Plot: What’s it about?
Macbeth (Jon Finch) is a Scottish lord who has just climbed the ladder of success in rapid fashion, thanks to some underhanded tactics. Although his monstrous ambition needed little prompting, the plan was pushed by his Lady (Francesca Annis) and three witches, who called upon the supernatural to convince him. So in order to appease his massive ambition and those around him, Macbeth murders King Duncan (Nicholas Selby) and claims the throne for himself, putting himself in the highest position possible. It would seem his ambition was realized and the plan was a success, but his need for power grows, forces align against him, and his own Lady begins to have horrific visions and assorted other problems. Even as the crown rests upon his head with uncertain stability, Macbeth continues his violent ways, which means lives are ended, the kingdom is thrust into chaos, and Macbeth is always willing to do whatever it takes, to keep the throne for himself. But as he is haunted by his actions, his wife begins to collapse from the inside out, and Duncan’s son closes in to expose the truth, can Macbeth somehow hold the throne he killed to attain, or will the next bloody corpse be his own?
As the back of the case states, this truly is a nightmarish vision of Shakespeare’s classic tale, as guided by maverick filmmaker Roman Polanski. The film was originally branded with an “X” rating due to the immense violence & sex within, but as time has cooled the matter, the movie now stands with an “R” to show. Of course, the material demands some level of bloodshed and sexual content, but Polanski dishes out extreme amounts of both and in the process, made some viewers uneasy, offended, and perhaps even sick. The graphic violence & nudity might distract at times, but I think Polanski has meshed it into the material well enough, although I have to admit, not all of his added scenes work as well as intended. In fact, some claim Polanski enhanced the blood & violence because of his loss at the time, when his wife Sharon Tate was killed, but his additions seem well planned and executed, so who knows. The acting here is very good, the battle scenes look excellent, and all of the production design details are top notch also, a very well made picture. In fact, I’d rank this as one of the finest screen adaptations of Macbeth, it is that powerful. So if you’re at all interested, I give Macbeth a strong recommendation, even if Columbia’s disc is bare bones. We’re left to wonder how Polanski might have handled Titus Andronicus however, a production that I think could have been most memorable, to say the very least.
His name is usually mentioned with more than a tinge of controversy, whether that is due to his resume of films or the quirks of his personal life. I think most younger audiences know Roman Polanski more for his escapade with an underage girl or his wife Sharon Tate’s death, but that is a shame, if you ask me. Polanski’s career has been uneven, but it has several excellent pictures and many other very good ones. I wouldn’t call Macbeth his greatest accomplishment, but it is a top level film and one that bears his signature, as I doubt anyone else would have made it as he did, which is a compliment, I think. The blood, naked women, and typical Polanski themes all seem right at home within the material, even though some claimed he took too much liberty with the work. Other films by Polanski include Knife in the Water, Repulsion, Rosemary’s Baby, The Ninth Gate, Chinatown, and Death and the Maiden. The cast includes Jon Finch (The Vampire Lovers, Sunday Bloody Sunday), Francesca Annis (The Pleasure Girls, Krull), and Martin Shaw (The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, The Scarlet Pimpernel).
Video: How does it look?
Macbeth is presented in a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. I’ve never been able to see this film in widescreen before and to be honest, it was liking watching it again for the first time, so much information was restored. The print used starts off kind of rough, but soon turns into a clean, sometimes pristine version, impressive work indeed. The image has a small bit of grain, but looks tremendous in all respects and fans will be nothing short of thrilled here. The colors have a natural, somewhat muted look, while contrast is stark and well balanced. I do think the image looks darker than most, but as detail is never compromised, I assume this is part of the intended visual scheme, so no complaints there. I commend Columbia for giving us a new widescreen transfer here, as the film simply cannot be fully appreciated in a full frame version.
Audio: How does it sound?
The included mono option is nothing to write home about, but as far as mono is concerned, this track is more than solid. I was pleased to find minimal age related defects, such as hiss, distortion, and harshness, so while the track isn’t too memorable, it never dips below an acceptable watermark, either. The music sounds as good as mono allows, which is the case with the sound effects also, about all we can ask here. As with most Shakespearean efforts, some of the dialogue flies by fast and some might have trouble picking up all the words, but this track supplies dialogue that is clean & crisp throughout. This disc also includes subtitles in English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese, should you need those.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes the film’s theatrical trailer.
