Film adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth.

    As a task of thinking activity, here i write a blog about Film adaptation of Shakespeare's play Macbeth.

    Macbeth is one of the most famous tragedy by William Shakespeare, it was first performed in 1606. It is a five act's short play, set during the 11th century, in Scotland, in Tho northernmost region of what is now United Kingdom. The play focuses on the main theme of, "The destruction wrought when ambition goes unchecked by moral constraint". The play Macbeth is about a Scottish nobleman and his wife who murder their king for his throne, Charts the extreme of ambition and guilt. Here let we discuss short summary of Macbeth.

   Here is some paintings by some of the famous painters, which drawn in the reference of Shakespeare's play Macbeth.

Summary of play :-

     Macbeth is a play of contradiction and ambition. Driven to becoming King, Macbeth will kill all and any that get in his way. He puts his faith in the words and prophesies of three witches, after their first one (that he will become Thane of Cawdor) comes through. Macbeth's wife.When the play begins, Macbeth is a brave and loyal thane to King Duncan. However, after hearing a prophecy that he will become king himself, Macbeth is overcome by ambition and greed. Encouraged by the prophecy and his scheming wife, he kills King Duncan and seizes the throne. Afterwards, Macbeth’s guilt, fear, and paranoia lead him to commit even more murders to secure his power. His confidence in the prophecies eventually leads to his downfall, and he is overthrown and killed by those he has wronged.

    There are many filmmakers are amazingly influenced by this most intresting theme and story of Shakespeare's Macbeth. And it was resulting as a movie adaptation of Macbeth. Many movies in various languages are based on Shakespeare's Macbeth. Here we discuss some of them and compare the movies and original Macbeth.

Movie adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth :-

1] Orson Welles's Macbeth (1948)

Macbeth - 1948

Director - Orson Welles.

Notable Cast - Orson Welles, Jeannette Nolan.

    American film director Orson Welles released his Macbeth version in 1948. This black-and-white film features some minor changes to the original play along with significant edits. Welles increased the purpose and presence of the three Witches in the movie to play up the conflict between early Christianity and pagan beliefs in Scotland. Welles also emphasized the violence of the story: the film depicts Lady Macbeth’s suicide and the final battle that ends with Macbeth’s beheading by Macduff. And he also wanted all of the characters to speak with authentic Scottish accents, but the studio that produced the film insisted that the voices be dubbed after the film was completed. He acted as Macbeth in his film and

presented a ‘real’ Macbeth. Jeanette Nolan was in the role of Lady Macbeth, Edgar Barrier acted Banquo and, Erskine

Sanford was in the role of Duncan. Orson Welles's visual strategy, in this black-and-white adaptation, offers more to the

view, but in a blurring style that favors fluidity, uncertainty, and instability through a misty setting, out-of-focus shots, and

slow dissolves. In the established Welles tradition, which has been building for a number of years, the theatrical

mechanics of the medium are permitted to dominate the play and Shakespeare is forced to lower billing than the director,

the star or the cameraman. Welles transforms Macbeth into an expressionistic morality play. The swirling mists and vague

outlines of three crouching figures lure an audience into a disturbing world where supernatural powers seem to be

controlling events. Faceless witches defy our attempts at definition and the sight of them plunging their hands into the

bubbling cauldron confirms our fear.

   Welles Macbeth however look a cheap and feel rushed. But still despite of this Macbeth still stand above much more lavish rendition of the play. Filmsy props and ill - considered narrative changes do hurt the film. But the resulting expressionist visual language delivers what even Shakespeare's words cannot. Most of the scenes of castle and negative space on the sets was pormed from some hellish mountain top.many time he translated the physical space of the film into a nightmarish reflection of Macbeth's mental state. And Welles also removed various set pieces, background actors, and propse. Welles' adaptation of the narrative language of the play is more of a mixed bag thein his bold aesthetic choice. Few characters are also cut from the film and does not even mentioned their name. For example Ross is cut from film and much of his dialogues given to new major character, the Holy man. So the film of welles is little beat different than play but still close to the story and theme of play.

   So we can able to concider that Welles Macbeth is black and white but well structured and based on morality. I share here the opening scene of Orson Welle's Macbeth.

2] Akira Kurosawa's Throne of Blood (1957)

    Throne of Blood is a 1957 Japanese historical drama film co-written and directed by Akira Kurosawa, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film transposes the plot of William Shakespeare's play Macbeth from Medieval Scotland to feudal Japan, with stylistic elements drawn from Noh drama. The film stars Toshiro Mifune and Isuzu Yamada in the lead roles, modelled on the characters Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.

Macbeth vs. Throne of Bloode :- 

         

    The film is set in medieval Japan, while the play Macbeth is set in medieval Scotland.The location is not the only difference between the two productions. The portrayal of the characters is also very different; this is evident in Act 5, Scene 1. In this pivotal scene Lady Macbeth and Lady Asaji are seen cleansing their hands. While the two scenes share similarities, Shakespeare's depiction and Kurosawa's interpretation of the hand-washing scene are quite different: Lady Asaji appears to be without remorse while Lady Macbeth is filled with regret. As Lady Macbeth attempts to wash the blood from her hands she bellows: "Out, damned spot! Out, I say",There are a few ways that we can view this. We may regard Lady Macbeth as an evil person suffering from a guilty conscience. Lady Macbeth's prior encouragement of her husband to kill and betray in order to gain power has come back to haunt her. The bloodstained hands that Lady Macbeth attempts to scrub are not stained with blood at all. The blood she thinks she sees is all in her head, and could very well symbolize guilt. Living with her guilt all over her hands proves to be the best punishment because it is through this suffering that her once aggressive and bloodthirsty nature reveals the small, delicate woman she really is. Through this form of punishment, Lady Macbeth realizes that she is not a strong person and she then kills herself. William Carroll editor of Macbeth: Texts and Contexts recaps that: "When Lady Macbeth is strong, Macbeth is weak (as at the beginning of the murder plot), and when Macbeth is strong, Lady Macbeth becomes weak (as at the end of the play).

  Here is a Trailer of "The throne of Blood ".

3] Roman Polanski's Macbeth (1971)

Macbeth - 1972

Director - Roman Polanski

Notable Cast - John Finch, Francesca Annis.

  

    Roman Polanski who is a renowned British film director translated Macbeth as film in 1971 with the same name.

starring is Jon Finch, Francesca Amis as lead actors. The film was set in the open countryside in Scotland and his castle was

more like the setting of the original play which makes it more traditional. It was the first film Polanski made after his

wife’s brutal murder. That is why this film is renowned for its horror, nudity and violence.

 

    Polanski wrote screenplay with

Kenneth Tynan and translated Bard’s play with his own ideas and changed many scenes and situations symbolically

confronting the spectators with a dangerous “gorgon” that could amaze them. This film stages the play in a cruel and pagan

world, between the Neolithic and the middle age. The film nonetheless inserts new possibilities into the play. From

beginning to the end there are notable changes. At some places, however, Polanski presents the key scenes of murder of

King Duncan, and Macbeth differently. The murder of the king Duncan, shown in visual images thrills the heart of the

spectators that isolates them to imagine what they felt at the time of reading the play.

The whole cast of the film is impressive. The actors are young fellows. Even the king lived young and died young

then. John Finch as Macbeth is both athletic and impassioned enough to carry off the soldiering, and young and

introspective enough to be moved by his wife as a women and a co-conspirator as well. In many respects Polanski’s

Macbeth seems near to the original play. For instance the castle keeps are cold, dark, and dirty. The common sleeping

cottages, straw bedding, flaring smoky torches, seeping walls, and muddy yards all contributes to the historical accuracy of

this production. All the scenes of murders are nasty which try to show that medieval Scotland was nasty and bloody.This R-rated film of the play features a nude sleepwalking scene by Lady Macbeth and plenty of on-screen violence. Polanski also emphasizes the passage of time – the events of play span several years, and the Macbeths visibly age over the course of the movie.

   This how Polanski's Macbeth is seems more classical and horror.

4] Rupert Goold's Macbeth (2010)

Macbeth - 2010

Director - Rupert Goold

Notable Cast - Patrick Stewart, Kate Fleetwood.

   Macbeth is a 2010 television film based on William Shakespeare's tragedy of the same name. It was broadcast on BBC Four on 12 December 2010. In the United States, it aired on PBS' Great Performances. It was directed by Rupert Goold from his stage adaptation for the Chichester Festival Theatre in 2007. Patrick Stewart is featured in the title role, with Kate Fleetwood as Lady Macbeth. The film evokes the atmosphere of Romania in the 1960s, with subtle parallels between Ceaușescu and Macbeth in their equally brutal quests for power. The Three Witches likewise receive an update in keeping with the 20th century aesthetics, appearing as hospital nurses. Their presence is pervasive throughout the film, punctuating the horror of Macbeth's murderous reign. The film was shot entirely on location at Welbeck Abbey.

   William Shakespeare’s masterpiece, Macbeth, is a tragedy brilliantly brought to the 21st Century by Rupert Goold. Although Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a play set in 16th Century Scotland, Rupert Goold modernizes the play by changing the setting to a Soviet-styled country and implementing modern elements into the characters and theme. Although Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Rupert Goold’s film adaptation share many ideologies and a general storyline, a difference exists in the setting, the characters, and the overall ambience of the story.

     In an effort to successfully relate the plot to his audience, Rupert Goold places the setting for Macbeth in a bleak, militaristic, Society-styled state, described by critic Ben Brantley as a “joyless, stark environment that resembles nothing so much as a morgue.” The setting contributes to a foreboding atmosphere, felt by the audience throughout the entire play. The mannerisms and costumes of the characters of Rupert Goold’s film are in context with the setting.

    As what critic Joseph White accurately describes as “more vicious and less pitiable,” Rupert Goold’s Macbeth is perceived by the viewers of film as a Stalin-like dictator. The halls of his palace are decorated with murals of his face. The film also illustrates the large masses of crowds. Through this perspective of Macbeth, Rupert Goold emphasizes the theme of the corrosive power of unbridled ambition.

    Not unlike Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the character of Macbeth in Rupert Goold’s film is a savage, power-hungry politician. In Goold’s film, however, Macbeth finds humor in the tumultuous events leading to his downfall. His chilling laughter upon the announcement of his wife’s suicide and his demeaning attitude towards his fellow regeeir half-truths and prophecies. In the end, they appear to be angels of Hell.

    The Lady Macbeth of Rupert Goold’s contemporary interpretation of Macbeth and the Lady Macbeth of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth are different in regards to their character traits and appearance. In Ruper Goold’s Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is depicted as an instrument of evil – a constant figure of fiery wrath. Through dark costumes and makeup, the viewers of the film see her as a morbid housewife, consumed with ambition.

   The film remains faithful to the themes of Macbeth. It does not dilute the eternal qualities of evil and treachery that are so viscerally expressed in the play.

5] Justin Kurziel's Macbeth (2015)

Macbeth - 2015

Director - Justin Kurziel.

Notable Cast - Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard.

  This recent adaptation was filmed in Scotland, and opens with the funeral of the Macbeth’s dead son. This plot device links the couple’s thirst for power to their grief over losing their child, and makes the couple initially sympathetic to the audience.

   In Kurzel’s Macbeth, however, the text takes a backseat. Instead, Kurzel relies heavily on sound mixing and symbolic images — the whistling wind, the clashing swords, and the ghostly hooded figures — to communicate plot.Kurzel takes his cues from the text, but he expresses his ideas about the text through images and sounds rather than through the dialogue. Sometimes, these choices even contradict the information embedded in the verse.

    Kurzel’s Medieval Scotland is a harsh, hard world from the outset, full of grey clouds, damp weather, and fog. But the text itself isn’t so blunt.

6] Maqbool :-

    Maqbool was Vishal Bhardwaj's second film as a director. The film had its North American premiere at the 2003 Toronto International Film Festival. And it was also screened in the Marché du Film section of the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. The film has a great star-cast: Pankaj Kapoor (he wins two awards for this role), Irrfan Khan, Tabu, Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, and Piyush Mishra. The screenplay was developed from the drama by Vishal Bhardwaj and Abbas Tyrewala. The most significant turn in the adaptation is that the film is about Mumbai Underworld. The King, Duncan I of Scotland is actually an underworld don, Abbaji. Macbeth (Maqbool) and Banquo (Kaka) are two of his goons who look after his business. And Lady Macbeth (Nimmi) is actually a mistress of Abbaji and not a wife of Maqbool.

    Two corrupt policemen predicts the reign of Maqbool on Abbaji's kingdom. The role of witches from the drama is taken by these two corrupt policemen. But, unlike drama, they are not passive fortune-tellers. In fact, they are active in manipulating the future events.

   The scenes of hallucination and fright of blood have been portrayed very powerfully. Both Maqbool and Nimmi were guilt ridden and hallucinating the blood and dead-bodies of the people they’ve killed. In drama, Macbeth had hallucination of Banquo during a meet at his castle. Lady Macbeth saved him by asking other guests to leave. In the movie, the scene was well-incorporated. It was a time of one of the death rituals of Abbaji, everyone was there. And the policemen bring the dead-body of Kaka. Maqbool, here, hallucinates that Kaka wakes up from death and discloses his evil intentions.

   When Macbeth asks about his demise, witches tell him that the jungle's arrival at his palace will bring his doom. Similar prediction is used here. On Maqbool's query Policemen tells him that sea's arrival at his palace will bring his doom. Such a prophecy, on literal level, is impossible to turn true. But, the Custom comes to Maqbool's palace to arrest him, due to his smuggling from sea route.

    Thus to conclud, we can able to say that, The Macbeth is one of the Major play with lots of intresting elements, themes, symbols, and horror and supernatural things. Always being a focus of many movie makers.

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References :-

1)Shakespeare. Org. Uk.

2)encyclopedia

3)phd research papers of scholars.

4)enotes. Com

5)The conversation.com

6)sevent-row. Com

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