Macbeth (2006)

Director:

Geoffrey Wright

Writers:

Victoria Hill (screenplay)
William Shakespeare (play)

Release Date:

21 September 2006 (Australia)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

The Melbourne underworld. The present time.

Plot:

A contemporary retelling of Shakespeare's "Macbeth" set in the ganglands of Melbourne. |

Plot Keywords:

Assault Rifle | Vision | Nudity | Breasts | Thane

Awards:

2 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Chloe Armstrong	...	1st Witch
Kate Bell	...	2nd Witch
Miranda Nation	...	3rd Witch
Sam Worthington	...	Macbeth
Victoria Hill	...	Lady Macbeth
Steve Bastoni	...	Banquo
Lachy Hulme	...	Macduff
Bob Franklin	...	Siward
Lance Anderson	...	Henchman with Glasses
Simon Scott	...	Macbeth's Bagman
Matt Doran	...	Malcolm
Damian Walshe-Howling	...	Ross
Jonny Pasvolsky	...	Lennox
Nash Edgerton	...	Macdonwald
Kevin Tran	...	Macdonwald's Bagman

Also Known As:

M. (Australia) (working title)

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:MA | Finland:K-15 | Germany:16 | UK:15

Company:

Arclight Films

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "At the Movies: (2006-09-27)" (2006)

10 for Shakespeare, 9 for production.....make the whole a 4!

The story of Macbeth was one of the most successful Shakespeare ever wrote. This may be due to some features that place it close to the slasher genre, murder, murder, kill, kill, gallons of blood, a tense sexual relation between the main characters etc. More than this, the original play is very appealing taking into consideration the length (it's only half the size of Hamlet) and the focus on Macbeth for whom we are constrained to care in spite of his bloody nature. The play would seem ideal to base a movie on. Not so lengthy it gives the directors the possibility to explore it's many levels, a good actor can play the role of his lifetime, the film has deep meaning in any historical period. Unfortunately this has not been the case with Macbeth. Polanski's version comes quite close but it insists too much on the medieval period. Welles' film is too personal, with an interesting twist towards totalitarianism, the 1990 or so TV version is too shallow. This 2006 movie is no exception. It is very far from a Shakespeare film, but it is interesting to see how the director understood the story and where he places it in contemporary life. No knights in shiny armor but gangsters in shiny cars. A lot of drugs and trippy music replace the dread of night in the original play. The idea of Macbeth is so simple that to take and implant it in modern day life doesn't need Shakespeare at all. The worst part in the film are the lines. Most of the poignant scenes of the play, such as the dagger scene are trimmed so much they seem pointless. Replacing the knocks in the door with doorbells and horses with cars seems funny. If they wanted to make a movie about power and its temptation they could have done it easily without Shakespeare. This Macbeth seems to be a looser with a brain injury not a valiant warrior, brave and ambitious that wants power so much he is prepared to to kill and who gets caught up in a net of fears and despair. The movie doesn't make clear what drives Lady Macbeth to madness, it doesn't give a reason why some of the characters should fear Macbeth and his "terror" (since there is no hereditary ascension to the throne, what with no throne and all) and it places Macbeth in an awkward position, since the leadership of a gang is as far from kingship as this whole movie is far from any Shakespeare. In conclusion, we have two superimposed ideas that never quite meet making this a film that's ultimately pointless.... Stand not upon the order of your going but go!