Macbeth (1971) (Criterion Collection)

Read more

Roman Polanski presents his nightmarish vision of Shakespeare's classic tragedy about the lust for power-and its bloody consequences. Jon Finch is Macbeth, the Scottish war hero whose insane ambitionunleashes a cycle of violence. Prompted by the supernatural prophecy of three witches, Macbeth is goaded by his Lady (Francesca Annis) into slaying King Duncan (Nicholas Selby) and assuming his throne. Macbeth plunges further into murder and moral decay to keep the unsteady crown on his head. While his wife crumbles away in guilt and madness, the haunted Macbeth fights to prevent another dark forecast which may doom him. Filmed in rugged North Wales, Polanski's MACBETH is a tale told by a master, full of sound and fury-and genius!

William Shakespeare`s immortal play about a Scottish warrior (Jon Finch) whose wife`s lust for power transforms him into inhuman monster is given it`s rawest, most brutal screen treatment in this version by Roman Polanski (Rosemary's Baby, Chinatown). Filmed in suitably bleak locales and imbued with nudity not usually seen in the works of Shakespeare--along with realistically gory murders--this Macbeth is singular and sensational, but is not for the young or faint of heart.