Rent Macbeth (1971)

3.8 of 5 from 86 ratings
2h 14min
Rent Macbeth (aka The Tragedy of Macbeth) Online DVD & Blu-ray Rental
  • General info
  • Available formats
Synopsis:
Roman Polanski presents his nightmarish vision of Shakespeares classic tragedy about the lust for powerand its bloody consequences. Jon Finch is Macbeth, the Scottish war hero whose insane ambition unleashes a cycle of violence. Prompted by the supernatural prophecy of three witches, Macbeth is goaded by his Lady (Francesca Annis) into slaying King Duncan (Nicholas Selby) and assuming his throne. Macbeth plunges further into murder and moral decay to keep the unsteady crown on his head. While his wife crumbles away in guilt and madness, the haunted Macbeth fights to prevent another dark forecast which may doom him.
Actors:
, , , , , , , , , Elsie Taylor, Noelle Rimmington, , , , , , , , ,
Directors:
Producers:
Andrew Braunsberg
Writers:
William Shakespeare, Roman Polanski, Kenneth Tynan
Others:
The Third Ear Band, Anthony Mendleson
Aka:
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Studio:
Columbia Tristar
Genres:
Classics, Drama
Collections:
10 Films to Watch if You Like All Is True, Films & TV by topic, Films to Watch If You Like..., New waves of Polish Cinema, That's All Fawkes! Top 10 Films Set in the Stuart Era, The Best Films Based On Shakespeare, A Brief History of Film..., Top Films, What to watch by country, What We Were Watching in 1971
Awards:

1973 BAFTA Best Costumes

BBFC:
Release Date:
27/05/2002
Run Time:
134 minutes
Languages:
English Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono, French Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono, German Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono, Italian Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono, Spanish Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono
Subtitles:
Arabic, Bulgarian, Cantonese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 2.35:1
Colour:
Colour
Bonus:
  • Trailers
BBFC:
Release Date:
18/04/2016
Run Time:
140 minutes
Languages:
English DTS-HD Master Audio 3.0
Subtitles:
English Hard of Hearing
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 2.35:1
Colour:
Colour
BLU-RAY Regions:
B
Bonus:
  • Toil and Trouble: Making "Macbeth" a new documentary featuring interviews with Polanski, producer Andrew Braunsbeig, assistant executive producer Victor Lownes, and actors Francesca Annis and Martin Shaw
  • Polanski Meets Macbeth, a 1971 documentary by Frank Simon featuring rare footage of the film's cast and crew at work
  • Interview with coscreenwriter Kenneth Tynan Irom a 1971 episode of The Dick Cavett Show
  • "Two Macbeths", a segment from a 1972 episode of the British television series Aquarius featuring Polanski and theater director Peter Coe
  • Trailers
  • An essay by critic Terrence Rafferty

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Reviews (1) of Macbeth

Shakespeare reanimated. - Macbeth review by Steve

Spoiler Alert
06/11/2023

Maybe purists will be dismayed by Roman Polanski's adaptation of the mythic tragedy of Macbeth, but it shows another way of presenting the plays of William Shakespeare on the big screen. While the text is changed, the celebrated monologues are left intact. New lines are inserted to explain the narrative, so no-one should get lost.

And there is an extraordinary amount of exciting, bloody, brutal action. Medieval Scotland is presented plausibly and in rich detail. And the gloomy atmosphere of the grey skies, the soaking hillside in the constant rain makes the mood dark and oppressive. Weather on screen is rarely compelling as this... Which complements the pessimism of the bard's cycle of ambition and guilt.

The film benefits from casting younger actors in the lead roles. Jon Finch is a charismatic, brooding Macbeth. He actually has a greater rapport with Martin Shaw as Banquo than Francesca Annis playing Lady Macbeth. She is insubstantial, though beautiful. But they are at an age when they might be recklessly driven. And it makes their ruin even more powerful.

The soliloquies are presented as voice-overs, which Finch delivers movingly. It made a huge loss. But for my money, it's the best screen version. While the famous lines are deeply poetic, the film feels persuasively realistic. Every single scene is presented with invigorating imagination. It remains intensely fatalistic, but also rousing, and spectacular.

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