Macbeth (1979)

The last production of Macbeth I'll be looking at is considered by some the best we have on record (the Laurence Olivier production of 1955 is not recorded), the Trevor Nunn directed one starring Ian McKellen and Judi Dench, shot in 1979.

The production is very spare, with just a few props and the set cloaked in darkness. There isn't even a table at the banquet scene (and Banquo does not actually appear--we just have McKellen's reaction). Many of the scenes are shot in extreme closeup--when McKellen tells Dench he will not go forward with the murder of Duncan, the frame is full of the two faces, almost nose to nose.

This method highlights the text, which is almost uncut (still, the Hecate scene is not to be found, I have yet to see it in any production). Sometimes this makes the play a bit dreary, as the scene in England with Malcolm and Macduff testing each other drags on a bit.

But the horror of the play is there, even if it isn't as bloody as some of the other productions. When we first see Macbeth he has a streak of blood on his face from the battle he has won. And McKellen is most effective when he is losing his mind--the Banquo's ghost scene has him gesticulating and leaking fluids out his nose and mouth. Dench, for her part, is probably the best Lady Macbeth you'll see--her inhuman scream during the sleepwalking scene is chilling.

A few famous faces were in the supporting cast. Roger Rees plays Malcolm, and I was admiring the actor who played Ross. The credits revealed he is none other than Ian McDiarmid, who would later gain fame as the Emperor Palpatine in the Star Wars films.