Macbeth

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Harry R Dec 19, 2018 Orson Welles brings madness to Macbeth! Macbeth (1948) is Orson Welles' dark and grim take on William Shakespeare's play about treachery, guilt, and paranoia. Welles directed Macbeth with an acute eye for the most scary vibe and carefully framed shots with all characters in view. He makes sure you watch everyone's reactions to Macbeth's madness. Welles uses dim lighting to bring out the terror of his surroundings. The few lights only shine on the eyes of the guilty party or those viewing the insanity firsthand. The quick zoom in shots to the far wide shots of the scenario are magnificent. I loved Welles' use of fog and shadowplay to build atmosphere. This is as good a film version of Macbeth as you'll ever get to watch. It is long, but the performances are so gripping and interesting. The heavy Scottish accents are fun to hear with their intriguing expressiveness. The music is Gothic and boisterous with a malicious intent to the sound. The reverberating voices in the deep caverns of Castle Macbeth are haunting. Welles goes to great lengths to convince you of Macbeth's guilt born madness overcoming him. Speaking of which, Orson Welles as an actor continues to astound me. His thick Scottish accent covering his legendary deep voice with fits of rage and mourning alike. His Macbeth starts out sympathetic and ends up raving with the most fearsome fury and wrath. Welles plays the role beautifully. Lastly, I must mention the beautiful Jeanette Nolan as Lady Macbeth. Her prodding Macbeth to murder is excellently cruel and punishing. Her revelry at the deed and proceeding distress is a pleasure to watch. Nolan's performance rivals even Welles. In all, Macbeth has never looked so frightening in the stark black night screaming to the heavens. The scene in which lighting strikes around Orson is just gorgeous to witness. Check out this version of Macbeth if you want to see something special. See more

Albus W Sep 23, 2018 This is what can be called a masterstroke, magnificently executed, the more so considering technical restraint Welles had to endure while filming this film version of the astounding play. It's as dark as possibly can be; the trademark Welles' long shots is how Shakespeare should be filmed with as less cuts as possible. And yet there's a touch of Olivier's 'Hamlet' even in a truly Welle's production, still Laurence Olivier's film opened doors to screen adaptations of Shakespeare. See more

Finn W Jul 24, 2017 Without being too daring but being very personal, Welles' 'Macbeth' is a highly honourable adaptation of the play made by an expert. Its rustic, frightening, supernatural atmosphere beautifully fits the play, and Welles interprets a diabolical Macbeth. Furthermore, the budget constraints of the film do not only seem to make it suffer, they also seem to participate to its rough, wild style. See more

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Macbeth

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