(aka "Macbeth" )
UK / USA 1971
It all seemed so clear. And at the proper moment, the forces of justice
stepped forward, mocked the witches' prophecies which deluded poor Macbeth and
set things right for the final curtain. There were, no doubt, those who
thought the play was about how Malcolm became king of Scotland.
But in this film Polanski and his collaborator, Kenneth Tynan, place
themselves at Macbeth's side and choose to share his point of view, and in
their film there's no room at all for detachment. All those noble, tragic
Macbeths -- Orson Welles and Maurice Evans and the others -- look like
imposters now, and the king is revealed as a scared kid.
No effort has been made to make Macbeth a tragic figure, and his death moves
us infinitely less than the murder of Macduff's young son. Polanski places us
in a visual universe of rain and mist, of gray dawns and clammy dusks, and
there is menace in the sound of hoofbeats but no cheer in the cry of trumpets.
Even the heroic figure of Macduff has been tempered; now he is no longer the
instrument of God's justice, but simply a man bent on workaday revenge. The
movie ends with the simple fact that a job has been done: Macbeth got what was
coming to him.
Polanski has imposed this vision on the film so effectively that even the
banquet looks like a gang of highwaymen ready to wolf down stolen sheep.
Everyone in the film seems to be pushed by circumstances; there is small
feeling that the characters are motivated by ideas. They seem so ignorant at
times that you wonder if they understand the wonderful dialogue Shakespeare
has written for them. It's as if the play has been inhabited by Hell's Angels
who are quick studies.
Excerpt from Roger Ebert's review at the Chicago-Sun Times located HERE
Posters
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Theatrical Release: 13 October 1971
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
DVD Review: Columbia Tri-Star - Region 1, 3, 4 - NTSC
Big thanks to Gregory Meshman for the Review!
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| Distribution |
Columbia Tri-Star Region 1, 3, 4 - NTSC |
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| Runtime | 2:20:05 | |
| Video |
2.35:1 Original Aspect Ratio
16X9 enhanced |
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NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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| Bitrate |
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| Audio | English Dolby Digital 2.0 | |
| Subtitles | English, Spanish, Portuguese, None | |
| Features |
Release Information: Studio: Columbia Tri-Star Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details: Chapters 28 |
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| Comments | The first 10 minutes
show constant flickering
and damage marks on the print, but once the film settles in, the image is very
good. The progressive transfer is sharp and has a good color balance, but
some outdoor shots are a little grainy. The original sound is adequate and
the optional English, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles are yellow.
I don't know why, but the DVD is quite expensive. The only extra is an
original theatrical trailer. There's also a totally unrelated theatrical trailer for Ang Lee's
Sense and Sensibility that shows Columbia's marketing
department has no consistency or direction in choosing bonus materials.
- Gregory Meshman |
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| Distribution |
Columbia Tri-Star Region 1, 3, 4 - NTSC |
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