Macbeth - The Film starring Jason Connery

Of the Scots, for the Scots.
This is Macbeth of the Scots, for the Scots. Purists will really like the authenticity of this interpretation as well as the refreshingly naturalistic style of acting. Jason Connery of Robin of Sherwood fame (and we won't mention a famous father) is pleasingly gritty and real while his Lady Macbeth is luscious and driven as LadyMac should be. They are supported by a cast of true scots- a good thing. Students seem to appreciate the understated style and real locations. There is a companion documentary which examines the themes and issues in a way that is not the least bit dry- a feat indeed. 'Screw your courage to the sticking place' and watch enthralled.

The Good, The Bad, and the Puzzling
The good news is that this feature is not the worst Macbeth production I've seen. As many of you may know, to date, the quintessential Macbeth has not been produced. But, in searching for a version that may be appropriate for my high school students either to be shown as a whole or in part, this one does pass some qualifications. Though some scenes are shortened and others left out, the basic heart of the play is intact. I believe the acting, cinematography, and pace of plot are sufficient to keep most students engaged, at least for the short term. Nevertheless, one negative is that the actor's soliloquies are most often done as voiced over thoughts rather than spoken words, much like the Orson Wells version. Unlike the Polanski version, this one doesn't strike me as being challengeable as inappropriate for students since there are no naked witches or gratuitously and over the top gory scenes. That's not to say, however, there are no scenes of war, sword play, and bloody death. True...

I wish it were in a playable format
The film is set in the appropriate century and adheres pretty well to the Shakespearean text (although with considerable cuts from the play near the end of the film). I also believe that this film presents the best "Is this a dagger I see before me?" soliloquy I have seen on stage or in film. Macbeth goes into a chapel to pray silently (as he tormented with his intention to kill King Duncan), kneels before a cross, and then is presented with the inverted (perverted) shadow of the cross on the ground before him when the winds beat open the window and the moonlight comes cascading in behind the cross. Macbeth, seeking spiritual strength, instead sees the image of an inverted cross before him on the ground, and asks, "Is this a dagger I see before me?" This method of having Macbeth see a dagger is much better than the floating or imaginary daggers of other presentations in film and on stage that present Macbeth as a lunatic too early in the play. This scene alone draws me to the...

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