Movie Comparison: Macbeth
In this essay I will compare Roman Polanzki’s “Macbeth” with Shakespeare’s
script for the play. “Macbeth” is a great play written by Shakespeare in 1606, but it lacks
certain details to turn it into a movie. This is where movie directors come in; they are to
add in the needed scenes and change things to spice up certain events. Movies provide
much more flexibility than plays, but also have to be much more detailed.
Some of the most important details are the costumes. Polanzki and his team did a
good job with the clothes and armors to reflect the time period and location. There are
some differences in the costumes however; for example the witches don’t have beards
and in one scene they are naked.
Also, Polanzki changed the setting in some scenes; like the beginning scene
where the witches met on a beach instead of a battlefield, and they were burying things
instead of dropping them in a cauldron. The different setting and events are also
confusing for someone who didn’t read Shakespeare’s play but it still sets a mood of
mystery and evil. In fact, all of the witches’ scenes are different than in the play, with
different costumes, settings and actions. The witches may even be confused with some
old women that are spilling out prophecies. The only similarities are the prophecies that
they gave to Macbeth and Banquo. Other than these changes, Polanzki did a good job
with the setting, creating an interesting atmosphere and reflecting the background of that
time.
Costumes, large settings and attention to small details are what turns a play into a
realistic movie, but acting and the events are what makes a movie. The acting is done of
course by actors who play in their character roles. Unlike the costumes and setting, the
characters aren’t exactly specified, which gives the directors the job to find suitable
actors to fit different roles. Polanzki managed to find some really good actors that fir
right in, with the exception of Duncan who was supposed to be older. Polanzki did
change the script in other scenes than the witches. He added a scene where Duncan wakes
up before being murdered by Macbeth, they struggle, but Macbeth still kills him. Then
Macbeth kills the guards after the murder is discovered, and uses someone else’s sword
who witnesses the slaying. Another added scene is Macbeth dreaming of Banquo and his
son killing him. Polanzki also changed the ambush scene to happen during the day and to
use some sort of tree roadblock trap. The murderers also hit Banquo in the back, and
threw him into a river.
Some of these added scenes would have been difficult to be acted out in a play,
but they fit perfectly in a movie. The movie does follow Shakespeare’s script closely,
except for the witches’ scenes which would have been better off unchanged. Polanzki
made a really good movie, with the exception of some disturbing parts, but the added
scenes really enhanced the plot.
By: Andrei Tudor