Macbeth Reviews

Since I’m a huge fan of Orson Welles, I was definitely eager to check this flick. Unfortunately, I had a hard time to get into it because I was really tired and it is the kind of movies which require a lot of focus and concentration. Furthermore, I saw it on the BBC without subtitles so I’m afraid I missed half of those damned convoluted Shakespearian dialogs. Still, there were lots of things to enjoy here. First of all, it must be the gloomiest play ever written by William Shakespeare. Indeed, between the darker than dark version by Orson Welles and the gore fest by Roman Polanski, it is not what you could call a merry affair and compared to this, ‘Romeo and Juliet’ seemed like a picnic. Personally, I didn’t bother me, in the contrary, and I really enjoyed this dark tale, reinforced by the great impressionist directing by Welles. The acting was really awesome and I enjoyed the dialogs, even if I hardly could follow them. To be honest, nothing much actually happen, it is pretty much the characters talking to each other (or even on their own) from the beginning until the end and I was torn between boredom and fascination during the whole thing. To conclude, even though it is probably not one of Orson Welles most prestigious works, it still remains a solid Shakespeare adaptation and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

Unlike everyone else, Citizen Kane wasn't the film I liked best from Orson Welles, I actually think it's a really overrated and boring film, therefore, at the time, I did not care much for Orson Welle's Directing...and acting. But I thought all of this before I came across to watching this film, Macbeth, directed by Orson Welles...and playing Macbeth himself...Oh yes, you guessed it! Orson Welles! So, I though I'd give this film and him a chance, after all, I have not seen much from him really.

My first thoughts on this film were really mixed, I have not read the book, nor am I really familiar with Shakespeare's work, whether it's a film, book or a play. But, I honesty thought I was going to be falling asleep through the whole film, well that was not the case. Orson Welles made this film a lot more entertaining and interesting than I thought. The acting was good, I believe so anyway, the directing was good and anything else that should have been good, it was. Though it does have to be said, I think Orson Welles was a bit fond of...well...Orson Welles. That's what it seemed like, anyway.

This film proved to me Orson Welles is indeed a good director and an actor too. This was not proved to me by Citizen Kane, no, this was proved to me by a film not so many people have seen. I much preferred this, and I think Welles should be proud of himself for what he achieved by doing this film.

I'm giving this film a 7/10, I'm not really sure why, but perhaps I should re-watch this film when I can, but then again, 7 is not a bad rating from me at all. But I do believe things could have been improved, but sadly, I'm not even sure what exactly they are. But, before I do start getting all critical about anything to do with Shakespeare, I should definitely become more knowledgeable on the subject. And to end this on a high note, there's quite a lot of people I know who would enjoy this film, whether thy're a Shakespeare fan, Orson Welles fan etc. I think this is highly enjoyable and interesting.

I also think Roman Polanski's attempt at this won't be anywhere near as good. I think this is the best Macbeth so far, perhaps the best Shakespeare film too...and definitely one of the best from Orson. Highly recommended, indeed. Hope you enjoy like I did.