Murder, prophecy, and witches! MACBETH returns, starring Academy Award®-nominee Ian McKellen (The Lord of the Rings trilogy) and Academy Award®-winner Judi Dench (Shakespeare in Love), on DVD for the first time anywhere. First broadcast on Britain's Thame
Two of England's greatest actors, Sir Ian McKellen and Dame Judi Dench, electrify in this lean, stripped-down production of Shakespeare's darkest tragedy. In the wake of a battle, the Scottish warrior Macbeth (McKellen, Gods and Monsters, Lord of the Rings) receives a prophecy from a trio of witches: He shall be king. When fate doesn't unfold quickly enough, Macbeth and his even more ambitious wife (Dench, Shakespeare in Love, Iris) decide to give it a push. McKellen sweats anxiously and oozes a creeping lust for power, while Dench is hypnotically vicious from her first moment. For audiences used to their film careers, this grand pair will seem young as pups (this TV movie is from 1979, adapted from an acclaimed Royal Shakespeare Company production)--but that only gives them an added edge of sex and vigor. Extras include the older McKellen thoughtfully commenting on the play and this classic production. --Bret Fetzer
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
sub-tiltles wud have helped:
I realize any Shakespeare aficionado needs no subtitles, as he/she knows it all by heart. I for one get tired of reading my book to go along with the character's dialogue, but I suppose i too shall one day soon find myself mouthing the Bard's immortal words without thinking.
The acting is GREAT.
Needs closed captioning:
Unless the viewer has the play memorized, closed captioning would often be needed to catch what is being said "dramatically" in this DVD. So frustrating. This particular performance of Macbeth focuses on Shakespeare's words by drastically minimizing the action, scenery and costuming, so for the words to be undiscernable is a big flaw. I always prefer to use closed captioning because my son is hard-of-hearing, but everyone would benefit from it with this DVD.
this swelling act of an imperial theme...:
Two major things going on in the world right now (4/08) are the Bush Administration's mishandling of the Iraq War and the Presidential campaigns. Two major themes that arise while seeing this production of Macbeth are blind ambition and lust for power. By the end of Act I, scene iv, (about a half-hour or so into this film) just after Macbeth eyes the crown as it's being elevated from the King's head, and utters, "Stars hide your fires, let not light see my deep and black desires...", you know what the rest... more info
Far Better than Orson Welles Version:
My daughter made 1st witch in her 6th grade school play. In my youth I did Hamlet and Richard III, so I KNOW the difficulty and skill to do Shakespeare correctly. This is done WELL. Short of Lord Olivier's performances, which are rare at best, there is no better production company of those that really do define the best trained Shakespearean actors available.
And while my daughter is not Lady Macbeth...yet...lol....Judy Dench is outstanding.
