Film reaction: Macbeth

My initial thought to watching a movie adaption on Macbeth was that it would be dry and boring. But I was pleasantly surprised when the first scene began and the intensity of the film instantly hit. Beginning with a bloody hand constricting and contracting as the owner lay on his dying bed. We are focused on this bloody hand, and as well see a theme of bloody hands through out the film. This being a continuing theme through out the film, perhaps symbolizing the blood on the hands of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.  One particular scene that comes to mind is that in which Lady Macbeth has gone insane, and is sleep walking and continually trying to rub blood off her hands that is no longer there.  “What, will these hands ne'er be clean? --No more o'that, my lord, no more o' that: you mar all with this starting.”

            This was a particularly interesting adaptation because it was not set in the time period of the original. We are to infer that this adaptation takes place during the time of World War II, because of the black and white war scenes the film opens up with. One of the potentially difficult things that could result from this is how to pull of the witches as characters. But the film fluidly fit them in, making them appear as false nurses looming about. This was something that struck me as a strong success, the witches being very eerie and surreal. This perhaps conveying a creepier vibe to me, as opposed to how they appeared in the play, being allegedly bearded women.