Macbeth (Olive Signature)

The use of light and shadows and oblique camera angles makes this movie visually stunning and truly spectacular. A must watch.

I own this film on VHS and on Laserdisc and I am hoping that it will soon come out on DVD. Certainly there are some technical problems with the production, but it is a 1948 film so some of that can be excused. Welles vision of MacBeth has the texture and feel of a nightmare. The backdrops are unfinished, muddy charicatures of the objects and places they represent. Scotland is an eerie, nightmarish landscape that is constantly misty and partially unformed. The use of the b&w medium superbly creates a feeling of dread and foreboding in the audience who is drawn ever deeper into the madness of the story. This is vintage Welles, who loved to make the tone, timbre, hue and texture of every part of the movie relate to and support the story he was filming. Certainly the work of a genius. Most people know the basic story. MacBeth (Which literally means "Son of Life"), is given a prophesy that he will become king of Scotland and tells his wife of the prophesy. Lady MacBeth then uses MacBeth's insecurities to manipulate him into murdering the true king and assuming his throne. Guilt-ridden and paranoid, MacBeth begins a reign of tyranny and sinks into madness. Finally, the English invade and end his reign of terror. MacBeth, who is shown as no more than a pawn in this story, finally gains a measure of grace and dignity when he faces MacDuff in combat. We finally see in death the couragous man MacBeth could have been - indeed was before he allowed his and his wife's greed to corrupt him - MacBeth rises above his fate and becomes master of his own destiny by crying-out the infamous phrase "Lead on MacDuff, and damn the man who first cries hold - enough". All in all, I have been impressed with this film from the first time I viewed it and I do hope it comes soon to DVD. A note on the soundtrack - In 1949 the studio refused to release this movie until Welles overdubbed the original Scottish Brogue with more traditional Shakespearian English-accented speech, arguing that the Scottish was unintelligible. I think the most important part of the reconstruction of this film is the return of the original Scottish soundtrack - It adds so much to the grittiness and the darkness of the movie. After two or three viewings, most of the dialog comes clear, so in the first viewing the accent is just a bit of an inconvenience.

Well, there were some things from the play itself I did miss. (1. The drunk porter's hilarious passage, 2. the presence of the queen witch Hecate, 3. the scene where the images of future kings appear and Banquo's ghost indicates that they are his descendants, and 4. while the witches deceive Macbeth with assuring words, they provide visual images that reveal the truth that Macbeth should have given more attention to.) But other than that, this is a really good production of Shakespeare's "Macbeth." Shakespeare wrote this play in honor of King James. Many characters including Duncan, Malcolm, Banquo, Fleance, and Siward are his ancestors. For those of you who don't know the story, Macbeth and Banquo fight Norway as well as Scottish rebels on King Duncan's behalf. Soon afterwards, the 3 witches appear and make tempting promises. (That Macbeth will be king and Banquo's descendants will be king.) As a Christian, Banquo rightly fears the witches. But Macbeth (being human) contemplates the possibility of becoming king even if it means killing Duncan (who was so kind to him). Interestingly, the witches can NOT exactly make Macbeth do things, but his wife urges Macbeth to carry out the assasination. (Though Macbeth's hesitation and regret is more than prevalent. Thus, Shakespeare does not let us forget that Macbeth is human.) Well, many are shocked by Duncan's death (including Banquo, Macduff, and Duncan's son and heir Malcolm). The learned Isaac Asimov points out that it is strange that Macduff who never saw the witches suspects Macbeth stronger than Banquo who DID see the witches. But even Shakespeare can have trouble distorting the truth. You see, in history, supposedly Macbeth and Banquo were BOTH taken in by the witches and they TOGETHER turned against Duncan. Later Macbeth killed Banquo because he knew too much. But since Banquo was an ancestor of King James (who was in the audience) Shakespeare undoubtedly wanted to free Banquo from blame. Macbeth becomes king, and his once ambitious wife starts to get cold feet. Macbeth on the other hand gets more ambitious and to be on the safe side, he plots the murder of Banquo (while telling him to attend the feast), to which Banquo agrees to come. Well, Banquo is murdered, but he keeps his word! And at the feast, Banquo's ghost throws Macbeth into a psychotic rage (in front of many witnesses at that)! Moving on, while the witches sought out Macbeth in the 1st encounter, Macbeth goes of his own free will to see the witches now. They do not tell outright falsehoods, but they DO deceive and throw Macbeth into a false sense of security. (...tis strange. / And oftentimes to win us to our harm, / The instruments of darkness tell us truths, / Win us with honest trifles, to betray 's / In deepest consequence." (1.3.134-138). To be on the safe side, Macbeth kills Macduff's whole family, but ironically, this safe measure drives Macduff to aid Malcolm in regaining his father's crown. Poor Lady Macbeth goes insane and eventually kills herself. Macbeth's human and sympathetic side reemerges as his enemies gain the advantage. While some of us may feel that Macbeth's comeuppance is deserved, he fights valiantly up until the end and fights his last battle with honor, courage, and dignity. Despite the limited resources of the black and white days, this movie is put together very well. Edgar Barrier and Daniel O'Herily are good as Banquo and Macduff. Roddy McDowall wonderfully reflects the gentle treatment Shakespeare gives Malcolm. Jeneatte Nolan is wonderful as Lady Macbeth. And of Orson Welles as Macbeth? He did a phenomenal job nailing down Macbeth's ambitions, as well as his sorrowful, human, and redeeming aspects. One touch I liked was how Macbeth heard Banquo's voice soon before he saw the ghost. Also, rather than having Lady Macbeth's suicide reported by a biased enemy, we see it and are allowed our sympathy for her.

This was the first Orson Welles film I ever saw -- at the time I had never even heard of "Citizen Kane" -- and I was immediately fascinated by his performance; it was a mesmerizing one. And it was Jeanette Nolan's debut, as the sexiest Lady Macbeth I've ever seen; it was easy to understand why she had so much influence on her husband. (Nolan, a superb actress, went on to play a key role in the great noir, "The Big Heat.") Apparently this film is controversial, for reasons I don't understand. (Some critics complained about Welles' accent -- well, to me it sounds Scottish, and Macbeth *was* Scottish, wasn't he?) I have the VHS of this film, and I'm glad that a quality DVD has finally been released. I've already placed my order.

Meraviglioso film diretto ed interpretato da Orson Welles!! In questo dvd è presente anche la versione integrale da 113 minuti. Un dvd obbligatorio per gli amanti della settima arte.

Orson Welles's Macbeth is a timeless classic if ever there was one. This is more than a visual version of the Great Bard's drama, more than simply an illustration. It is theatre at its best transferred into the new medium film. Welles interprets the text, which is a legitimate thing to do, as countless theatre productions of Shakespeare's tragedy have successfully done before. The play does not fade or age. Neither does Wells's version. It is highly symbolic and expressive, and - mentioned for curiosity's sake, to my knowledge the very first time the play was actually performed using a Scottish accent - it elaborates on certain aspects of the drama, e. g. Christian morality (a priest who is not in the original even has lines!) and the brutality of human existence and human decisions. Macbeth is not "victimised" by some vague evil force - represented by the witches - and tricked into his wrongdoings. Macbeth is shown as somebody who actively allows himself to be driven until it is too late to turn around, and next follows his path all the way to a bitter ending. The film hovers between the genres of stage production and feature film; the fairly spartanic set is reminiscent of the stage, the cuts, perspectives and camera movements are used to guide the watchers, give them a focus, allow them to get intimately close to a character and to find their distance again in a way only the film genre can. Watching Mr Welles act is a special treat, but all parts in this film production are excellently played and allow the watcher a new and sometimes maybe even "fresher" view on Shakespeare's play than many a modern version.

Magnifique version d un film culte

Impresionante adaptación de la mano de Orson Welles. Desde el primer momento rebosa talento y estilo. El blu ray tiene una calidad de imagen excelente.

Cette version a beau être en noir et blanc, bien que tourné en 1948, c'est vraiment l'une des versions de référence de la "Pièce Écossaise"; tout à fait passionnante dans son adaptation pour le cinéma, tout en gardant un esprit très théâtral dans les décors et déplacements et les curiosités des costumes. Par exemple les couronnes étranges du guerrier M .... le maudit - pour reprendre le titre d''un film de Fritz Lang de 1931 qu'Orson Welles a peut-être vu pour s'inspirer du parti pris expressionniste qu'on retrouve dans ses mimiques hallucinées (au sens premier: puisque l'usurpateur et assassin voit des fantômes partout!). C'est vraiment intéressant d'avoir les deux versions en écossais et en anglais raccourci, et les commentaires très pertinents. Ce coffret est vraiment à conserver dans sa collection de 'classiques"! Surtout si on aime les films d'Orson Welles et les films expressionnistes germaniques des années 1930. Ou tout simplement les tragédies de Shakespeare. Cette version d'Orson Welles a elle aussi été frappée par la malédiction qui toucherait toute entreprise visant à la mettre en scène!