Customer Reviews

Macbeth: The DVD Edition (Folger Shakespeare Library)

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This review will focus on the enclosed DVD of the 2008 Folger Theatre production directed by Aaron Posner and Teller, since that's the real reason why I bought this product. I found the decision to package it with the Folger paperback edition of Macbeth somewhat odd, since I suspect most people who would be interested in the DVD already own at least one copy of the play. That said, the bundled edition is a great choice for a newcomer to Shakespeare; like all of the Folger editions, the book is very user-friendly, with facing-page notes and a running plot summary.

As one might expect, this production provides plenty of illusion and spectacle: witches vanish, air-drawn daggers hover, and by the end of the sleepwalking scene Lady Macbeth is drenched with blood that seems to come from nowhere. The central idea is that the audience sees what Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are seeing. This is a fast-paced, action-driven Macbeth, and I found it an interesting contrast to the dark, minimalist 1979 version with Ian McKellen and Judi Dench, in which nearly everything is left to the imagination. I recommend seeing both; the acting in the McKellen / Dench version is stronger, but I liked the energy, momentum, and inventive staging of the Folger production, and Ian Merrill Peakes is an excellent, unexpectedly sympathetic, Macbeth. He's a soldier, a bit inarticulate (his fumbling for words provides a touch of comedy in the early scenes), and clearly over his head in the tangled web of prophecy and murder in which he finds himself; his "She should have died hereafter" speech, addressed to a frightened, teenaged Seyton, is particularly powerful. Kate Eastwood Norris's performance as Lady Macbeth is more uneven, and some of the minor characters are rather weak, but on the whole it's well worth seeing. I have a soft spot for stage productions filmed in front of a live audience, and the actors and audience at the Folger are clearly enjoying themselves hugely.

This production takes a freehand approach to Shakespeare's text. Some scenes overlap or are spliced together; Lady Macduff appears in some of the early scenes and is given a couple of her husband's lines; the Porter scene is rewritten with bonus knock-knock jokes; and there are a number of cuts. For the most part, these changes work, but there are a few missteps; e.g., Macbeth's vision of Banquo's descendants in 4.1 is cut, leaving the reason for his anger at the witches and increasing paranoia unclear. This is one place where the characterization seems to be sacrificed to the production's focus on visual spectacle, although these elements are generally well balanced.

The Folger Library, the premier Shakespeare library in the world, is issuing a series of newer versions of Shakespeare's plays in book form with improved translations, notes, insights, and information to help the reader understand the background, settings, basics and subtleties of the plays. The series is very good, for a newcomer or a fan of the bard.

In 2008 Teller, of the magician team Penn and Teller, teamed up with director Posner to produce a version of MacBeth that includes the magic and witchcraft that Shakespeare wrote into this bloody murder play. The DVD included with this book (why package it in a slipcase when you can put it in the book? great idea) is the movie of that play's performance. I saw the play live at the Folger. Without the special effects I would say the play was very well acted and thoroughly entertaining. Before going to the performance I was worried that Penn's magic touches would seem hokey or too "Vegas", but the magic was worked into the scenes perfectly and this performance of the play is powerful, surprising, wonderful.

This DVD would be an excellent version to show to high school students or anyone with a beginning interest in Shakespeare. There is comedy, drama, magic, strife, loyalty, betrayal, murder, revenge, and more. Not counting the magic I felt like this was very close to the way the plays were presented in their original playing. With the magic the spell of the play is enhanced. The camera moves about the small Folger Elizabethan style theater and includes the audience at times. The movie part of the play is well done.

The extras on the DVD show the actors in rehearsal, the actors speaking about their roles and their approach to the performance, and Penn describing his long love for the play and how the magic that Shakespeare wove into the play is what Penn is trying to bring forth, which he does very well. I can't understand why this version of the play has not gone on tour.

I don't know what it is. I'm a Shakespeare fan. Not some sort of lit-major precious pinky-finger-extended fan, but I really do love the hell out of most Shakespeare. But I've seen Macbeth several times now, including a major staging recentl at Minneapolis's Guthrie Theater, and I just don't care for it. I suppose part of the reason is that, more than say Hamlet or Othello, Macbeth's "tragic flaw" is kind of just being a jerk. I don't find him sympathetic, and consequently I don't suppose his story is as engrossing to me.

Having said that, what Macbeth has in abundance is a context for funky staging, including theatrical special effects, and this DVD version of the play partly staged by Teller (of the Penn and Teller magic duo) takes full, giddy advantage of all that opportunity. It really was a masterstroke to let Teller run wild with this material. And the book that accompanies the DVD (or is it the other way around?) is extremely helpful as a reference for understanding the play better.

My favorite moments during the filmed version of the live play came when one of the characters simply breaks out from the stage and begins several minutes of very sharp, very relevant improvisation. Everything about this production is dead on. So if you're a fan of Macbeth already, this will surely represent a fresh telling (Tellering?) of the tale you will find invigorating. And if, like me, not so much--you will at least be able to understand better what so many people see in this tough little Scottish play.

Since I am an English teacher, and I teach Macbeth every year, I own or have seen just about every movie version of Macbeth that's available. The special effects and interpretation of this version is fantastic for students being introduced to Shakespeare's plays for the first time.

This is a great edition. The book has excellent resources for teaching the play, and the dvd of the play is fantastic. It is the best play version I have ever shown students. Plus, it is a phenomenal deal for the price.

I teach special needs kids who struggle with reading. In order to align their studies with regular ed, we also read a play by Shakespeare...our version is simplified. After reading the play, I will show this excellent stage production. I'm sure my high schoolers will really like this...there's enough blood, gore, and scary stuff for everyone to watch! They will better be able to follow the story line after reading our version. This is appropriate, of course, for all students.