7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
In fog-dripping, barren and sometimes macabre settings, 11th-century Scottish nobleman Macbeth is led by an evil prophecy and his ruthless yet desirable wife to the treasonous act that makes him king.
Starring: Orson Welles, Jeanette Nolan, Dan O'Herlihy, Roddy McDowall, Alan NapierDrama | 100% |
War | 16% |
History | 12% |
Period | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Do theatrical superstitions hold sway over film? If so, should we refrain from naming this film? Those of you who have acted or have some theatrical knowledge will probably be aware that it is verboten to actually even mention the name Macbeth in a backstage environment, and so the Shakespeare classic is usually referred to as “the Scottish play” by actors and other creative folk. The origins of this strange superstition are somewhat murky, but Orson Welles evidently took that “Scottish play” rubric to heart, for when he filmed Macbeth in 1948, one of his most unusual decisions was to have the cast recite The Bard’s eloquent poetry in heavily accented Scottish brogues, accents which audiences at the time found largely incomprehensible, necessitating a re-recording of the soundtrack with more moderate speech patterns. The actor-director probably most associated with film adaptations of Shakespeare is Laurence Olivier, and in fact Olivier’s Henry V, though initially filmed in 1944, had only made its American debut a couple of years before Welles’ version of Macbeth hit theaters. The Welles film was roundly derided at the time of its release, and Olivier’s efforts remained the paradigm of what expert film adaptations of Shakespeare should be all about, but now with the vantage point of hindsight, Welles’ film seems at least the equal to Olivier’s outings, and in some ways perhaps even superior. Filled with a brooding, quasi-hallucinatory quality, this is a Macbeth that mines the subtext of Shakespeare’s story of a power mad Scotsman and his equally (perhaps even more so) power mad wife. The play is often considered among the most troubling in Shakespeare’s oeuvre, a frightening and presciently Freudian examination of the devolution of one character’s psyche due to both internal and external influences. Welles’ vision here is appropriately shaded, and he brings the same visual ingenuity he brought to his previous film creations, as well as a bracing performance style that is shared among a company that includes several names which are now relatively well known but which in 1946 were either not known at all or were certainly not ever thought of in a classical setting like a Shakespeare play.
Macbeth is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.33:1. Evaluating the image quality of Macbeth must take into consideration the film's fairly tortuous history. Some who aren't aware of the manifold edits and ultimate restoration of this film who are seeing it for the first time may look at my 3.5 video score and think I'm out of my mind (so what else is new?). There are massive changes in density, sharpness, clarity and also different levels of damage throughout some of these elements, but taken as a whole, the bulk of Macbeth looks quite good indeed. Black levels are absolutely lustrous most of the time and the deep chiaroscuro cinematography by John L. Russell (who would go on to lens Hitchcock's Psycho) bristles with moodiness. There are a number of issues, however, and those who have never seen this title should be aware of them (those who have seen this restored version in its previous home video incarnations shouldn't be too surprised). A number of elements which have been restored are obviously not from the same generation that the bulk of the film is sourced from, with increased grain, fuzziness and lessened contrast, and several of the opticals look pretty shoddy as well. Scratches occasionally show up as do minor flecks and specks. These are fairly transitory issues, however, in what is easily the best Macbeth has ever looked in any home video format.
Macbeth's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio Mono mix faithfully reproduces the film's original soundtrack. Welles prerecorded this film, so the synch issues that are quite noticeable throughout have nothing to do with actual soundtrack problems and are instead endemic of the way the film was actually shot. There are some minor splicing issues that crop up now and again where little bits of dialogue have been reinserted back into the flow of the film (along with their attendant imagery). Overall, though, the dialogue is clean, if awfully heavily accented at times (this is one title that cries out for subtitles, something that Olive releases typically don't include). Jacques Ibert's dramatic score is also very well represented on this track.
No supplements are included on this Blu-ray.
I have a deep and abiding admiration for a number of film adaptations of Shakespeare's work, including the great Olivier outings, Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet and even Branagh's somewhat stiff Hamlet, but I can honestly say few have affected me on such a subliminal level as Welles' moody take on Macbeth. The film has a near hallucinatory quality that makes it one of the most unusual and compelling film versions of any Shakespeare play. Welles pulls out all the stops, both from the standpoint of showy camera work and from his and his company's performances. This Macbeth plays almost like a horror film at times, and considering its source material, that may be entirely appropriate. This Blu-ray offers a considerably improved general level of image quality, though those who have never seen this film in its restored form before may be disappointed in the drastic levels of change various elements display. Even those anomalies shouldn't keep you away from this title. Highly recommended.
2015
The Tragedy of Macbeth
1971
蜘蛛巣城 / Kumonosu-jô
1957
1965
影武者
1980
1955
1944
2013
2016
The Tragedy of Othello: The Moor of Venice
1951
1942
1932
山椒大夫 / Sanshô dayû
1954
Limited Edition to 3000
1947
金陵十三钗 / 金陵十三釵 / Jīnlíng Shísān Chāi
2011
2021
1987
Vredens dag
1943
1958
1948