Macbeth
by Roman Polanski
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DVD details
Actor: Francesca Annis, John Stride, Jon Finch, Martin Shaw, Terence BaylerDirector: Roman Polanski
Brand: FINCH,JON
Writer: Roman Polanski
Producer: Andrew Braunsberg
Producer: Hugh M. Hefner
Producer: Timothy Burrill
Producer: Victor Lownes
Writer: Kenneth Tynan
Writer: William Shakespeare
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0; English (Subtitled)
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 140 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-05-07
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Sony Pictures
DVD Reviews of Macbeth
DVD Review: Underrated and Overlooked
Summary: 4 Stars
I'm no Shakespeare junkie; let me get that out of the way right quick. I've only read a few Shakespeare plays and I've seen only a few Shakespeare film adaptations, none recent enough to tell you what I thought. Having recently read Macbeth and seeing that Roman Polanski (whose name has been a lot more prominent lately) made a film version, I was intrigued and that's why I'm here now. Having never seen another screen adaptation of this famous play, I have no standard to hold Polanski's Macbeth to. However, I can tell you that Polanski's controversial adaptation is an unsettling, challenging film that has been hated by as many as those who have loved it.
A synopsis of the story from me is not necessary; while Polanski does not follow the play verbatim, he maintains the spirit of Shakespeare's play enough that the story is still the same. The script was written by Polanski and Kenneth Tynan, with Hugh Hefner as the executive producer, but rest assured...This is not another Caligula. Polanski uses virtually anonymous actors to tell this timeless tale and what a wise choice it was; it allows us to see the character's onscreen rather than the actors that portray them. Despite their anonymity, all of the actors are credible and believable.
I was shocked watching this film that it hasn't received more acclaim. The three witches are rendered perfectly in the physical sense and are creepy without being campy. Moving on, while Polanski and cinematographer Gil Taylor give Macbeth a monotonous look, adding to the somber tone of the story, there are moments however where the imagery here is picturesque. Not a single review I've read mentions Jon Finch as Macbeth and I was greatly impressed by him. The actor really does take Macbeth through a complete transformation over the course of the film. Polanski's Macbeth is not a perfect film and there are aspects I feel Polanski could have handled a little better, particularly the scene of Macbeth with the dagger which felt somewhat campy to me.
This is not the film version of Macbeth you're likely to stumble on in a high school classroom. Lady Macbeth sleepwalks in the nude (which I think may have something to do with the name on that producing credit) and many have commented on the violence in Polanski's Macbeth. I don't think that Polanski has made Macbeth violent as, written by Shakespeare, Macbeth is a violent story and Polanski has simply refrained from sanitizing the violence in Shakespeare's work. Yes, the murder of Duncan was not shown in Shakespeare's play while it is shown in the film. One gets the feeling that Polanski was still reeling from the violent death of his wife Sharon Tate at this point and I think that many of the more violent scenes were a way of showing the animalistic nature of humanity. There is a scene where Macbeth has a vision in the witches' lair and I think there are few who are familiar with Tate who will not be inclined to bring her to mind. I got the sense that Polanski was not in the happiest of moods while shooting this film.
Macbeth is an underrated, overlooked, very well-made adaptation of Shakespeare's work. It's a challenging, dark, pessimistic film with a haunting ending (one that differs from Shakespeare's). It's not the most accessible film whether you're a Shakespeare junkie or a Shakespeare virgin, but it is a terrific film worth of praise and attention.
GRADE: B+
DVD Review: Sound and Worry
Summary: 3 Stars
The most commendable aspect of this adaptation is the filming. It should be seen for the opening act alone. The witches' spell on the shore, Macbeth's castle on the hill, the bleak shots of the landscape - all truly remarkable!!
The acting is another story. Its not bad - but its not particularly effective either. The actors do not attempt to engage their audience. In fact, they ignore their audience altogether.
All of Macbeth's solo speaking parts are portrayed as thoughts. Therefore, Finch doesn't have to actually act (or even memorize) much of his role. He simply has to "look" thoughtful while a prerecorded track narrates the lines for him. Not only does this approach come across as cheap, but it also removes that vital bridge that needs to be built between the hero and his audience! These are times where the character is, more or less, speaking to the audience, to draw them in. That bond never happens here. I don't believe Polanski really grasps how Shakespeare is supposed to work.
Otherwise, the costuming is fine - most of it is 14th to 15th century period, rather than 11th, but Shakespeare, himself, was as guilty with anachronisms.
DVD Review: Best Witches Ever
Summary: 5 Stars
What can I say....this is a great Macbeth. It's all good.
My favorite thing is Polanski's concept of the witches. They do much witchcraft but no magic. They act like Medieval witches we are told acted. They bury a severed hand with a dagger in it....and a battle takes place there. They hand Macbeth a beaker full of goop with psilocybin mushrooms floating on top and he hallucinates the 8 Kings. They chant and spit and hop and laugh at naked sabbats....it's great!
Speaking of nudity....
This seems to be a problem (along with the graphic murders) for those one and two star reviewers. None of this is gratuitous however. The blood is there, prompted by the script itself ( Who's have thought..... And it can never be washed away) and by the very environment and culture. The nudity is easily explained. Lady Macbeth sleeps nude and so when she sleepwalks....she's nude. Now in "reality" a queen might actually sleep in a bliaut or some kind of chemise, but her nudity is also symbolic. She is after all exposing herself and, for the 1st time in the play, being openly honest. I think it's perfectly justified. The witches are all naked because that's what supposedly happened at sabbats, as they raise a demon or the devil himself to have intercourse with (Like Rosemary's baby, y'know)
It's funny, I remember when the film came out the main complaint was Macbeth's and Lady Macbeth's age. "They're supposed to be middle aged!" my professors lamented. It says nothing about that in Shakespeare that I can find. And this image of youth tempted and run amok is the lesson from the Manson family Polanski wanted to get out there.
DVD Review: Amazing Film
Summary: 5 Stars
Especially for its time. I saw this movie in 1968, when it was rated "X" on the old ratings system. It is SO well done it's almost legendary--unless you're too young to appreciate what it might have meant to an audience in 1968.
The "poorer" reviews here seem to be coming from a younger crowd of reviewers. Perhaps they are disappointed that Polanski chose to put his own mark on "The Scottish Play" and it isn't "by the book." Perhaps they are simply young and lack the real-life experiences that make the play such a classic. Or maybe youth has become inured to the true horror of interpersonal violence because of its current prevalence both in film and daily life.
Whatever the reason, I say, "Watch it again when you're 60 or so." Your opinion might change.
DVD Review: Finch is amazing!
Summary: 4 Stars
This is Jon Finch's greatest film role, and he may well be the best actor ever to prance around soliloquizing MacBeth that ever was.
Description of Macbeth
Film version of the Shakespeare tragedy about the ambitious king and his eventual downfall.Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: R
Release Date: 7-MAY-2002
Media Type: DVD
Roman Polanski's adaptation of the Shakespearean tragedy remains one of the most infamous for a number of reasons: the copious amounts of bloody gore, its expert use of location settings (filmed in North Wales), and Lady Macbeth's nude sleepwalking scene. Despite its notoriety, though, this does remain one of the more compelling film adaptations of the Scottish tragedy, if one of the more pessimistic takes on the story of Macbeth and his overreaching ambition. If you think the play is normally a bit of a downer, you haven't seen Polanski's bleak version of it, made in reaction to the murder of his wife, Sharon Tate, by the Manson "family." Jon Finch (Hitchcock's Frenzy) is an forceful Macbeth, bringing out the Scot's warrior instincts, and Francesca Annis is a memorable Lady Macbeth, but the main thrust of the film belongs to Polanski's and noted British playwright and critic Kenneth Tynan's take on the play: extremely violent, nihilistic, and visceral; this is down-in-the-dirt, no-holds-barred Shakespeare, not fussy costume drama. Pay close attention to the end, a silent coda that puts a chilling twist on all the action that has come beforehand and foreshadows more tragedy to come. --Mark Englehart
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