Product Details

• Actors: Michael Jayston, Barbara Leigh Hunt, Ralph Nossek, Charles Warren
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Hbo Home Video
• VHS Release Date: September 1, 1998
• Run Time: 120 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6301930878
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #146,766 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Rich in powerful imagery and bloody action, ' 'Macbeth' ' is one of Shakespeare's most compelling and accessible dramas. Macbeth's rise to power and inevitable fall are magnificently captured in this British production.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Shakespeare without poetry, February 17, 1999

By 

F. Behrens "Frank Behrens" (Keene, NH USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Macbeth [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Given the two leads, I had high hopes for this production, especially since its only two competitors--the Welles and the Polanski versions--butcher the text mercilessly; while another with Piper Laurie as Lady Macbeth has been universally panned by critics. Sorry to report that this low-budget, studio bound production (no harm in that per se) is a prosaic reading of the text with not a single Big Moment, as they say in theater. We can easily blame the director, but the Macduff was allowed now and then to raise his voice and pose a bit. Jayston's Macbeth was so low key that one had the feeling this was a dress rehearsal and the fire would come on opening night. We still need a good version of this play on video (the BBC version is nearly awful). Until then, this version can help some student who has a test the next day bone up on the plot.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Rendition of Shakespeare's Macbeth, May 24, 2004

By 

utuek (Tokyo, Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Macbeth [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This movie, in my opinion, remains the best rendition of Shakespeare's Macbeth, having seen other renditions of the same play. Except for a few lines that were omitted, all that one would expect or imagine after reading the text is protrayed in this powerful, well-filmed, well-acted and faithful-to-the-text movie. All the actors and actresses fared very well. Other renditions of Macbeth such as the one by Roman Polanski, though entertaining, are no match for this rendition of one of Shakespeare's classic plays. This version of Macbeth featuring Jayston and Hunt is a-must-watch for every fan of Shakespeare and lover of literature. You cannot get tired of watching it. In spite of the two or three omissions, I cannot but rate this version of Macbeth a five-star movie. I wished there was a DVD version of it!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I enjoyed it, January 19, 2007

By 

S. Brown "snowangel" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Macbeth [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I agree with another reviewer that pointed out that the scenery gave the feel of watching a stage production. But personally, I kind of liked it that way. After all, Shakespeare's plays were written for the stage. I guess it's a matter of preference.
So far, this is the best production of Macbeth I've seen. It really helped to get rid of a lingering bad taste that was left after watching the Orson Wells version a few days before. The acting in this one was far superior, the characters were well done, and, as stated before, very few alterations were made from the original play. This is definately the one to which I'll be going back to watch again.