Macbeth (1979)

An absolute waste of money

It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Macbeth... a member of the one percent who got it all though his actions as a violent, unrelenting and unapologetic warrior.... an accomplished killer. However, once he murdered the king and assumed the throne, he discovered that he did not know how to govern. His inability to shoulder the true trappings and responsibilities of power led to his destruction. In light of the threats to today's - July 2017 - governmental horrors.... does this sound familiar????

If the production of a play is very popular or well received by critics it can sometimes be put on film. That is the case with this version of Shakespeare's Macbeth. Originally done for television from Trevor Nunn's stage production, it is a bared-down to the bone interpretation driven not by spectacle but by raw acting. It is as if you are watching first-rate theater right in front of you.Ian McKellen is brilliant as Macbeth as he captures his gradual decent into madness very effectively and with much nuance. The twitchy, nervous nature that he gives in his performance is just right for a man full of ambition, guilt, and fear. Judi Dench's portrayal of Lady Macbeth is a performance that is as great if not more so than McKellen's. She is a manipulative, frightening, and yet very human individual. Her famous sleepwalking scene is the finest piece of acting you will ever see. Ian McDiarmid (best known as The Emperor in Star Wars) is wonderful in the dual role of both Ross and The Porter. Also, Roger Rees, John Woodvine, and Bob Peck give fine performances as well. What is particularly remarkable is the minimalist way in which it is all done. The setting is all pitch-black. There are very little props and the costumes are relatively simple in fact they never change. It is filmed with both imaginative lighting and with many close ups. On whole, this interpretation is one that is intentionally stark and claustrophobic. This probably how theater would have been like during Elizabethan times. Much is suggested rather than being presented. Yet, this makes sense since Macbeth is a play in which Shakespeare's words can creates images for you to picture for yourself. The Polanski film is perhaps the best cinematic version of the Bard's bloody masterpiece but if you want to watch the best one done for the stage, then this might be it.

This is one of the worst adaptations of Macbeth. Ever. The acting is horribly overdone, the fading accents are reminiscent of Kevin Costner in Robin Hood, and the plot is very hard to follow, even for someone who has read the original play. The only redeeming qualities are the lighting and camera angles. The lighting, although mildly distracting, is inventive and effective. The camera angles are very good, although they sometimes make it hard to see who is talking to whom, and what about. The lack of a set makes it seem more authentic, and accents the (bad) acting. Watch if you dare...Nah, its not quite that bad. Watch only if you are interested in the technical aspect. Or you enjoy making fun of bad acting.

The performance by Ian McKellen proves that he is one of the best Shakesperean actors ever (and I've seen all the famous ones on the stage). Macbeth is not a complex character, just a fine man sucked into a downward spiral by his ambitious wife, but Shakespeare gives him really magnificent poetry to speak (Tomorrow, etc.), and McKellen says it all breathtakingly. Actually, some of Macbeth's lines are very difficult to understand, and McKellen is capable of the ultimate actor's magic of making the lines seem quite understandable as he speaks them (they go back to being difficult when you contemplate them on the page). His representation of the descent into madness is extremely effective, even though he goes quite far in this. Exactly how psychotic Macbeth becomes is one important question in interpreting this character, and McKellen (and Trevor Nunn, who directed) decide to go all the way. The other actors are all adequate, no problem. Judi Dench is not entirely convincing as the evil-from-the-outset Lady Macbeth, really a caricature and not a fully developed person in the play (Shakespeare's fault, not Judi's). Dame Judi is just not an evil person, and can't make us believe she is. However, at the most crucial point, the sleepwalking scene in the last act which precedes her suicide, she rises to the occasion. Her wail in unforgettable. This was originally a stage production, done in the round with few props, fine for this play, which is about words (and faces), not about setting. It's great that someone had the idea of filming the stage production, and doing it so well that it's possible to watch it. For many years this tape has only been available to educational institutions for $250, so it's great that everyone can see such a stunning performance now. And its great that Ian McKellen has become better known through X-Men and Lord of the Rings (though it takes Shakespeare to display his true talents).