17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Understanding Macbeth, April 5, 2002
This review is from: Macbeth (Educational DVD) (DVD)
I recently purchased this DVD. As a new teacher, I found this to be an exciting, dynamic and engaging teaching tool. The performances helped my students understand the text and the interactive menus and DVD-ROM extras made my life easy...lesson plans, quizzes...a literary terms glossary! The commentary was also very helpful. I highly recommend this to both students and teachers alike.
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31 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Abominable, May 27, 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: Macbeth (Educational DVD) (DVD)
This is awful. I was literally embarrassed for the people involved in this.
Using modern costumes can work with Shakespeare. But this was absurd. It's insulting to kids to think that they can't sit through scenes of Macbeth unless it's performed like this. For goodness' sake, Macbeth wrote his letter to Lady Macbeth on a laptop. Can this work? It can, but it didn't. My students ridiculed this version, especially when Macbeth was looking through vertical blinds to see the English army advancing...
The acting is the worst acting I have ever seen anywhere. Lady Macbeth barely can read her lines.
Half the time they pronounce it "McBeth" and half the time "Macbeth." (The latter is preferred.)
The witches were annoying to the point of being unwatchable. The scene with them feeding each other bloody (animal?) parts was gratuitous and disgusting.
Another insult to kids is the idea that they can't sit through a video unless it has flashy graphics. Shakespeare's audience did ok without MTV-style flashes and effects--I think kids can handle it, too. It was just plain annoying. And the graphics were cheesey! It's an assault on the eyes to be watching this. It looked more like it was filmed in a disco.
Or should I say videotaped, and with horrible quality.
Also, almost every scene in Macbeth takes place in darkness or stormy weather, and on a heath on Scotland. This was filmed in the desert somewhere, with bright sunlight in the scenes.
I think it's fine that not every scene is included, but why not include the banquet scene?
Don't waste your money. Write letters instead to Kenneth Branaugh begging him to make an updated movie.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome, April 4, 2002
This review is from: Macbeth (Educational DVD) (DVD)
This DVD helped me pass a test on Macbeth. It is the best!
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