Macbeth / McKellen, Dench (Thames Shakespeare Collection)
by Philip Casson
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Actor: Ian McKellen, John Bown, Judi Dench, Judith Harte, Susan DuryDirector: Philip Casson
Brand: A&E
Producer: Trevor Nunn
Writer: Trevor Nunn
Producer: Verity Lambert
Writer: William Shakespeare
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; English (Published), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; Spanish (Published)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 146 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-11-16
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: A&E Home Video
DVD Reviews of Macbeth / McKellen, Dench (Thames Shakespeare Collection)
DVD Review: The definitive "Macbeth."
Summary: 5 Stars
I saw this production onstage in London in the warehouse where it was produced by Trevor Nunn in the 1970's. Nunn had been trying for years to get "Macbeth" right, but kept missing the mark till this one. It is shattering. Once you've experienced Judi Dench as Lady Macbeth, none other will ever do. This petite woman's enormous power is all-encompassing, and Ian McKellan is equally fine in the title role. All the supporting players are stunning as this was a true ensemble production, and many have gone on to have major film careers. If you want a Macbeth, this is THE one to get. DVD Review: Horrible. Most Disappointing.
Summary: 1 Stars
I have never seen a worse movie in my life. If I could give it a negative rating, I would. I realize this movie was a stripped down version of the play, but this is one play that should never have been stripped down. I was constantly jarred by the lack of background, the darkness and poor lighting, and the use of 20th Century attire. It made the play ludicrous. Skip this version of the play, and for a truly enjoyable Shakespearean experience, watch Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in "The Taming of the Shrew."DVD Review: Beautiful genuine Shakespeare production
Summary: 5 Stars
I am glad that the old production of Macbeth by McKellen, Drench is now available also on DvD. It is a genuine Shakespeare interpretation with all the tragedy, poetry and humor as only Shakespeare could put it into a drama. DVD Review: Full of Scorpions is My Mind
Summary: 5 Stars
The set is sparse, dark, and perpetually fog-filled. A Caravaggio-inspired lighting scheme picks out the actors' faces from the deep shadow around them. Shakespeare's words, in this context, take on a visionary vividness. This is essentially a filmed version of the legendary stage production put on by the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1976. Despite the absence of many requisite "cinematic" elements, it is also by far the most satisfying adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth (not including Kurosawa's 'Throne of Blood') that I've seen. With actors the caliber of Ian McKellen and Judi Dench, lavish sets and props would be an afterthought, even a distraction. Instead, they control the screen with their fierce, combustible passion.
Through his actors, Nunn preys on the audience's imagination. Instead of spoon-feeding us a steady, predictable diet of horror show gore and carnage, Nunn emphasizes the imagistic poetry of Shakespeare's language. The language, channeled through such superior interpreters as McKellen and Dench, takes on an expressionistic life of its own. "Full of scorpions is my mind," Macbeth confesses to his wife. The horror is internal, not external, and Shakespeare's words have a terrifying immediacy that only the imagination can do justice. The barren set is a mindscape, a blank canvas on which the audience paints its own fears.
It's ironic that of all 'Macbeth' versions this is the least explicit, least violent, but is the most difficult to watch. I felt drained by the end. McKellen and Dench give such powerhouse performances the effect is of watching the complete mental disintegration of two people happen before your eyes. Impenetrable shadows surround the characters, literally and figuratively. Nunn strips the play of all extraneous trappings and what is left are the words. When the author is Shakespeare, that's not a bad way to go about it.
DVD Review: Missing CC
Summary: 1 Stars
Since my hearing is pretty bad - even with hearing aids - I depend on sub-titles and/or close captioning. This DVD was described as having CC but it didn't so I could not understand the dialog.
Description of Macbeth / McKellen, Dench (Thames Shakespeare Collection)
Murder, prophecy, and witches! MACBETH returns, starring Academy Award?-nominee Ian McKellen (The Lord of the Rings trilogy) and Academy Award?-winner Judi Dench (Shakespeare in Love), on DVD for the first time anywhere. First broadcast on Britain's ThameTwo of England's greatest actors, Sir Ian McKellen and Dame Judi Dench, electrify in this lean, stripped-down production of Shakespeare's darkest tragedy. In the wake of a battle, the Scottish warrior Macbeth (McKellen, Gods and Monsters, Lord of the Rings) receives a prophecy from a trio of witches: He shall be king. When fate doesn't unfold quickly enough, Macbeth and his even more ambitious wife (Dench, Shakespeare in Love, Iris) decide to give it a push. McKellen sweats anxiously and oozes a creeping lust for power, while Dench is hypnotically vicious from her first moment. For audiences used to their film careers, this grand pair will seem young as pups (this TV movie is from 1979, adapted from an acclaimed Royal Shakespeare Company production)--but that only gives them an added edge of sex and vigor. Extras include the older McKellen thoughtfully commenting on the play and this classic production. --Bret Fetzer
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