This 1979 telefilm of Trevor Nunn's 1976 Royal Shakespeare Company production of what actors usually refer to (due to a tradition of cursed performances) as “the Scottish play” can be described as minimalist: the text is somewhat trimmed, the scenery is pretty much nonexistent, and the costumes are plain rather than fancy. Visually most of the effect comes from the dramatic lighting (and carefully deployed smoke), but what's most important here are the strong performances from Ian McKellen in the title role and Judi Dench as the ambitious wife who encourages her husband to kill the king and take the crown. The pair deliver their famous lines with the mastery one would expect of such experienced Shakespeareans, and are ferociously convincing throughout (unfortunately, the rest of the cast doesn't rise to their standard, and the occasional use of Scottish brogue by some of them is intrusive; at least in Orson Welles' peculiar film version it was employed consistently). Overall, this Macbeth is a powerful one, in the end achieving those mixed emotions of pity and terror Aristotle saw as the true essence of tragedy. DVD extras include biographies and filmographies of McKellen and Dench, as well as two featurettes with McKellen (talking head introductions to both the play and this particular production). Recommended. (F. Swietek)
Macbeth
A&E, 146 min., not rated, DVD: $24.95 February 7, 2005
Macbeth
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