The oldest witch reveals a severed forearm and places it in the hole, along with a dagger and noose (rope). We know this cryptic symbol demonstrates something evil has or is about to happen. The witches hastily fill the hole whilst still muttering the lines of the ritual. Blood is poured over the filled in hole and they co-ordinately spit in front of them and on each side of them. Each witch seems to know exactly what to do and when to perform each part of the ritual. This tells us they have done this at least once before.
The youngest witch packs up the accessories needed during the ritual and begins to silently walk off in separate ways. The youngest witch accompanies the oldest because she is frail. Whiney music begins to play and a few short, deep breaths can be heard. As they walk off into the distance, a gust of wind blows the sand and a cloudy effect comes over the camera, causing the witches to fade and then disappear. This gives an eerie, deserted atmosphere. A title in old style writing appears as the introduction to “Macbeth” comes to an end.
Orson Welles.
Orson Welles uses a common stereotype of witches; this is three cackling women bent over a cauldron throwing in gruesome looking objects. It starts with fine, huge, blazing flames, then clouds move into the centre of the screen. This creates an eerie atmosphere to get peoples attention. The scene is black and white with a cloudy and stormy sky. This is an obvious way of representing evil ways.
We begin to hear chanting and cackling, as it gets louder we see from a distance, three crooked witches bent over a cauldron. This is a very stereotypical vision of witches.
The camera now cuts to show a cauldron. We cannot see the witches; just their arms stirring the bubbling liquid and the three voices chanting. As the chanting gets stronger and louder, the witches begin to throw in the ingredients for their ‘Hell Broth,’ of which look very much like so the innards of live creatures.
The stormy atmosphere hides the figures so we are left with the silhouettes of the three wicked women on the rocky outcrop. Because we cannot see the witches’ faces, there is added mystery.
The last part of the scene shows three pairs of ugly hands indulging into the cauldron whilst whispering their parts of the chant. The women have hoarse voices, this shows they are in bad health. Welles selects language to add to the mystery, the chanting is clearly some part of their ritual. The way the witches can induce their hands in the boiling liquid, pain free indicates even more evil and supernatural powers. When the chanting had died down, the three pairs of hands dig out a decapitated voodoo doll and all in harmony say a rousing, “MACBETH!” Their cackling voices seem content with the ritual. This sounds very evil and puts the audience at discomfort.
After the words ‘Macbeth,’ the camera zooms out to show three witches standing on the pinnacle of a cliff. The music turns dramatic and climaxes until it is very intense. A white title with a black background now appears. The black and white gives us an affect that we are not being told everything. As the music calms, the audience know there have been mysterious, evil happenings.
Trevor Nunn
This interpretation of witchcraft is surreal. The scene begins upon silence, giving an empty, uncomfortable feeling as the camera shows a large group of people stood in a circle who then step forwards and sit down. Slow organ music is being played in the background which prepares the audience for something to happen. The camera pans round the circle of people and the effect of shadowed faces creates an unrevealing atmosphere. The group are all dressed in black clothes except one, who is wearing all white and appears to be the king. The white represents the effect of good and evil; white representing pureness and the black garments of the other people indicating bad.
Three witches step forward out of the group and the camera views the king being helped up by someone, giving him a weak and humble appearance. The camera changes back to the three women, of which one begins to cackle. After some whispering and muttering to each other, the youngest begins to scream. She is looking up and raising her arms. As she begins to salivate, the audience get the effect that she is being dominated by an evil spirit. A loud clasp of thunder is heard and the witch calms down and everything stops and goes silent. She now talks to the other two, as though she is telling them information that she obtained during the unearthly happening of her being possessed, it is as if the devil is speaking through her. The scene comes to a finish with chanting from the witches.
Each version of introductions to Macbeth has a different approach of interpretation to the evil and supernatural:
Roman Polanski’s version uses visual a symbolisation that something out of the ordinary is happening, (the hand in the hole) the witches also seem very hurried.
Orson Welles created the most stereotypical version, showing crooked witches bent over a cauldron which is a common representation of witchcraft.
Trevor Nunn used surrealism to demonstrate his interpretation. He very effectively used shots of the good praying, inter cut with the evil ritual. This made evil look worse.
Each version has traditional witches, three women, one very old, one old and one younger. This shows generations and the oldest woman is the most experienced.
Trevor Nunn and Orson Welles don’t completely show the faces of the characters in full light, they are always in shadow or silhouette. This tells us there is something unknown and that we cannot tell what is going on in someone’s mind through the face. In Trevor Nunn’s version we see the kings face because it shows he is pure and innocent.
Each version of “Macbeth” is different but there are a few small parts in each version that are the same. For example there were three generations of witches, they all wear black and look dirty.
I found Roman Polanski’s version the most effective; it is modern and from the start it is clear that the three witches are doing some form of ritual, this is due to the time lapse. The objects placed in the hole grasped the audiences’ attention and the three different ages of the witches were clear and it showed the youngest witch caring for the oldest, wisest one. The eerie music gives the scene a cold chill and the gust of wind that brings the scene to an end makes the situation look mysterious, as the witches appear to be disappearing when the sand is blown over the camera.