Macbeth: a film director`s approach - Essay Example

?Macbeth: A Film Director’s Approach Dabbling with evil has its repercussions. As a consequence, the minds of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth become dark and diseased. “Film noir envisions a world where political disintegration and paranoia indicate a continuing disintegration” (Gazetas 157). Interior monologue or soliloquy is a technique used by Shakespeare which discloses the cogitations of a character. The bloodbaths enacted by the Macbeths alienate them from normalcy to the point that their dispositions become fickle, indecipherable, and as a result, unstable. Paranoia is brought about by a troubled conscience and lack of sleep and the disturbed sleep results from their evil dealings. Because of their heavy mental burdens and poisoned consciences, both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth betray guilty consciences and crushing melancholy. Their tormented souls are not at peace as reflected in the soliloquies recorded in Act 5, Scene 1 and Act 5, Scene 5. When I do a filmic representation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth (1606), I will be considering: mise-en-scene, characterization, lighting, sound, time location, imagery/symbolism, film noir and gothic fiction. Act 5, Scene 1 introduces Lady Macbeth in the throes of mental illness. I incorporate gothic fiction in this production in view of the fact that it reflects the supernatural, the horrific and the dark. The setting features a gothic styled castle, with time placement in the late Medieval period. “Film noir displays the hallucinatory, nightmarish criminal world” (Gazetas 158), as such I plan to project the film noir genre because of the criminal content, evil presence and nightmarish outlook. The castle setting is a constant in Gothic literature where conspiracy and murder are spawned in Inverness castle, Macduff's castle and King Duncan's castle. The weather is dark and stormy. Thunder reverberates and periodically, lightning strikes. Usually, inclement weather is a mis-en-scene tactic utilized by many traditional gothic writers. (Bordwell 177) attests to the fact that “directors take advantage of the approaching lightning storm to create a dramatic backdrop to the action…the storm remains part of the mise-en-scene.” Hence the correlation between weather and action is unbreakable. “What’s done cannot be undone” (Act 5, Scene 1) re-echoes what Lady Macbeth’s saying to Macbeth in an effort to allay his fears after murdering King Duncan when she says, “what’s done is done” (Act 3, Scene 2). These lines are ironic since the very words used to console Macbeth are the words that haunt her. Emphasizing the irreversibility of their actions, her quote signifies that they cannot retrace their steps and live with regret. Instead, as a paired team they must be strong and face the consequences. Because of the unalterable acts committed, the Macbeths receive a reciprocated punishment for their crimes and fulfill the prophecies of the witches of Endor. The fulfillment of prophecy charts the course of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth with certain inevitability. They cannot escape. Another ironic element is that the Macbeths, the usurping monarchs, become undone in the end as a result of what they have done. From the apparition of the witches to Macbeth signaled their undoing. The downward spiraling commences from their overriding ambition, attending to evil, keen bloodthirstiness, hallucination, mental disorder and suicides. Their complicity and alliance with evil conclude in imminent ruin and are even reflected in the mise-en-scene. The mise-en-scene is a dark quarter outside Lady Macbeth’s room. The lighting is very weak – just enough to discern the face and outlines of the characters. The darkness casts a shadow over all the characters implicated in evil or not, while giving evil free rein to operate under its cover. I prefer a dreary and damp atmosphere with scarce lighting for it dampens any possibility for mirth and retains the air of horror and blatant evil. The squealing and flying of bats in the castle also carry another key in gothic fiction since draculas and vampires are the main characters. The presence of spider webs symbolizes the web of deceit that the Macbeths have woven and define their conspiring characters and prefigure the lethal outcomes. The background of the play in Act 5, Scene 1 is set in such a way that mirrors the disordered state of Lady Macbeth’s mind and the State over which the Macbeths govern: kitchen utensils tumbled about, old food strewn about, torn and rumpled papers and books and a general dirtied appearance. Remarking on the impact of the action on the mise-en-scene, one commentator asserts that in a desolate scene, “life fades into nothingness. Automatization eats away at things, at clothes, at furniture, at our wives, and at our fear of war” (Livingston 49). The only characters showing a degree of order, untouched by the surrounding disorder are the doctor and the maid. Ghosts play a key role in Macbeth and although there are none in this scene, their appearance adds the desired horror effect. To stress the hallucinatory and somnambulistic scene of Lady Macbth, I introduce a few ghosts – such as the reappearance of the ghosts of King Duncan, Banquo and hundreds of others executed because of suspected treason. When Lady Macbeth emerges from her room, her arms are outstretched in front of her like a zombie. The revelation of Lady Macbeth establishes the guiltiness of the queen. She has a wakeful sleep, her terror being heightened by fearful visitations. Apparitions from another realm are another element of paranoia from which Lady Macbeth suffers. In her sleep, swarms of bloodied victims swarm around her and objects which are only figments of the imagination intervene. In my production, it is only fair and fitting that Lady Macbeth experience just as many spectral appearances as Macbeth did. The supernatural is a requisite element in gothic fiction. The imagined pictures of death remind the audience that the suffering is incurred as a consequence of an unleashed madness. This insanity is etched on Lady Macbeth’s person as indisputable as the blood on her hands. Lady Macbeth’s nightgown is black while Lady Macbeth’s doctor and maid are clothed in white. This detail adds meaning to the characterization of the personages and corresponds to the film noir genre in which the predominant scene’s colors are darkness (black) and white. To clearly see Lady Macbeth in the dark, I have lightning piercing through the windows as the lighting. Her look is worn and disheveled and as the viewers realize, she has the look of the witches of Endor. To recall this resemblance, the three witches appear and vanish quickly, smiling crookedly. For Act 5, Scene 1, Lady Macbeth constantly seeks water to wash her blood-stained hands. As Lady Macbeth enters the room with the Doctor and the lady-in-waiting, her hands stream blood. She lets out a scream and then stoops, rubbing her hands as if washing them in a basin of water. Next, she imagines a basin of water ; but as soon as Lady Macbeth’s hands touch the water, the water converts into a basin of blood to compound her culpability. With a gory Midas touch, Lady Macbeth’s hand changes water to blood. Irony is a potent tool in making a point. When Lady Macbeth counts, “One, two...,” a death knell will be heard tolling from a nearby cathedral. The time is 3 am so there are three bell tolls. Also, in her speech referring to Macbeth, when Lady Macbeth says, “You mar all with this starting…,” she starts in astonishment. She sniffs her hands as she remarks on the ineludible smell of blood. Act 5, Scene5 heralds the suicide of Macbeth. Macbeth bemoans his wife’s passing and philosophizes on death. At the tidings of his wife’s death, Macbeth’s will to live flags-the futility of life and the inevitability of death are the major themes. He must face the world alone. The nothingness of life is impressed upon Macbeth’s mind. He understands that acquisition of wealth and power is meaningless. Despite Macbeth’s cold-heartedness and brutality, he shows some humaneness as his wife’s death does affect him deeply. Macbeth reaffirms the reality of death and of man’s powerlessness to control his own destiny. His fate is to die. Macbeth consolidates the idea of the brevity and temporary existence of life, when he compares man’s life to a candle. To accentuate his statement on man’s mortality, a lighted candle rests beside Macbeth. The involuntary and gradual extinguishment of a candle and the destination after a long journey are likened to death. Death is inevitable, imminent and comes irrespective of rank. Macbeth bewails the brevity of life. This dirge-like soliloquy presages Macbeth’s doom since he too has to die. This scene foreshadows Macbeths death at his own hands for this act opens with the obituary announcement. Here a human life is nothing but a fleeting shadow and our life is transitory as time. A predominant theme of Macbeth’s soliloquy is time. Time naturally brings along in its wake death. Therefore, as film producer, I would utilize the ticking of a clock and then the castle’s clock tolling as signals marking the progression and end of the speech. Macbeth realizes that tomorrow creeps and is very metaphoric since time passes by sometimes at a slow creeping pace. Further, when time commences for a human being, man crawls as a babe who cannot stand or walk as yet. The mise-en-scene represents Macbeth sitting on his throne wearily, enshrouded by darkness. There is one lamp in the throne room and one candle on a mantelpiece. Thunderous weather does not play a part in this scene; instead, a soft orchestral piece in commiseration for Macbeth’s loss plays. In this room, Macbeth is alone with his thoughts. Macbeth describes time as a rhythmic trot to death. For him, a day carries no hope. Tomorrow is only one day closer to death, while yesterday is a harbinger of the same fate. Macbeth is in his study philosophizing on life. Unlike Lady Macbeth, his thoughts are still lucid and his reasoning clear. However, his message is grave, despairing and doom-filled. Macbeth wears a dark scarlet-colored robe with a purple crown. He has a few rings on his fingers. He has aged considerably compared to the beginning of the play – a wrinkled and worry-stricken face. He is emaciated and breathes laboriously. As Macbeth repeats the words ‘tomorrow’ thrice, the three weird sisters appear one by one. Skeletons and ghosts continue to harass and torment Macbeth during this scene but he is so hardened to these apparitions that he could almost ignore them. As Macbeth commands, “Out, out, brief candle,” the candle on the mantelpiece is blown out by an unseen person. The place gets even darker. One ghost lurks at Macbeth’s side for a second. As Macbeth says, “Life’s but a walking shadow,” Lady Macbeth appears before him briefly and walks toward him. During this soliloquy, her form fades and then completely vanishes. In conclusion, I direct the film to emphasize the film noir and gothic fiction genres, while adapting the mise-en-scene to portray the state of mind of the character. At the end of it all, the doctor’s diagnosis is correct, “Foul whisperings are abroad:/ unnatural deeds Do breed unnatural troubles: infected minds” (Act 5, Scene 1). Macbath and his wife, Lady Macbeth have perverted minds which lead them to attempt to stifle conscience and affect them adversely. The unnatural runs rampant in Macbeth, breeding terror-striking scenes, pervaded by darkness, resulting in destruction. Works Cited: Bordwell, D & Thompson, K 1997, Film Art, McGraw-Hill Publishers, New York, 1997. Gazetas, A . An Introduction to World Cinema, Mc Farland, North Carolina, 2008. Livingston, P. The Routledge Companion to Philosophy and Film. Taylor and Francis, 2009. Mulvey, L. 'Visual pleasure and narrative cinema', extract in J. Evans and S. Hall (eds) (1999), Visual Culture: The Reader, Sage Publishers, London. 1975, 381-89 Read More