tempting to interpret elements of the director's own life in portrayal of the power of young women over much stronger, driven men. But it's where their sick pathologies meet that most interests Shakespeare -- and no doubt Polanski.
This is a great film and would have been an even greater DVD if the powers that be had arranged for a director's commentary.

Hugh Hefner was the producer -- even a commentary by him would have been most interesting given his closeness to Polanski.

Rating:
Summary: Murther!
Review: Pauline Kael, bless her heart, considered this film a failure: she thought Roman Polanski's trauma over wife Sharon Tate's murder was behind the film's tone (hopeless) and approach (explicit), to the extent that it got in the way of his artistic judgment. It's true that Polanski shows us the violence, whereas Shakespeare kept it offstage; but there is nothing sensational or cavalier in the film's carnage. Besides which, it's not just the violence that is raw. Polanski conjures up Scotland of the Dark Ages in every bleak detail: in the dank castle corridors, in the harsh landscapes. There is no splendor here. It may be the most lived-in adapation of Shakespeare ever filmed. It is Polanski's dogged verisimilitude that puts this movie over the top.

Orson Welles directed an austere but compelling 'Macbeth,' and Akira Kurosawa based his great 'Throne of Blood' on it (culminating in one of the most spectacular finales in film -- Toshiro Mifune as human pin-cushion). But Polanski's adaption is the one that will haunt your dreams. Not for the faint of heart, or even "brave" hearts...

(P.S. I cannot write about this movie without acknowledging that severed arm the witches bury in the sand. As one of the most unforgettable body parts in cinema, it's right up there with the severed ear in 'Blue Velvet' and the ant-infested hand in Bunuel's 'Un chien andalou.')

Rating:
Summary: Shakespeare Meets Hammer Horror Films
Review: Well, not really; this is a Playboy, not a Hammer Films production--but that's probably the best way to describe this little Roman Polanski gem. The film has the look, sound, and feel of a late 1960s/early 1970s Hammer Horror movie. And in many ways, it's not too much of a stretch to call "Macbeth" a "horror" story in the first place--but this version really accentuates all of those "horror" elements in the play (witches, the supernatural, etc.) in order to give it a particularly creepy atmosphere. The entire cast, a bunch of shaggy hippies, looks like the early line-up of Black Sabbath or Jethro Tull.

Although I have read all of the tragedies and the more notable history plays, I'm not a Shakespeare expert, and maybe a scholarly/thespian type who has seen many different productions of the play will not have much of anything good to say about Polanksi's interpretation. Professional theater people and literature professors who specialize in drama usually don't have anything good to say about "pop" versions of classic plays (mention the Mel Gibson "Hamlet" around these types and watch the knowing smirks and expressions of distaste). But there are a lot of people who got turned onto Shakespeare via this film--and isn't that a good thing? I remember when I read "Macbeth" for my high school English class--in October of 1987--I was deeply impressed with the play's genuine creepiness. I wanted to see it on the stage or on the screen. The taped version our teacher brought for us to watch, however, was flat, uninspired, and amateurish. When I stumbled on a copy of this version in a video store, I rented it and was overjoyed to find that someone else envisioned the play the same way that I had. Of course, it is easy to see why we didn't watch this one in school--it is violent, gory, and shows some skin (remember, Hugh Hefner produced this baby).

There are all sorts of striking images in this film, from the opening scene with the witches emerging from the fog and chanting on the heath: "Fair is foul and foul is fair..." to the gruesome battle (where we see a foot soldier bludgeon his opponent to death with a spiked mace), to the blasted heath, where the witches live, with the great craggy tree that overlooks their cave. The action is set against a gloomy Scottish landscape, usually under an overcast sky or in deep twilight. The movie's greatest strength is its sustainment of this "twilight" atmosphere. The bizarre soundtrack by the psychedelic/progressive rock outfit the Third Ear Band helps out with the mood in a big way, too--discordant bagpipes and screeching violins create mounting tension and anxiety.

Even though this film is 30 years old, the violence in it has a disturbingly realistic quality to it. When Banquo is hit in the back with an axe, right through the spine, for example, there's nothing fake-looking about it. The stabbing of Duncan is also brutal and bloody, and makes you wonder if the Sharon Tate-Charles Manson episode (Polanski was married to Tate) had any influence on this scene.

And of course there is the most important thing, the dialogue. 95% of it remains intact, and the cutting is minimal. When the characters utter their lines it sounds completely natural. Duncan riding on his horse, looking up at Macbeth's castle, and saying "the air nimbly and sweetly recommends itself" sounds conversational rather than stagey and pompous. And (something you can do on film and not on stage) Macbeth's soliliquies ("Tomorrow, and tommorrow...") are done as internal monologues, or voice-overs, not as spoken out loud--which makes them seem more realistic.

This is a widescreen DVD edition, and looks a lot sharper than the old video copy that you can rent ... This one is worth owning because you will want to see it several times.

Rating:
Summary: Shakespeare a-la Polanski
Review: I have been waiting for this DVD release for a while. This is one of the best Shakespeare adaptations I have seen to date, even though it certainly is not suitable for all audiences. The gloomy, down-to-earth, in-the-mud brutal reality of Medieval Scotland permeates the entire movie. Yet despite that, or perhaps owing to this very fact, the movie perfectly captures Macbeth and his wife's descent into madness and death. After watching the movie you might feel like you need to take a shower, yet you will feel you have witnessed a powerful presentation. It will also give you a bit of an insight into Polanski's personal tragedy, from which I think he never really recovered (look at his subsequent movies).
Coming back to Shakespeare, though Macbeth is a dark tragedy, the Bard did add one 'comic relief' gatekeeper scene into the play, to cheer up the audience amid all this brutality and madness - pay attention to Polanski's version of this scene.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant film by a master working on all gears
Review: Those who like operatically theatrical adaptations of the Bard (Titus, Branagh's Hamlet) might be put off by the harsh reality of this version of the play. This film is drenched in documentary-level realism. Everything aspect of the movie, from the acting to the set design, is perfection itself. Many people have complained about the bad framing and choppy editing in certain scenes. This is due to the fact that the film was shot in 2:35:1 widescreen aspect ratio and when transferred to TV format had to be pan and scanned and edited to show both sides of the same shot. This resulted in an ugly editing rhythm which the director did not intend. I had the luck of seeing the film on Bravo in original widescreen format and I can attest to the impeccable composition of the shots and peerless editing. This is one of Polanski's finest hours.

The film concludes with what is arguably the most unbelievable sequence of sword and hand-to-hand combat ever filmed. For nearly 15 minutes Macbeth battles Macduff and his soldiers in scenes so bloody and ferocious they make some of today's "bloodbath" films look anemic by comparison. William Hobbs (Pirates, Rob Roy) staged the sword fighting and it looks so real and so brutal it has to be seen to be believed. Macbeth's death is just stunning.

Don't miss this classic in it's original format. A masterpiece.

Rating:
Summary: Must see for DVD!
Review: If you already have this version of MacBeth on video, post it on [line]. Polanski's film must be seen in the original theatrical format that a DVD offers. I remember seeing this film at the theatre as a child and being awed by it. Later, in college, I convinced some friends to rent it. Frankly, I wasn't impressed......even bored! "So", I thought, "I guess these folks think I just wanted to expose them to out-of-focus gore and nude witches all night!" However, some years later, I saw the film again on cable presented in letterbox form. INCREDIBLE!! I was forever a converted widescreen perfectionist after seeing it this way. The dramatic cinematography feeds on Shakespeare's words and compels the viewer to absorb the entire experience. The fullscreen version of this masterpiece, with its constant unfocused panning, is a crime. Colorizing CASABLANCA would be insignificant by comparision to this atrocity. The letterbox presentation provides a crisp, beautifully focused and awesome experience. Plus, you'll see a lot more naked witches this way!

Rating:
Summary: Martin Brody likes it dark and violent
Review: Please ignore the poorly thought out review on this page. Anyone with either a passing interest in Shakespeare or an appreciation of film should seek this out now. Polanski, avoiding the trap so many other filmmakers fall into, makes a film based on Macbeth, not merely recording a performance of the play. He has crafted a breathlessly paced film, making very reasonable cuts in the text in order to bring the film in under 2½ hours. I have seen much longer versions that had no grasp of the play at all.

Polanski also wisely chose not to use well-known stars for the major roles; instead utilizing some of the best (and youngest) British stage actors of the time. Jon Finch and Francesca Annis perfectly capture the most emotionally wrenched marriage ever, without the moustache twirling that finds its way into Shakespeare film adaptations too often. This film is dark, muddy, and violent; it is not intended for children. I have to assume that the people who complain about the violence in the film have never actually read the play. And I hope, for the sake of their own sanity, they steer clear of Titus Andronicus, Richard III, Julius Caesar, Othello, and if beheadings put a bee in your bonnet, beware Cymbeline!

... This is a raw, passionate telling of one of the great fictional works in the English language, by one of the great filmmakers of our time. But wait for the wide-screen DVD.

Rating:
Summary: ok
Review: I saw this movie in my english class after reading the book as a class.
One thing is this movie is definatly dated and that makes it less enjoyable because its very 70's.
This movie has constant scenes of very graphic violence and the beheading secene is very nasty. When i saw this in my class the teacher let us watch it uncut(uncut meaning she didnt cover any of it up), but she should have!
This really isnt sutible of school children, as it has heavy doses of nudity and violence
but to be honest, i wouldnt be interested in this movie unless it had any of the violence and nudity. but for shakspeare fans this is one of the best shakspear films ive seen