Macbeth

Don't look for Renaissance conventions here -- no swords, no head-on-a-pike at the end, no evil Lady Macbeth. The witches are true to the bard -- wither'd, wild, familiar enough to make them approachable, strange enough to make you wonder if you saw what you saw. I like Pertwee's Macbeth - even though I wanted more dogged intensity and 'aw-the-hell-with-it' doomed bravado. Scacchi is perfect as Lady Macbeth -- all blind Blond Ambition who, ironically, becomes sapped by constant blood-drenching (and they're they same blood-drenching that put that damned spine into Macbeth as the end draws near). Could have used a stronger Macduff -- I dunno, just call me a sentimentalist; I wanted to see that tough man reduced to tears.

All in all, a fine version -- much less silly than the Polanski tommyrot that so many people hold up as the ideal film of this play. I don't think that the definitive film version has been been made yet. Until then, this bare bones approach is best.