Reflection on Four Different Versions of William Shakesepare's Macbeth

Reflection on Four Different Versions of William Shakesepare's Macbeth

I have watched the opening scenes of four productions of the

Shakespeare play 'Macbeth'. The four versions are as follows:

1. Orson Wells- 1948 (an attempt to film in 21 days with paper-Mache

sets)

2. Roman Polanski- 1971

3. BBC Macbeth- 1980's

4. Macbeth on the Estate- 1997 "Performance"

I am going to review scenes, visual effects and casting of the

characters Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and Duncan. I will also comment on

which version is the most enjoyable, the most relevant and finally the

most intriguing. I will review and comment on only three of the

versions, versions 1, 2 and version 4. I will do each version one by

one, but will compare them at certain points.

Orson Wells

The Orson Wells version was filmed in 21 days in 1948. It was filmed

for screening in the cinema. This explains the general lack of concern

for detail, the paper-Mache sets and the un-professionalism of the

actors speeches and delivery. People can easily switch off a

television but to walk out of a cinema is harder to do after you have

paid for it. The film is in black and white which at the time wasn't a

problem but nowadays is not as exciting. Also big parts of the text

are missed out in this version, probably because of the 21 day

deadline. For example, the whole of act 1 scenes 1 and 2 are deleted

from the text, we also see a mistake where one character interrupts

another. The lines have been re-arranged. We see this when Banquo says

his lines after the prophecies where in the text he says them before

the prophecies. Another example is when Banquo actually says line...

... middle of paper ...

...e just as effective, if not more so.

The two versions are very different mainly because of the media that

they have been designed for and also because of the time at which the

films were made. 'Macbeth on the Estate' raises issues about bringing

Shakespeare to different audiences. Some people would say that

Shakespeare should be left untouched. Others welcome the changes, as

does actor Sir Ian McKellen "If an audience enjoys it, it will be

Shakespeare that they are enjoying." Changes to the text are done with

varying success. I think 'Macbeth on the Estate' would have been

better if the language would have been updated, as the Shakesperian

language doesn't seem to fit with the modern characters.

The Polanski version is a more typical approach to adaptation, and is

well edited and presented for a film of its period.