Macbeth details
| Format: | 15 DVD |
|---|---|
| Starring: | Francesca Annis, Jon Finch, Martin Shaw |
| Director: | Roman Polanski |
| Genre: | Drama - Crime, General |
| Studio: | COLUMBIA TRI-STAR HOME VIDEO |
| Name | Discs | |
|---|---|---|
Macbeth |
15 Feature |
DVD Information
| Run time: | 2 hours 14 minutes |
|---|---|
| Rental release: | 27 May 2002 |
| Main languages: | English |
| Dubbed: | German, French, Spanish, Italian |
| Subtitles: | Arabic |
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Most helpful review
Gritty but beautiful
By GHL (4 reviews) from Ilkley , 25 Aug 2004[Highly rated reviewer]
Polanski's Macbeth abandons the usual conceits of film adaptations of the Bard's work and goes for a gritty and realistic depiction of medieval Scotland. Jon Finch is capable but a little too civilised as Mac, Francesca Annis is beautiful but average as his scheming wife. The biggest star is the production design and the cinematography, brilliantly capturing the rugged Scottish setting. Unlike some adaptations the film isn't afraid to give the text breathing room, to fully appreciate its dark brilliance. Too many film versions whizz through the plays as if apologising for the 'difficulty' of the language.- Was this review helpful to you?
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All reviews
(21)Dated and Disappointing
By esmerelda_11 (1 review) , 28 Sep 2011I saw this film when it first came out, in the early 1970s, and was quite impressed with it then, but boy, has it dated! I showed a GCSE class the film recently, and they, and I, were really bored. Acting, directing and film techniques have all moved on so much, and Polanski's film just appears strangely 'flat', with just a few better moments. It is hard to give Macbeth (as a play) much life, as many of the speeches are tedious, frankly, and there isn't the great literary drama of, say, Othello or Lear (to say nothing of Hamlet, of course), which are far more rounded plays. Macbeth is in danger of being one-dimensional, as there is so MUCH focus on physical violence, and both Macbeth's deviation into corruption/greed/ambition and Lady M's descent into madness are in dramatic terms too quick, too sketchy. Thus a film director must spin out these aspects and thus flesh out the characters, and Polanski just doesn't quite manage it. Nice try, but falls short. I think I'd agree that it is quitea useful film for school pupils revising for GCSE - but that is to damn it with faint praise!- Was this review helpful to you?
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Really good version
By Juliette25 (14 reviews) from Waterlooville , 16 Jun 2011I have studied Macbeth, but not seen a film version of it before, and I was impressed. It stayed close to the play, but was really easy to understand, and grasp what was happening. Francesca Annis and Jon Finch were outstanding. Some of the sound was a bit naff at times, but overall, a good version and one I would watch again.- Was this review helpful to you?
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MacCrud from Playboy
By a customer , 28 Apr 2011This was one seriously badly acted; badly imagined film - the fight scenes bordered on the farcical and the witches failed to inspire any sort of dread - a dreadful waste of time- Was this review helpful to you?
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POLANSKI RULES.....
By ROTGUT (15 reviews) from Reading , 10 Feb 2010Forget that this is a Shakespeare movie and just revel in the gloomy gothiness of the story and the visuals. Jon Finch is excellent in this....and it's only the second time I've ever seen it.....- Was this review helpful to you?
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In the days before Disney…..
By Stephen from North Cornelly, South Wales , 31 Oct 2009I’m pretty sure that Playboy felt that lateral integration into the artistic psyche of the cultured male was a pretty shrewd investment. This assault on Shakespeare, mercilessly as unsustained as the Disney colonisation of the Folk Tale tradition of Germany and France is only saved by the script – and for all that roaming Polanski might claim, the one thing he could not do is ruin a good script A good try though Roman…it’s just a hair’s breathe from ‘Caligula’ and probably wouldn’t be watched at all but for the fact that Macbeth appears on the A Level syllabus this year.- Was this review helpful to you?
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