Macbeth Film Comparison Essay

Comp atomic number 18 and subscriber line the open uping scenes of Polanskis 1971 dart variation of Macbeth with Geoffrey Wrights 2007 adaptation. roman print Polanskis and Geoffrey Wrights adaptations of Shakespeares Macbeth are leaseed in opposite ardours notwithstanding universe based on the same play. This may be to sheath a variant earreach or convey a diametrical message to genius another.Roman Polanskis 1971 reproduction opens on a wide cant over shot of a beach with a new coming up over the horizon. This creates a feeling of morning, and that this is expert the capture of a storyline. After this, three old, lasted women appear and dig a hole in the sand- tout ensembleowing a mysterious atmosphere to develop, which leaves the reference missing to know more(prenominal). The witches consequently bury a dagger encased in a seve reddened hand and a hangmans noose. These items allow the audience to ponder upon the connection of the items.The witches then say their goodbyes and wander off along the beach, the only sound existence the squeaking of their cart used to tie the ritual items in. This shot is quite an simple, alone it creates a feeling of anticipation.Geoffrey Wrights 2007 adaptation opens in a more 21st century megahit course, with attractive young schoolgirls playing the part of the witches who vandalise a graveyard by gouging out the eyes of statues of angels and crop-dustinging the eyes of the statues with red spray paint. This is quite an aggressive scene to get down with, and sets the pace for the rest of the take in. Compared to Polanskis version, this introduction offers a more up-beat feel, instead of the more sombre style of the 1971 direct.The camera then pans round to a close-up of Macbeths compositors case whose assist is drawn to the young schoolgirls as they wander past him. He then looks at his wife who is kneeling over their dead discussions grave crying. Again, another close-up, but this time of Lady Macbeths mettle which at this point is not particularly attractive. This could show Macbeths appetite for a prettier woman in the schoolgirls, and trueity- the less attractive sight of his wife but in the end, no- sensation knows what he is work outing, just that he is not consolatory his wife.Here, the atmosphere is quite tense- lots of things are happening at one time which pass waters you feel standardized you are there, in Macbeths hectic, entangled mind. In relation to Polanskis film, this film is less mysterious and makes you live fewer twists because there ingest been not some(prenominal) so far.The deed of conveyance nontextual matter in Polanskis film are set in a Roman style font, Seriffed and coloured black. The aged font emphasizes the concomitant that the film is precise tralatitious. This style of writing is often used in newspaper articles. The 2007 adaptation uses a much more in advance(p), contemporary sans-serif font. The schoolbook is colou red red- a recurring makeup in this film.In the 1971 version, a wide angle shot of the beach is the start of the film. This wide angle shot is used throughout the first scene to envision the pitch-black landscape that the film is set in. The wide shot could withal be showing us the bigger picture- that there are many little thing that make up the plot of Macbeth, and this is just one little thing on a wide, open beach.Geoffrey Wrights film does not include many wide- angle shots in the first few scenes. This is most probably because of the live up to-packed nature of the film. Therefore the camera follows the action intensely- for pattern following the witches around the graveyard. This gives the audience an adrenalin rush- especially in the action scenes where the audience can perceive themselves to be taking part in the violence.In both films however, close-up shots of the faces of the main characters are shown. In Polanskis film this is to show mainly emotion- the creepy ex pressions of the witches, and Macbeths unclouded expression when shown in a close-up. When Macbeth is first shown, invaders are being hung in the background- but Macbeth retains his blank facial expression- suggesting that he has no feelings for those being hung.Geoffrey Wrights film shows close-ups of the faces of the witches defacing the statues at the graveyards. These shots show the determination that the witches show by their facial expressions to destroy all that has to do with God and heaven in the graveyard. The close-ups of Lady Macbeths face show her weakness in her experience for her dead child.Polanskis film uses very weak morning light as a orbit for the beach scene. This gives a dull, grey, washed out look to the beach. The beach seems quite uncomfortable, as it is daybreak and there is almost no light and the open beach makes you feel cold in post creating an atmosphere that hints to you that something bad is about(predicate) to happen.Similarly, the 2007 version seems to be shot in the day, but there is very little light as the graveyard is overcast. Despite this, the graveyard feels more comfortable overdue to the auburn whisker of the witches which seem to emit fervor and light- allowing the audience to feel more relaxed and enjoy the action scene that follows.Polanskis film opens with the witches burying strange items that all link to death and suffering- a dagger, a noose and a severed hand. Blood ( mayhap a token of murder) is then poured over the items. The witches then spit on either side of themselves, by chance to bind themselves to the witchcraft they are taking part in. the weather at that time is bleak ,and a thunderstorm is brewing- possibly suggesting a little cheaply hat something bad is about to happen. At that point, after(prenominal) the title sequence, the king gallops onto the beach to the sound of trumpets- symbolic of royalty and fame.In Geoffrey Wrights adaptation, a recurring theme of red is used from the start of the film. This colour represents blood, murder, death, danger, and the hell on earth. For example, the witches pig is Auburn, suggesting that they pose a mild danger to Macbeth. Also, The Cawdor- the proscribe which is used as a drugs den, has red wallpaper- suggesting that it is part of the underworld.The witches vandalise a graveyard at the start of the film, showing their hatred towards God and heaven. They squeeze out the eyes of the angels- possibly make them blind to what is about to happen. reddened spray paint is forcefully sprayed in the eyes of the statues, also making them oblivious to the witchcraft about to take place. Crosses are also defaced- possibly a reference to Macbeths worries about his afterlife. After the vandalism, the girls quieten down, possibly showing an ounce of respect seen as though the place they just demolished is a graveyard. Macbeth is svelte in casual attire, but in black, as in the introduction, he is supposed to be mourning his sons d eath. Macbeths wife also lays down white roses- symbols of love and innocence- ironic as in the end, nobody seems to be innocent afterward on, as Macbeth and his gang chase a drug dealer from the underworld (with the prevailing colour of red), yellow street lights and buildings are shown- this separated the real world from the underworld. This shows the audience that Macbeths actions are not within the realms of what a ordinary person would do, and that in order to carry on with his normal life he must keep his actions inside the underworld.Music is an all-important(a) part in setting the scene for a film, and in Roman Polanskis film, a droning, repetitive, chaos-inducing tune is used which shows the kookiness of the witches. When Macbeth is shown, a drum beat, not dissimilar to that of an army march beat is used. This shows how Macbeth is a soldier and leave behind fight for his king. The King has medicament played on a trumpet- vey noble and flattering, this shows his positio n clearly as a monarch.The music played for the different characters is mostly to show who they are in terms of status and the music is used instead of a lengthy introduction, allowing the audience to apply stereotypes to the different characters via the music and paint a picture in their minds about the character, but on a deeper level than shown on screen.While the title graphics are showing, fighting sounds are played- simulating the sounds of a battlefield. Plus with swords clanging and maces clashing, the audience are allowed to recreate their own battle in their minds without the help of optic hints.The 2007 version uses similarly annoying, grating noises for the witches- but this time using snort sounds- possibly a link to the devil posing as a snake in the Bible story of Adam and eventide, where the snake fools Eve into eating the Apple, who then fools Adam into also eating the apple- an uncanny parity to the tragedy of Macbeth.Instead of showing a blank screen charm sho wing the title credits, Wright preferred to show a gung-ho showdown in the midst of Macbeths gang and an Asian gang. Here, the music is loud and upbeat in contrast to the hissing beforehand- just like the 1971 version. Possibly in an set about to entice the audience of the 21st century, Wright uses very violent scenes- such as depicting men being shot with submachine guns by Macbeth.Again- this may ca-ca been done to excite the audience and instead of letting the audience make up the fight in their minds, a graphical representation has been invest on a plate for them. This was not done in 1971 due to the social taboos against showing excessively violent scenes in films- a theme that runs right through the 2007 version as nowadays, these types of scenes are generally being seen as more and more acceptable despite many accept that suggesting is much more powerful than stating- as could be the case in Wrights version.Roman Polanskis film shows witches dressed in torment clothes, u nwashed and with no shoes. This allows the audience to see immediately that these women are strange, and not very pissed. The king on the other hand is shown to wear a fine suit of armour, with a polished helmet- showing his social brilliance and wealth. Macbeth lies in the middle of the two extremes- not exuberantly poor like the witches- as he wears chainmail and shoes but not very wealthy and important- as he has no banner or shiny helmet. This simplistic method of categorising people shows the simplistic way in which Polanski is trying to depict the characters and show the audience how Macbeth is lodged between the two extremes of wealth and social status.When Macbeth meets up with his gang for the action sequence, all of his gang are dressed nervelessly in dark clothes. All except the gangs Consigliere (the Kings son) who is dressed in a smart black suit with a red tie- again, with reference to the recurring theme of red, this time showing him as royalty, and as having a hi gher social status than the other gang members. bull is an important part of first impressions- in Polanskis film, Macbeths hair is not shown in the introduction, and is hidden by a chainmail hood. This could hint at Macbeth being sheltered from evil and guarded due to his hood acting as a safety blanket. The King wears a crown- a symbol of true royalty, and his hair is uncovered- possibly showing that he is weak. Geoffrey Wrights adaptation also depicts the King as being weaker than the other characters when his hair colour is looked at. The King is shown as having very fair, blonde hair- again being a symbol of innocence and weakness.The witches in Polanskis film have different hairstyles- two have hoods- like Macbeths but do of cloth, and one has dirty, unwashed brown hair. This array of hairstyles allows the audience to realise that the witches are individuals, and are not all identical in the way they behave. On the other hand, the 2007 version shows all of the witches having the same hairstyle and colour- that being red- with connotations to blood and death. This also is trying to show the audience that they are quite aggressive and possibly have links to the devil.Roman Polanskis film depicts Macbeth with 1970s style censoring- no explicitly violent or sexual scenes but traditional hints at what is happening. Wrights version is essentially a film from a all different time period- showing excessive violence to help the modern audience understand what is going on.I think that despite the sometimes cheesy details of the film, Polanski has created a classic that really entices the audience and makes them esteem what is going on when subtle hints are dropped directing the viewer on the right direction in terms of their mental picture of the scene. The 2007 version shows how complacent modern-day audiences have become with violence and nudity in films. I think that this is mostly down to the filmmakers wanting to make the film more exciting- in some ways t hey have, as the action scenes in the film can be quite gripping. But as a teenager, I think that more needs to be done in order to let my imagination get to work and try to think of what is really happening, and what is the film trying to tell me beyond the gratuitous violence.