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Roman Polanski interprets MacBeth like only Polanski can. While the plot follows the play very, very closely, some stylistic flourishes are added (especially when MacBeth sips the witches brew) and the violence is increased.
People have tried to say this film had some influence from the Manson murders. Apparently when the violence was complained about, being called too bloody, Polanski said, "You should have seen my house last summer." Whether or not he truly said this (which seems bizarre), this was a reference to his wife and friends being slaughtered. Regardless, the violence helps the film a great deal and makes it adult and believable.
The film has an iconic witches scene ("something wicked this way comes") done as best as humanly possible, in a way few directors would dare to do. Terrence Rafferty praises Polanski for "probing the murky depths" of the story and giving it a "sense of claustrophobia" in line with his earlier (1962-1968) work.
Screenwriter Kenneth Peacock Tynan (1927-1980) was the perfect choice to help Polanski streamline the plot and language to fit into a Hollywood film. Tynan was a theater critic and had worked extensively with Laurence Olivier, one of the greatest Shakespeare actors.
Amateurs might have a bit of trouble with the Shakespearean language, but that is the viewers' fault and not the film's. Once one gets into it, the language becomes organic and went smooth; the movie definitely picks up as it goes. A familiarity with the story cannot hurt, either. Of Shakespeare's main works, this is one perhaps well known. Some might say its overdone, but it is hard to complain when Polanski is at the helm.
For a dramatically different take on the same story, one should also seek out Akira Kurosawa's "Throne of Blood" (1957). Though not as literal in its presentation of the story, these two films would make a good pairing and great double feature.
score 8/10
gavin6942 17 April 2011
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw2415332/ |
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30-11-2019 00:53:59