Macbeth

Rating:
Summary: Great Adaptation
Review: Polanski's adaptation of Shakespere's great play is a masterpiece in film. Polanski follows the basic theme and plot of the film but emphasizes more on the murderous madness of MacBeth and his devious wife.

Polanski focuses a substantial amount of time on the gruesome murder of King Duncan. The scene succeeds in showing how MacBeth's mind is overtaken by madness and how pointless his crime really is. The scene with the witches also adds an element of the occult: emphasizing how credulence and superstition lead to foul thoughts and deeds. Taking into account that the film was done shortly after the Manson killings, one can see some parrallels with Polanski's adaptation.

I find this film to be one of the finest (but not most faithful) adaptations to one of the bard's most somber plays.


Rating:
Summary: was that someone coughing?
Review: I watched this movie a couple of weeks ago in my English class and was really looking forward to it, after having enjoyed reading the play. I was really disapointed. The music was pretty bad and at the very begining you hear someone coughing in the background. The youngest of the witches is now known in our class as "The Bunny". The acting done by Francesca Annis as Lady MacBeth was absolutly horrible and at times annoying. She was suppost to be the dominating and controling factor over her husband, but instead she was sweet and sappy. At points where she was supost to be angry she was sucking up to her husband and crying! Then their was the witches in the cave or "the grotto, where the Bunnies got their start," as we now call it, was just plain out stupid. I mean honestly, was it really neccesary for about a dozen old women to be dancing around completley nude?!? Also did we really have to see Francesca's behind during the sleep walking scene. And one other thing, than I'm done,I promise, if your egar to see MacBeth die in the end, make sure your fast forward button is working on your VCR. MacBeth and MacDuff have a sword fight for about 10 minutes, in which at one point, MacBeth's crown falls off and he stops fighting to go pick it up and put it back on his head. Finally he is stabbed, you think that's it,all thats left is to cut off his head, well that does happen, only after MacBeth is shocked that he is stabbed then starts climbing the steps, for about another 2 minutes. But finally he meets his inevitable doom. Finally!