Although I have watched quite a reasonable amount of Shakespeare, I realized recently that I have tended to stay to the couple of main works that I know at least a little, and there were plenty I have not seen. Watching through film versions of the sonnets is part of addressing this, but it surprised me that I do not think I have ever seen Macbeth in any form. I know the basic plot, but mainly that is because I have read critics referencing someone as being like Macbeth or lady Macbeth, so my extension I know how they are. To remedy this I got hold of this National Theatre performance featuring Kenneth Branagh in the title role.
The delivery is filmed in a sort of theatre; I'm not sure where it was but the audience sit on both sides and the back of the stage is laid out like the front of a church. Most of the action occurs in front of this, on a long muddy strip of floor which links to the Scottish moors (even if it occasionally seems out of place in some scenes). The effect is really good, including rain effects at one point; I like the lack of stage in particular, putting everything almost in a pit. The plot unfolds as I sort of knew, although with details and lines that I was not aware of. The performances hold the space really well; Branagh is very strong in the lead and his performance aided my understanding of the words a great deal. He is well supported by Fearon's Macduff, as well as others such as Doyle and Yuill to name only a few. Kingston got a lot of praise for her performance, but for me it was mixed. At first her performance is balanced well, but later she is more manic – and not always in a way that fits the material or character. In particular I found her final scene in the dream-state to be over-the-top and almost comical in her dramatic body movements and facial expressions. The three sisters I found hard to understand at times – not sure if this was them or the acoustics of the filming.
Running only at 2 hours, this version is very well done. I found it accessible in terms of understanding the characters and interactions, with the dialogue easier to understand thanks to the performances which are generally both expressive but also helpful to the viewer. The set is unusual but as I settled into the idea, I enjoyed it more. Kingston was the only thing for me that didn't work – but like I say, it was really only that last scene where I felt she pushed things too much over-the-top.
