MACBETH

UK, 1971, 140 minutes, Colour.
Jon Finch, Francesca Annis, Martin Shaw.
Directed by Roman Polanski.

Macbeth: This version is well worth seeing. Roman Polanski's greatest achievement is in communicating the violent, wild atmosphere and background of Macbeth's Scotland, the mountains, rain, castles, people. Scene after scene is barbarically beautiful and gives credibility to Shakespeare's verse which is clearly spoken. Everyone has mentioned the blood and gore, which is certainly there, but the textual bases are always given and we have always said that blood was an important theme of Macbeth. On the whole, this is a disturbing but satisfying version of a melodramatic tragedy that shows us the depths of ambition, cruelty, murder and its consequences.

1. The impact of this film version of Shakespeare? Expectations of film presentation of the play? Shakespeare himself, poetry, themes? Roman Polanski and his reputation, experience, Polish background, cinema style? Kenneth Tynan and the Playboy backing for the production of this version? How well did the film come across as a cinema version of Macbeth?

2. How well was the text used for a cinema version of Macbeth? The amount of pruning done and the criteria for the selection of the poetry? The importance of the visual presentation of the poetry ? the locations of Scotland, the witches, the barbaric atmosphere, warlike attitudes, politics, the violence, especially the emphasis on blood?

3. How well did the film use visually and thematically the poetry of foul and fair, day and night, the blood, the imagery that Macbeth used, of Lady Macbeth? The actions visualised that are described so vividly in the poetic text?

4. The use of colour, Panavision, the mediaeval and modern score? The importance of the use of close-ups especially for character and the poetry? Polanski's attention to detail for atmosphere and what this communicated to the film e.g. the opening with the witches? Macbeth's various castles? Banquo's death and the visions, the long battle at the end and Macbeth’s death?

5. The importance of the attention to authentic Scottish detail, the actors, accents, the bleak atmosphere of the Highlands, Scottish traditions, dress and manner? Situating the play very much in the Scottish tradition?

6. Macbeth as a play of violence, in the revenge tragedy tradition, tragic deaths of the hero etc? The film's official presentation of blood and gore, deaths, physical violence, emotional violence, symbols? The importance of ghosts and visions and nightmares for the violence? Was this appropriate for a response to Shakespeare's Macbeth?

7. The film's focus on Macbeth, as a character, man, noble? How did he fulfil the definition of a tragic hero? the nature of his flaw? The strength of his ambition and how much came from the witches or from himself, from his wife or the occasions? The dramatic presentation of his soliloquies and their effect? The impact of the witches as voices of his hopes? His relationship with his wife and her urging him on? Seizing the occasions and profiting by them and his swift movement, with his wife urging him when he hesitated? The effect of the violence on him. of his ambition, the experience of the death of Duncan, the death of the servants, the covering up? The inevitability of his plunging himself into more deaths? Banquo and his son? His dealing with the assassins and their deaths? The impact of his tyranny and the way this was presented? His poetry becoming less imaginative, his caring less for people and withdrawing from them. his growing fear and fright. the consequent defiance of all? The confrontation for the battle ? did he really expect to win? How much insight into Shakespeare's portrayal of Macbeth's character did the film give? How much did the audience experience of the farces as they shared the experience of Macbeth?

8. ion Finch's style as Macbeth ? his youthful appearance, an agile and athletic man, his strength and presence in the early part of the film, the visual effects of the violence on him, his coronation and its arrogance, the nobles fawning on him. his wife and their liaison and their alienation? The imaginative breadth of most of his poetry and his resumption of this in his final soliloquies? How did he surrender to his ambitions and the violence by his final battle and death?

9. The portrait of Lady Macbeth her youth, beauty? The effect of the letter and this being reprised later? The intricacy of her plans, her smile and reliance on appearances covering reality? Her welcome of Macbeth, her urging him on especially with his hesitation? Her femininity, her being the equivalent of a witch? Her dancing with Malcolm? Her participation in the killing, the guards and the smearing of blood? Her pretending to faint? The repercussions of ambition and violence on her as queen, her presence at the banquet and wanting to control Macbeth especially in his madness. The effect on her and her gradual talking in her sleep. her sleepwalking scene? The way that this was visualised? Her wanting to sleep and the final violence of her death? Was there any catharsis in the experience of Lady Macbeth's tragedy?

10. Themes of masculinity and femininity? The more feminine and sensitive Macbeth and the more ruthless Lady Macbeth? The confusion and mixing of masculine and feminine expectations? Lady Macbeth and her cry for evil to unsex her so that she could become a witch? The sexlessness for evil consequences?

11. The presentation of the monarchy and its order, Duncan as a good king within the context of the time, the battles, victories, dealing with traitors and the execution sequence, bringing order out of chaos? The importance of Malcolm and Donalbain being present at the time of his murder, their fear? The sons having to bring order into the monarchy? The importance of the background of Shakespeare's attitude towards the right order of things?

12. The religious background - the god who was worshipped, gods, witches and the devil? The appearance of the witches, their incantations and prophecies and the origins of these? The importance of Macbeth's visit to them in the forest? The long sequence of the coven of witches, their presence, nakedness, incantations, brew and the mixture, the curses? Macbeth sharing their vision? Shakespeare's attitude towards the presence of witches?

13. Banquo as the contrast with Macbeth? sharing his initial fortune, yet wary, seeking the explanations of the prophecies? The good man? his support of Macbeth but his being betrayed by him? The build-up to Banquo going out with Fleance, the protractedness of the murder? Macbeth's murdering of Banquo and the implications of this? The violence of his death, the irony of Fleance escaping and the witches' prophecy? The importance of Banquo's presence in his gore and violence to haunt Macbeth at the banquet. Macduff taking Banquo's place as the contrast to conscience for Macbeth? His reaction to Duncan's murder, his reaction to the slaughter of his wife and family, the man finally to confront Macbeth and the irony of the nature of his birth and prophecy?

14. How well did the film build the background of the courtiers, the various supporters that Macbeth had, traitors, time servers? Seton and his loyalty, the nobles turning against him and killing him? An accurate portrayal of the intricacies of court politics? The final abandonment of Macbeth?

15. Malcolm as son of Duncan, his reaction to the murder, his going to the English court, his attack against Macbeth? His restoring order? The irony of Donalbain at the end of the film going to the witches ? Polanski’s touch to Shakespeare's themes? A pessimistic touch?

16. The presentation of Scotland and the times, battles, killings, the execution of the Thane of Cawdor, the battles, Macbeth's tyranny, the visual presentation of the murder of Macduff's family, the irony of the ending?

17. The importance of the porter sequence? in its dramatic context, the comedy and the earthiness, Shakespeare blending comedy with tragedy, making the audience take the tragedy more seriously?

18. The minor characters and the way the Shakespearian text was used, their physical presence - families, assassins, courtiers?

19. How much insight into Shakespeare's play, a satisfying cinema presentation of Macbeth?