1971 Directed by Roman Polanski
Scotland, 11th century. Driven by the twisted prophecy of three witches and the ruthless ambition of his wife, warlord Macbeth, bold and brave, but also weak and hesitant, betrays his good king and his brothers in arms and sinks into the bloody mud of a path with no return, sown with crime and suspicion.
Jon Finch Francesca Annis Martin Shaw John Stride Nicholas Selby Terence Bayler Stephan Chase Paul Shelley Noel Davis Richard Pearson Andrew Laurence Bernard Archard Sydney Bromley Ian Hogg Diane Fletcher Bruce Purchase Frank Wylie Maisie MacFarquhar Elsie Taylor Noelle Rimmington Keith Chegwin Patricia Mason Michael Balfour Andrew McCulloch Mark Dightam Bill Drysdale Roy Jones Vic Abbott Geoffrey Reed Show All…
The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Macbeth, Macbeth: un hombre frente al rey, Макбет, 麦克白, Μάκβεθ, 맥베스, Tragedia Makbeta, Makbetas, مکبث
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USA
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Cannes Film Festival
Italy
USAR
Brazil18
UK15
FinlandK-16
Spain
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Denmark
Sweden15
Netherlands16
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France
FranceU
UK15
FranceU
Belgium
Brazil
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Italy
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Spain
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UK
USA
The nastiest adaptation of the nastiest Shakespeare play. Macbeth looks crazy not for wanted to be a king above all else, but for wanting to be king of this fetid shit pit.
Foiled by the ol' "born of woman" loophole. The oldest trick in the book.
As everyone knows, this is the dark and violent movie Polanski made after Sharon Tate's murder. It's impossible to think that the Manson killings didn't directly inspire the merciless way Polanski handles the killing of Macduff's family here, no matter how much he discourages this sort of 1:1 comparison. I remembered that scene well from my last viewing many years ago, but had forgotten the extent to which death and violence permeate the rest of the movie. For example, there's a scene early on where Macbeth walks past a hanged man in the background, and neither he nor the movie really bat an eye. Polanski's The…
I was positive I'd watched this in high school, but there's no way a teacher could get away with some of the material in here. Looking back, I think we were just shown clips of the witch scene and the last five minutes. Killer clip reel.
As a film, Polanski’s Macbeth is an accomplished adaptation; remaining true to the source material while still retaining the authorial stamp of its director. The story behind the production reveals Macbeth to be filmmaking as therapy. A coping mechanism for a real life tragedy.
Without Charles Manson, Roman Polanski’s Macbeth does not exist. It’s a tragic case of cause and effect, in which the grizzly murder of actress Sharon Tate — Polanski’s pregnant wife…
I will go on a stretch and claim Macbeth has been the most adapted play by Shakespeare... and it doesn't come as a surprise. Probably even more than Romeo and Juliet, the themes and characters are among (if not the) best of the whole William's repertoire.
This time its one of Letterboxd public enemy number one director Roman Polanski (seriously I don't think in my fee, Woody Allen or Weinstein gets as much shade - which, I can't blame any of you) to take on the classic tale. And immediately you can't help but to appreciate the great and epic scope both on its cinematograhy and its production design - I loved how they in many ways feel cinematic, while…
Auteur cinema. This is Polanski's transition to tragic narrative, and probably represents his peak in visual and storytelling balance, patient in pacing and tense in suspense. The environment is of a fantastic craft and Francesca Annis shines before making a long TV career. I still prefer Welles' superior rendition; however, adapting Shakespeare successfully has always been a remarkably difficult feat in my books and this is certainly a triumph, with two inevitable genuine horror scenes to add to the macabre-ness of it all and consecrating the director as one of the strongest exhibitors of psychological terror.
92/100
A wicked adaptation with striking visuals and over the top violence, sometimes bordering on comical, but never in bad taste. Loved how nasty the witches look and how much hotter Macbeth gets when he puts on the crown, both really great touches.
Criterion Collection Spine #726
A murderous lust for power, leading to overwhelming paranoia is the core of William Shakespeare's Tragedy of Macbeth. And Director Roman Polanski did an amazing job with creating this genuine adaptation of the legendary play.
"Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble."
There is just something about a Shakespeare adaptation, where it really pays to have recently read the source material before watching the movie in order to have a better overall grasp of the story, so you can key into all the wickedly great dialogue. After reading 'Hamlet' in High School, and watching almost every movie version (Never saw the modern Ethan Hawke one). I was really intrigued to get invested in…
Included In Lists:
Criterion Collection - #726
Review In A Nutshell:
My first experience of Roman Polanski's Macbeth was not a very pleasant one; the dialogue was difficult to understand and because of that it was difficult to connect with the film's characters. A second viewing has allowed me to appreciate the film much better, as this time I was able to comprehend most of the film's phrases and words, allowing my experience to be smoother and immersive.
Macbeth covers the story of man who has been informed of his destiny from three witches, stating that he would become the ruler of Scotland. After learning this, he informs his wife of this and she becomes enticed with the idea, and…
