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Macbeth



Roman Polanski imbues his unflinchingly violent adaptation of William Shakespeare's tragedy of ruthless ambition and murder in medieval Scotland with grit and dramatic intensity. Jon Finch and Francesca Annis are charged with fury and sex appeal as a decorated warrior rising in the ranks and his driven wife, scheming together to take the throne by any means. Coadapted by Polanski and the great theater critic and dramaturge Kenneth Tynan, and shot against a series of stunning, stark British Isle landscapes, this version of Macbeth is among the most atmospheric and authentic of all Shakespeare films.

DIRECTOR-APPROVED EDITION:

• New 4K digital restoration, approved by director Roman Polanski, with 3.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray
• Toil and Trouble: Making "Macbeth," a new documentary featuring interviews with Polanski, producer Andrew Braunsberg, assistant executive producer Victor Lownes, and actors Francesca Annis and Martin Shaw
• Polanski Meets Macbeth, a 1971 documentary by Frank Simon featuring rare footage of the film's cast and crew at work
• Interview with coscreenwriter Kenneth Tynan from a 1971 episode of The Dick Cavett Show
• "Two Macbeths," a segment from a 1972 episode of the British television series Aquarius featuring Polanski and theater director Peter Coe
• Trailers
• PLUS: An essay by critic Terrence Rafferty

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Woohoo!

Release of the year!

Beyond the response above, I'm surprised that there hasn't been a more enthusiastic reception for this. When news of Sony licensing to Criterion first broke, it was one of the most requested titles. A 4K restoration from Grover Crisp's group should have it looking better than ever, and I'm wondering if the "More!" might turn out to be Laurent Bouzereau's feature-length doc, Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir, that played Cannes a couple of years ago.

I remember seeing this in high school where one year, we read _Macbeth_ and then watched this afterward. I am definitely looking forward to this one.

djproject wrote:I remember seeing this in high school where one year, we read _Macbeth_ and then watched this afterward. I am definitely looking forward to this one.

Same here, although I definitely didn't get anything out of the movie at the time, enough so that I still have no desire to see it again.

The "More!" has been revealed:

• Interview with coscreenwriter Kenneth Tynan from a 1971 episode of The Dick Cavett Show
• “Two Macbeths,” a segment from a 1972 episode of the British television series Aquarius featuring Polanski and theater director Peter Coe

They sound like a pair ofdecent additions, though I had been holding out hope for the surprise inclusion of What? or Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir.

Having finally caught up with this one, I’m surprised there aren’t more fans of the film. For me, it works perfectly as a text of both Shakespeare and Polanski. That said, I can understand why some people would be completely turned-off by it, as I can think of few other films that are so bleak, hateful and sad. But this mood is so masterfully crafted and maintained that I'm driven to admire it. When the witches exclaim “Macbeth!” it reads not as a coronation, but a condemnation. All of the witches' scenes are handled magnificently, and Macbeth's experience in their cavernous lair echoes Rosemary's "dream" of the midnight sabbath in its disorienting power.

The purity of contempt with which Finch snarls “My name’s Macbeth” is absolute perfection, and his death, despite having seen all that came before, still knocked me out of my seat. I only wish someone has convinced Polanski to adapt Henry VI, which I imagine could also be well-served by this kind of treatment. I don’t hesitate to hold Macbeth alongside Rosemary’s Baby and The Tenant as Polanski’s best work. It’s not only a superb interpretation of Shakespeare’s play, but a genuinely startling piece of pure, human horror.

After rewatching this recently, I was sure I didn't want to buy the BD.
But after reading that review, and this thread, I'm reminded of all the things I love about Polanski's adaptation, probably one of the most honest adaptation's of Shakespeare to film that there is.

I don't have a huge amount of love for Polanski's work, but he's certainly made several stunning films.
The Wikipedia quote in the linked review reminds me how perfectly I found the soliloquies to work in voiceover, rather than having characters speak the words aloud, as is usually done. It adds an emotional intimacy to characters sometimes sapped of it by the use of theatrical performances in a cinematic presentation. It definitely seems that this approach, at the least, must've been a big influence on the use of voiceover in David Lynch's Dune.

No extras about Third Ear Band's amazing score? That was about the only interesting thing about this bland "shocking" and gory adaptation. I'd go for Welles' version any day.

criterionsnob wrote:Beaver

Have the colors been changed?
The witch sequence looks suspiciously like modern Horror films.

I'm going to get this and Throne of Blood soon. Call it an unintended post-referendum double feature

I'll even triple-bill this with Welles' MacBeth.