Macbeth 1971

This is a magnificent rending of the play, which enhances its macabre grandeur by putting into play the full powers of a great director. The story has been translated into the idiom of cinema, with the beautiful setting of the Scottish highlands replacing the more customary claustrophobic interiors. Polanski is the right man to tell this gory tale, having been a victim of the holocaust. His gut wrenching Pianist which depicts his native Poland in the Nazi era is difficult to confront a second time. In Macbeth he spares no punches. This is indeed an unforgettable trans-creation, true to the essence.