tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post9208223257843716748..comments2024-03-29T01:46:41.340-07:00Comments on DREAMS ARE WHAT LE CINEMA IS FOR...: MACBETH 1971Ken Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-70071618212954309992020-03-15T19:27:17.369-07:002020-03-15T19:27:17.369-07:00The greatest rendition of the "sound and fury...The greatest rendition of the "sound and fury signifying nothing" speech on film, period. Matter-of-fact, simple, true.<br /><br />"The Tenant", which I consider his greatest film with it's ferocious central Polanki performance and it's surreal allusions and metaphors of innate cultural anti-semitism, The Holocaust, and to Polanski himself led directly, in my opinion, to his 1977 arrest(and much debated about miscarriage of justice) in which that film played an unacknowledged and frighteningly reflective role to what actually played itself out in real life.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-91629742133023754322020-02-16T07:27:51.108-08:002020-02-16T07:27:51.108-08:00Hello Elaine -
What a splendid memory you shared o...Hello Elaine -<br />What a splendid memory you shared of seeing MACBETH with your family. And it's certainly saying something that your father was so impressed with this screen adaptation of a favorite Shakespeare play.<br />I just became aware of the latest Polanski film and the Cannes controversy due to your comments. No easy answers there. <br /><br />But MACBETH is a major achievement, and it's bleak, realistic vision holds up remarkably well after all these years. Putting the man aside, Polanski's work has always got to me...perhaps more than any other filmmaker. The artist has to come through in the art, and I think it's important that it does. But what that leaves for us viewers/audiences/listeners...well, I think that's for us of to parse out for ourselves.<br />As you say, art ultimately has to stand or fall on its own merits.<br />Thank you very much for reading this post, and taking the time to comment in a personal and very thoughtful manner. Your personal MACBETH story is really wonderful. Much appreciated!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-20175193851079454752020-02-15T13:46:32.091-08:002020-02-15T13:46:32.091-08:00Macbeth was always my dad's favourite Shakespe...Macbeth was always my dad's favourite Shakespeare play... So, when the Polanski film came out, my mum and I invited him... but when we got to the box office, he insisted on paying for the three of us (which made mum and me somewhat nervous). <br /><br />I think the opening zooming shot of the bleak beach caught our attention -- which never let up. Mum and I were relieved to hear dad's judgement -- that it was the best version he had ever seen. <br /><br />I wonder now, decades later, whether it was because battles were so unsentimentally depicted; my dad having survived WWII...<br /><br />All that aside, thanks for the insightful commentary. <br /><br />Just today, some Anglophone film lovers were talking about RP's latest, titled in France as J'Accuse (of course), and taking exception to the Cesar awards walkout. Roman Polanski is an exceptional director and, as you point out, has had an extraordinarily horrific personal history. <br /><br />And he knows how to horrify and scare us, too! I could hardly bear to watch Repulsion -- and Rosemary's Baby was really disturbing... I was worried when I heard he was going to make Tess... but he pulled it off. <br /> <br />As always, a work or art stands or falls by it own merits. The backstory might inform one's sentiment, one way or another; but the work must stand on its own.<br /><br />And Chinatown is a masterpiece!<br />Elaine Jacobsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-5132263048213726362014-09-15T13:09:35.584-07:002014-09-15T13:09:35.584-07:00Hi Willem
Nice to see you checking out so many old...Hi Willem<br />Nice to see you checking out so many older posts!<br />I'm with you in finding Polanski's "What?" - a film I took a long time to get to see - a mess. I just didn't enjoy it at all. And I really wish he HAD been involved in "The Stepford Wives." <br />Had to laugh at the Tisa farrow line!<br />I like that your opinion of Polanski is one arrived at from having actually seen so many of his films. It all does come down to personal taste, but the interesting thing is reading the particulars of how Polanski doesn't make the grade for you in his post-"Rosemary's Baby" films. Thank you for sharing your opinions so thoughtfully!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-63911523919824773832014-09-14T10:06:24.933-07:002014-09-14T10:06:24.933-07:00After Rosemary's Baby my appreciation for Roma...After Rosemary's Baby my appreciation for Roman Polanski dwindled, with Chinatown he was back in my book again and after Bitter Moon I never wanted to see a Polanski film again. <br />His Macbeth was the first one misfiring with me, but then, I'm not a Shakespeare fan. Saw the movie only once and I remember the scene where the children are found murdered - at the time there was a docu showing Roman meticulously pouring pig's blood, worrying if the goo might be too cold for the nude actors... Roman has always been too sensitive.<br />The only other thing I remember from Macbeth is how the castle lord and his wife, woken up by the guards, walk barefoot into the court to greet the king, muddying the hems of their gowns as if the noble garments were nothing but farmer's overalls. Ah you were so right Roman, these were truly filthy, barbaric times.<br />Then came the nonsensical What? I disliked Sydne Rome (a sorry excuse for a Mia Farrow clone, wasn't Mia's sister Tisa available?) and fortunately never saw her again. I also had no idea what the movie was about. Don't let me leave the movie theater with an empty head, never. <br />Next came the monstrous Tenant, with too many Bramford references. Polanski himself is a remarkable actor, but what he did to his character seemed senselessly cruel to me.<br />Pirates, rubbish. Frantic; how can anyone sign on Harrison Ford. Oliver Twist; another wrung out 'shakespeare'. come on! The Pianist was quite okay, but after watching ten minutes of Venus in Fur I clicked away vehemently. <br />And all during the seventies I had been waiting for Polanski helming The Stepford Wives! The Boys from Brasil! This Perfect Day! with in between the sweet but utterly boring Tess, okay, Sharon had wanted him to do that one.<br />So I'd rather remember his undiluted creative output between 1962-1968, and of course the brilliant Chinatown.<br />Hum, just my personal taste, fans. dedeurshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09775849527808927607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-86801523967647671092014-05-15T06:48:45.270-07:002014-05-15T06:48:45.270-07:00Hi Iain
That's some great background info on M...Hi Iain<br />That's some great background info on Marianne Faithful's audition history. Nice to know the truth and her reputation match up so well.<br />I understand your feelings regarding my lack of fondness for Shakespeare. In fact, you sound a good deal like me when i encounter young people who express a disinterest in black and white or silent films.<br /><br />It's natural to wish that others would avail themselves of the myriad gifts and pleasures one finds in a favored art form.<br />But in lieu of pitying them or feeling sad about any perceived emotional lack in their lives, I just harbor a hope that everyone finds for themselves the same level of soul-fulfilling joy I've discovered in dance, film, and theater. It doesn't matter that they find it in the same fields that I like, when it comes to the arts, I think it only matters that people care enough to allow themselves to be made to feel anything deep and personal about whatever art form they choose. Even if it's a form of art I don't particularly hold to be valuable.<br />And thanks for the recommendation of Jarman's The Tempest. I loved the updated, 1982 Paul Mazursky version.<br />Thanks very much for commenting and sharing your thoughts on the topics of Shakespeare and Polanski.Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-25289736433842137842014-05-11T03:41:26.383-07:002014-05-11T03:41:26.383-07:00The reason La Faithfull didn't get cast is tha...The reason La Faithfull didn't get cast is that she was out of her mind on smack when she "auditioned". She also lost a role in Fellini's Casanova for the same reason (an audition she actually *shared* with a friend of mine -my housemate at the time- Fran Fullenwider, who played the Hogarthian Transylvanian in the fright wig in Rocky Horror Picture Show. <br /><br />Pity you haven't allowed yourself exposure to Shakespeare on the stage, perhaps as a child of the 50s growing up in Essex and London I was unusually lucky to be at the theatre most weeks when I wasn't in fact at the movies. And I had superb English O and A Level teachers. But it makes me a little sad that you've missed out on so much sheer theatrical pleasure. Ecstasy, even. <br />Perhaps you might allow yourself to see Derek Jarman's interpretation of The Tempest. A real treat, although the DVD currently available hasn't been fully restored, and those gorgeous saturated colors have become quite muted.<br /><br />I can't understand the general hostility towards Fearless Vampire Killers; I adore that movie, and it seems obvious to me that it isn't actually supposed to be a comedy at all.iainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01678079780927685172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-71306117054143282792013-11-30T22:32:58.520-08:002013-11-30T22:32:58.520-08:00Hi Mark
That's a terrific story about seeing P...Hi Mark<br />That's a terrific story about seeing Polanski's Macbeth in school! Given what an interesting adaptation of Shakespeare this is, I think it has a more responsible depiction of violence than your average PG-rated superhero movie. That teacher sounds pretty cool (anyone besotted with Olivia Hussey can't be all bad).Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-42036288156643024762013-11-30T15:34:06.953-08:002013-11-30T15:34:06.953-08:00I was actually very lucky to see this at 14...in s...I was actually very lucky to see this at 14...in school of all places! Our very liberal open minded English teacher Mr Wells (a hero) allowed us to see both this and Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet because we were reading and studying both for our English GCSE's. As such all blood guts and nudity were available to our teenage eyes and minds. And Mr Wells took the time out to tell us how besotted he was with Olivia Hussey when he saw R+J in his formative years too.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14569732807130090838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-1011753175894096042013-09-17T15:37:22.991-07:002013-09-17T15:37:22.991-07:00That's _exactly_ how I describe those movies t...That's _exactly_ how I describe those movies to friends. Anybody can make a horror movie about creaky old houses. Polanski makes them about apartment buildings. Hell is other people.<br /><br />I'll email you about my favorite scene in The Tenant, rather than spoiling the innocent.Allen Knutsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15616422252030334511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-91986329799256203252013-09-17T14:11:21.575-07:002013-09-17T14:11:21.575-07:00Hi Allen
I am a huge fan of "The Tenant"...Hi Allen<br />I am a huge fan of "The Tenant"! I rushed out to see it the day it opened in LA. I loved it (without fully understanding it) and always consider it a part of Polanski's unofficial "Apartment Trilogy": Repulsion, Rosemary's Baby, The Tenant.<br />I've heard of the version of Hamlet you speak of. Maybe i should check it out. I've avoided Ethan Hawke after a bad experience with "Great Expectations" (didn't like him in it at all), but a Hamlet update with Bill Murray sounds promising! Thanks!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-69971840648822687862013-09-17T14:06:34.065-07:002013-09-17T14:06:34.065-07:00Hi Mark
Yes, regrettably, Jon Finch passed away ve...Hi Mark<br />Yes, regrettably, Jon Finch passed away very young. He was very good in "Frenzy" and indeed keep a low career profile. And from the quote you posted, it sounds like by doing so, he kept his sanity.Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-83186314175594441222013-09-17T09:24:38.640-07:002013-09-17T09:24:38.640-07:00I must agree with you, Ken, about the Fearless Vam...I must agree with you, Ken, about the Fearless Vampire Killers. I do wonder what you think of The Tenant, one of my favorite movies, and one which dear friends of mine still haven't forgiven me for showing them.<br /><br />On Shakespeare adaptations, have you seen Ethan Hawke's Hamlet, set in 1990s New York? It features Bill Murray as Polonius, in the role he was born to play, and except for Liev Schreiber is very good all round. Allen Knutsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15616422252030334511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-27220436937672921362013-09-12T20:15:26.587-07:002013-09-12T20:15:26.587-07:00I wasn't aware that Jon Finch passed away late...I wasn't aware that Jon Finch passed away late last December. Just last year, I'd been fortunate to catch a couple of his films on the big screen at the Astor, namely "Frenzy" and "The Vampire Lovers"--excellent films. I thought that in "Frenzy", he was rather exceptional.<br /><br />"I never wanted to be a big star. I usually do one film a year, so I always have enough money to enjoy myself and keep myself out of the public eye. It's a very pleasant life, not one of great ambition." -- Jon Finch.Mark Vanselownoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-83743046474269719722013-09-12T03:41:59.076-07:002013-09-12T03:41:59.076-07:00"What?" is a little like a topless Alice..."What?" is a little like a topless Alice in Wonderland. It has some Polanski moments in it, so I really think you should see it. Maybe you have to be in the right frame of mind first. See it as crazy dream you have while falling asleep on the beach on the Riviera on a hot summers day.<br />-WilleAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-69521029544350756032013-09-11T08:58:27.868-07:002013-09-11T08:58:27.868-07:00Wille!
You're really the first person I know ...Wille! <br />You're really the first person I know of who has actually seen it! It just sounds so awful. And because I thought "Vampire Killers" so very unfunny, I just avoided out of respect for my own time. Maybe I should give it a try...<br /><br />And as for Tuesday working for Polanski, boy, I wish that had happened at some point. Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-44085458650126791362013-09-11T06:54:28.570-07:002013-09-11T06:54:28.570-07:00Oh, you must watch "What?" which I have ...Oh, you must watch "What?" which I have a soft spot for. It's nuts. You could not make such a film today or ever again. ("Nor would you want to" as many would say). It has some disagreeable aspects but also some good ones. I love Sydney Rome! It is an odd film without a following. It would be nice to read your opinion of it and to see if it has any of Polanski's themes.<br /><br />How could Tuesday Weld say no to starring in a Polanski film? Her loss, I guess.<br />-WilleAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-48856800522289355492013-09-10T14:57:13.462-07:002013-09-10T14:57:13.462-07:00Hi Wille
Polanski was a little prickly about how t...Hi Wille<br />Polanski was a little prickly about how this film went over (his ego isn't small) but your sentence: "The fact that it has no stars and is grim and violent..." I believe is the real reason why the film didn't do well. Without some kind of big name star attached to the project, I honestly don't know who he thought was the audience for such a gloomy undertaking. Even Franco Zefferelli had the good sense to get Liz and Dick for "Shrew", and sold "Romeo and Juliet" as a youth-culture love story.<br />"Macbeth"s odd association with Playboy was almost its sole drawing card.<br /><br />I'm reading a Polanski book now, and in addition to mentioning Marianne Faithfull, he states that his original choice for Lady Macbeth was Tuesday Weld (!) but she balked at the nude scene. Given that Weld was also his first choice for "Rosemary's Baby", I'd say Polanski harbored a bit of a Tuesday Weld fixation (and who can blame him?)<br />Ah yes, that floating dagger...a critic said it looked like a video game.<br />Cool that you actually saw this film though. As you say, it's one of Polanski's least seen films next to "What?"- which even I won't watch. thanks, Wille!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-62003032750507905332013-09-10T14:45:10.997-07:002013-09-10T14:45:10.997-07:00Ha! Well, I'm a bit with you on that one, Pose...Ha! Well, I'm a bit with you on that one, Poseidon. I'm not sure you can get me to sit through Shakespeare on stage. Not without some kind of stunt casting like Cate Blanchett as Lady Macbeth, or a Hamlet with Charo as Ophelia.<br />But Shakespeare in the hands of Polanski is another matter. He's like a psychologically aware Ken Russell. He has great visuals, but they're never just for show and he shakes off all the cobwebs of theatricality. I must also say, it helps a great deal to have that subtitle option on the DVD. Shakespeare's words aren't always so easy to make out in naturalistic settings.<br />And I so appreciate that you find in my posts something interesting even if the film isn't one you personally have interest in. That's a great compliment! Thanks, Poseidon and good hearing from you!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-31132877038380684312013-09-10T09:23:33.288-07:002013-09-10T09:23:33.288-07:00The film has a fascinating background, what with P...The film has a fascinating background, what with Polanski's experiences of violence and Playboy magazine producing it. The fact that it has no stars and is grim and violent makes it one of least seen Polanski films. I've seen it and what I remember most is Lady Macbeth trying to get rid of the spots and the floating luminous sword. I will watch it again. Thank you for your very informative review of the film and on Polanski's themes.<br /><br />I read Marianne Faithfull's follow-up to her great autobiography. In it she states that she auditioned for the part of Lady Macbeth. I think she would have been good, too.<br />-WilleAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-21400801595546647722013-09-10T05:00:00.292-07:002013-09-10T05:00:00.292-07:00As is always the case, I enjoy reading your reflec...As is always the case, I enjoy reading your reflections on a film even if I have never seen it (or may never!) You provide so much insight and food for thought about your movies and their context, impact, place in the scheme of things. Always a pleasure. As I was once overheard saying in the lobby of a theatre doing Shakespeare set in the old west, "If I'm going to sit through Shakespeare, I want some tights and codpieces for my trouble!" Always deep.... not!Poseidon3https://www.blogger.com/profile/10465785002285422594noreply@blogger.com