Study and compare two different film interpretations of Act 4 Scene 1 of Shakespeare's 'Macbeth'. Discuss how you would replace some of the techniques the directors have chosen to use.

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MEDIA COURSEWORK- ‘MACBETH’

Study and compare two different film interpretations of Act 4 Scene 1 of Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’. Discuss how you would replace some of the techniques the directors have chosen to use.

        In this essay, I am going to compare two different interpretations of Act 4 Scene 1 of Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’, to see how different directors interpret a text and use different techniques to support their ideas.

The two film versions of ‘Macbeth’ that this essay will focus upon are ‘Macbeth on the Estate’ directed by Penny Woolcock and the Polanski version. Both adaptations were produced in different decades- Woolcock’s being in 1997, whereas Polanski’s was some twenty years beforehand.

        In Act 4 Scene 1, Macbeth returns to the witches and as they await his arrival, they prepare the ingredients for the spell and start chanting.

        Perhaps one of the most obvious differences between both films is the setting. The Polanski version is quite traditional and true to the actual play, as it is set deep in the wild moors- in a cave, unlike Woolcock’s version which is very contemporary, set in a Birmingham council estate, where gang rivalry replaces monarchy. I think Polanski is quite traditional with his ideas as it agrees with the text. If I would direct this scene, I would be more original with my idea and set it in a deserted fairground, in the Hall of Mirrors. I would do this because it is original and modern. It would also work well with the actual text as it is deserted, which adds to the atmosphere and mystery of the whole play. In the background of the opening scene there would be deserted rides, litter being blown around by the wind, echoing laughs and children’s voices, suggesting something tragic had happened there, which is why no one goes there. In the opening scene, the colouring would be sepia. The children’s voices are replaced with chanting, which creeps up slowly, and the camera follows the sound and is drawn into the Hall of Mirrors.

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          The witches are a vital element of the play as they are the instruments that lead Macbeth towards his path of destruction. The portrayal of the witches in both films is varied, as both versions have strayed from Shakespeare’s original idea of three old, wrinkly, women in the stereotypical costume of all black. In the Polanski version, he has stuck to the ‘traditional’ image but has a lot more than just three witches. I think the reason why there are more than three witches is to create the effect of Macbeth being mobbed and feeling pressured to drink the ...

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