MacBest!!

Today (February 25, 2008), we watched yet another movie for this course. It is also one of Shakespeare’s which is “Macbeth”. It was filmed in 1976, if I’m not mistaken so there’s colour in the movie!! Yippee!! Compared to “Shakespeare Wallah”, Macbeth is a rather heavy movie as it deals with war and the consequences of it. The first scene that I think is brutal is when one of the soldiers finishes off one of their enemies that is still moving while lying almost dead. There is no mercy at all because he strikes his back with a weapon that has a chained spike ball at the end of the handle. I think there is a special name for this weapon but I forgot what it is. It’s been too long since I last played war games. Hehe. Moving on, the story evolves around Macbeth, a warrior of Scotland in early 11th century. He has helped the King to win a lot of states - or lands as they call it. In a journey, he together with Bourdou went through a place and come across three women (ugly and scary looking) who I found out to be witches. They told both him and Bourdou of their prophecy that Macbeth shall be king but Bourdou’s grandson will be continuing in that line (again, if I’m not mistaken). Watching the movie in the screening room is really inappropriate. We’ve watched movies in the lecture hall before and I found out that it is much more convenient there. I think it is because of the seats going higher over distance and the sound system is much clearer. In the screening room, people who get the worse seats (back of the room) can barely see the movie. Even I, sitting on the second row had a hard time watching through the backs of the people in front. The nice thing is that this movie has subtitle though I prefer it to be in English. Oops, how did I get here?

Okay, as they continue on that journey, news came to them in the form of messengers saying that the owner of Condor (if I’m not mistaken) is caught and that the land now is Macbeth’s. This is also in the three witches’ prophecies of Macbeth. I am so sorry that I have a very vague understanding of the plot and rather weak memory of the names of the people in this movie. The naming of whom the king’s successor is going to be at that particular night and as the first prophecy has been true Macbeth is rather confident that he will get that position. So, he sent a letter to his wife to inform of the news. When the king announced it, it was to Macbeth’s shock that Duncan got the position and the king announces that the troop will go to Macbeth’s house to celebrate him being the master of Condor. Then, he quickly dismisses from that occasion to his house. When told of the news, his wife (I really don’t know her name) came up with an idea to assassinate the king on his stay there. Macbeth blindly agreed to that suggestion. So, they prepared for the king’s arrival, and at the party Macbeth re-thinks about it and said to his wife that he would rather be liked as the master of Condor rather than being hated as the king’s murderer. The wife cried and accuses Macbeth of having a weak heart. After so much persuasion, Macbeth gives in and killed the king with daggers. This is another brutal scene though I found it to be funny at first because of the exaggeration of movements. But, it shows that Macbeth still had some human in him before the king awakens but had to kill him to shut him up. This scene shows that women are a bad influence on men and men can be easily manipulated as well. This is also portrayed in one of his other works, “Antony & Cleopatra” (in which we are learning in this course) whereby Cleopatra is the one who causes Antony a lot of trouble. This visualises that people would do anything for power.
Wow, there’s actually so much more I can talk about this movie. The costumes are appropriate with the time setting and the environment setting is also at accordance. Hmm.. Now, I’d like to be mad at Macbeth for killing his sidekick, Bourdou and trying to kill his son as well. Thank goodness Phillian managed to escape. On the night of celebration (don’t remember for what) where Bourdou was killed, Macbeth nightmare came to him even when he’s awake. He is seeing Bourdou with blood all over his face and is coming after him. It serves him right. The people who killed Bordou are also killed so that no information of the king’s ill-doing will be spread out. Sedemon, his sidekick now is in the position Macbeth was also in beginning of the movie. He would do anything to get recognised and given power. He went to see his sister, wife of Macduff who fled to England, for the last time so that he will give way for soldiers of his to get that land and give it to Macbeth. There’s a scene that is really gruesome where the soldiers satisfy their lust by raping the women all at once. The scene goes on showing a woman dead and covered in blood with clothes torn apart. He thought he’ll be next in line but to his dismay it was given to someone else. Sedemon then go straight to the other side to join Macduff, to whom his wife was killed due to Sedemon’s doing. The queen also gets worse and is mentally sick. This is an irony because she is the one protecting Macbeth of his mental illness and now she is dead because of it. Then “Life’s Brief Candle” is recited by Macbeth when he goes to see her. The image of the queen is also not pleasant.

When everything is normal to Macbeth, suddenly ‘the pale skin boy’ said that there will be war against England soon. Some fled, and Macbeth mocks them of their coward ness. Still, Macbeth is laid back because the prophecy said that he will be fine until the Benem (Birnam) Forest come to him which to him is unlikely. Then one day, the people in charge of the tower said that the forest seems to be moving. Everyone fled leaving Macbeth all alone. He fought for his life and we can see that he is a better warrior than Macduff who falls a lot during that one-to-one battle. Still Macbeth is confident while saying out another prophecy which is ‘no man of born woman shall kill me’. Macduff said that he was born Caesarean way and hold on to the belief that he might be the one who can kill Macbeth. He did and he slashes out Macbeth’s head and show it to the rest of the kingdom. This scene is the most horrific as it really does seem real. I was sick to my stomach, all right. Then, the crown is given to (Malcolm??) which again fulfils the prophecy of the witches.