Famous for going through several cuts, budget and time problems, and for being slammed by critics at the time for its strange imagery and dark and foreboding tone, Welles's Macbeth has now been recognised as a good, if not great adaptation made even more admirable by the constraints which constantly surrounded it.
The story of Macbeth is simple and well-known: Macbeth, proud soldier and follower of his King Duncan, stumbles upon a Witches' Haven one night with his partner Banquo. The Witches give their prophecy that Macbeth will eventually become King, and that the sons of Banquo will also reign. This worries both men, but they decide to discuss it later. On hearing this, the ambitious Lady Macbeth inspires Macbeth to murder Duncan and usurp the throne, which he does. Soon guilt sinks in along with deep paranoia and Macbeth believes that everyone is out to get him. Welles keeps fairly close to Shakespeare's dark work in dialogue and plot, and certainly gives his film the same feel which the play itself gives. The setting is dark, rocky, full of shadows and isolated, and the choice of Black and White filming adds greatly to the tone. Welles shows he is a master of lighting, shadow and contrast and uses this ability to its fullest. As Macbeth's paranoia grows, the imagery becomes more surreal and ominous, hangman's trees stooping in the background, and long takes to emphasise the growing worries in his mind. Overall, Welles captures the play's atmosphere perfectly. His portrayal of Macbeth as a man not in control of his own fate is good, and of course his acting is fine. The rest of the cast is also strong, including big names like Mcdowall, Herhily, and Napier. Much has been said about the heavy accents but this can be overlooked. The final scenes, full of religious imagery are very good although Macbeth's death has been done better and it seemed that the Holy Father character was only included so that Macbeth could land on...I won't spoil it. Not as good as Kurosawa's, but a very different film with a very different style.
8 out of 10
The story of Macbeth is simple and well-known: Macbeth, proud soldier and follower of his King Duncan, stumbles upon a Witches' Haven one night with his partner Banquo. The Witches give their prophecy that Macbeth will eventually become King, and that the sons of Banquo will also reign. This worries both men, but they decide to discuss it later. On hearing this, the ambitious Lady Macbeth inspires Macbeth to murder Duncan and usurp the throne, which he does. Soon guilt sinks in along with deep paranoia and Macbeth believes that everyone is out to get him. Welles keeps fairly close to Shakespeare's dark work in dialogue and plot, and certainly gives his film the same feel which the play itself gives. The setting is dark, rocky, full of shadows and isolated, and the choice of Black and White filming adds greatly to the tone. Welles shows he is a master of lighting, shadow and contrast and uses this ability to its fullest. As Macbeth's paranoia grows, the imagery becomes more surreal and ominous, hangman's trees stooping in the background, and long takes to emphasise the growing worries in his mind. Overall, Welles captures the play's atmosphere perfectly. His portrayal of Macbeth as a man not in control of his own fate is good, and of course his acting is fine. The rest of the cast is also strong, including big names like Mcdowall, Herhily, and Napier. Much has been said about the heavy accents but this can be overlooked. The final scenes, full of religious imagery are very good although Macbeth's death has been done better and it seemed that the Holy Father character was only included so that Macbeth could land on...I won't spoil it. Not as good as Kurosawa's, but a very different film with a very different style.
8 out of 10