Macbeth (1971)

[Scottie]

Macbeth Blu-ray

Roman Polanski imbues his unflinchingly violent adaptation of William Shakespeare’s tragedy of ruthless ambition and murder in medieval Scotland with grit and dramatic intensity. Jon Finch and Francesca Annis are charged with fury and sex appeal as a decorated warrior rising in the ranks and his driven wife, scheming together to take the throne by any means. Coadapted by Polanski and the great theater critic and dramaturge Kenneth Tynan, and shot against a series of stunning, stark British Isle landscapes, this version of Macbeth is among the most atmospheric and authentic of all Shakespeare films.

Disc Features
DIRECTOR-APPROVED EDITION:

New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed stereo soundtrack on the Blu-ray
New documentary about the making of the film, featuring interviews with director Roman Polanski, producer Andrew Braunsberg, assistant executive producer Victor Lownes, and stars Francesca Annis and Martin Shaw
Polanski Meets Macbeth, a 1971 documentary by Frank Simon featuring rare footage of the film’s cast and crew at work
Theatrical trailers
More!
PLUS: An essay by critic Terrence Rafferty

New cover by Sarah Habibi

http://www.criterion.com/films/28020-macbeth

[James Luckard]

I knew it! I totally called this back in March! The TESS BD had a 1979 South Bank Show episode from the time Polanski was promoting the film. It included clips from a number of films of his or that were influences on him: Tess, Knife in the Water, Cul de Sac, Olivier's Hamlet, his Macbeth.

However when it got to Chinatown, the clip that was included in the episode had been crudely edited out and replaced with a modern shot of a production still from the scene - there was a jump and then they referred to the clip we didn't see. This clearly meant Criterion didn't have the rights to include that clip. However it meant they DID have the rights to include the clips of Macbeth, along with the other four films, which are already in their catalog

And as a September release that means it will be once they start issuing them in normal plastic cases again! One less film to get a replacement case for down the road

Great news!!!

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by James Luckard

I knew it! I totally called this! They had an old 70s documentary on the TESS BD that had clips from most of Polanski's films up to that point, including MACBETH, but the clips from CHINATOWN had been removed, replaced with scans of still photos. I knew this meant they did not have the rights to CHINATOWN, which meant they DID have the rights to MACBETH.

And as a September release that means it will be once they start issuing them in normal plastic cases again! One less film to get a replacement case for down the road

Great news!!!

It was in their 2014 New Year's Drawing too

[James Luckard]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

It was in their 2014 New Year's Drawing too

True. But some people still tried to argue for other titles, even though it was fairly obvious. The clip in the doc made it 100% certain.

[RandyK]

Macbeth is my favorite Shakespeare and I like Polanski so it's a no brainer that I'll be picking this up.

[Makarov]

I would probably add this to my small criterion collection. Seeing this in high school actually made me interested in Shakespeare and Macbeth is still my favorite. Probably one the few things I actually do remember from my high school english classes. And that fight scene at the end was so good.

[bigbadwoppet]

Polanski's Macbeth was in dire need of a better transfer, let alone an HD one. Apart from being one of his finest, I find it to be the most cinematic of Shakespeare's adaptations.
Now they have no excuse not to proceed with Le Locataire.

[James Luckard]

Originally Posted by bigbadwoppet

Polanski's Macbeth was in dire need of a better transfer, let alone an HD one. Apart from being one of his finest, I find it to be the most cinematic of Shakespeare's adaptations.
Now they have no excuse not to proceed with Le Locataire.

Yep, the DVD looks dreadful. It's anamorphic, but that's about the best that can be said for it. The movie looks like it was dropped in a mud puddle before it was transferred. I know it's not meant to look pretty, but it didn't have to look hideous. Can't wait for the 4K remaster.

I hope when/if they do The Tenant they include both the French and English audio tracks, as the DVD did. The handful of scenes with American actors were clearly shot in English. However Isabelle Adjani and the other French actors are quite obviously dubbed on that track as their scenes were clearly shot in French. I personally enjoy switching back and forth between the two, so each scene is in the language it was originally filmed in. I turn on the subtitles for the French scenes. I should stress, however, that I would be 1000% against such a mixed track being created and included, I am in no way suggesting that. The two existing tracks are Polanski's creations, and they are the only way the film should ever be released unless he says otherwise.

[DiscoDan]

I'll be getting this for sure!

[AaronJ]

This is such great news (even if we already knew). As others have pointed out, this film was in desperate need of restoration. Personally, having only seen the DVD, it's arguable that I've never actually seen the real movie at all.

This is easily one of the best adaptations of Shakespeare. Polanski obviously had a lot to work through at the time, and this was a perfect vehicle.

I can't wait to see this again -- or, heck, for the first time for that matter!

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

This is easily one of the best adaptations of Shakespeare. Polanski obviously had a lot to work through at the time, and this was a perfect vehicle.

The Scottish Play is considered bad-luck because it's so easy to ruin and invites flops, and FWIU, this's one of the few versions that got it near right.
It's one of the few Shakespeare movies I still haven't seen yet, so I've yet to see whether Polanski's use of gray Scottish moors can out-Zefferelli the previous three Best Shakespeare Movies, but I'm pretty sure he could pull it off.

[Blu-Velvet]

Saw this first on 16mm for a college "Shakespeare and Film" class and have long wanted to see it again, especially after seeing Francesca Annis in the Tommy & Tuppence TV series, and also after the recent Blu-ray releases of THRONE OF BLOOD and Orson Welles' MACBETH (which were also both shown for the class). Heads will roll!

[lolwut]

Awesome! This is a good film. Awful cover art though.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by lolwut

Awesome! This is a good film. Awful cover art though.

Really? I think it's pretty cool. It definitely expresses a lot about what's going to be inside.

[Rizor]

I'm a big fan of Shakespeare and loved this film when I first saw it. Thought it was a bit dry on a rewatch, but it's a must own and maybe the HD sparkle will make it come alive again. After 43 years, it's still the definitive screen Macbeth (not counting adaptations that don't use Shakespeare's language).

[dorothyv]

Originally Posted by lolwut

Awesome! This is a good film. Awful cover art though.

Really? I have never seen the film before and I hadn't heard much about it before yesterday's announcement. But, I found the cover art to be really striking and it actually made me look into the film.

[MifuneFan]

I like the cover too. I've never seen it, but it makes me interested in doing so

I do think this original poster looks very cool too though:

[Show spoiler]

[dallywhitty]

A very gloomy and atmospheric film. Definitely worth watching for those of you who haven't checked it out yet.

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

Really? I think it's pretty cool. It definitely expresses a lot about what's going to be inside.

It's one of the few good non-poster CC covers we've had lately--
Captures the gray, moor-muddy tone of the movie, and yes, that is a dagger we see before us...

[James Luckard]

Originally Posted by EricJ

It's one of the few good non-poster CC covers we've had lately--
Captures the gray, moor-muddy tone of the movie, and yes, that is a dagger we see before us...

I agree, I love the cover. I wonder if Polanski was involved in the design. They always say these are "director approved" editions, and he apparently had final say in their Kinfe in the Water DVD having the forward and backward scan and step functions disabled, so you could only pause, or move between whole chapters. Not an artistic decision I fully understand, but it was his choice so I'm glad it was respected.