There is much need for a restoration of this beautiful version of Shakespeare's still much produced "Scottish play", an example of how performance and setting and technical craftsmanship can pull together to turn something into a real event. I've been hunting for this color version of the play for years, having seen through theater programs and stills pictures of Maurice Evans and Judith Anderson performing this play in 1942, recreating their roles for TV in 1954 and in a final burst of glory, this version, filmed (not videotaped) in color for the Hallmark Hall of Fame, and sweeping the Emmy's. The opening shot of the three witches immediately grabs you, and the opening shots of Evans and Anderson are beautiful. They may be nearly 20 years older than when they first appeared together, but time has stood still in marking their talents as masters of the craft of what keeps Shakespeare great.
While much edited from the full play, what remains is a meaty adoption of the story of the Scottish ruler who gained his throne through deceit and murder with the help of his loyal and conflicted wife. It is obvious that their decision to murder the current Scottish King Duncan (Malcolm Keen) comes with much trepidation and determination, compelled through an ambition that is destroying both of them from the inside. Anderson, in particular, shows Lady Macbeth's torture, and is once again commanding every moment just as she did as Queen Gertrude of "Hamlet", just as she did as Medea, and certainly even more than she did as the sinister Mrs. Danvers in "Rebecca". Even in her early 60's, she is surprisingly attractive, alluring and seductive, not the silly Big Mama of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" here, but equally as loyal to her husband even if it means losing her soul.
Evans, best known for his comical recurring role as Agnes Moorehead's warlock husband on "Bewitched", does seem perhaps a bit too old for the part, but once you get into the swing of understanding his often hard to understand dialect, he becomes powerful, especially as his own inner tortures take over his senseless ambitions. Michael Hordern, Jeremy Brett, Ian Bannen and Felix Aylmer provide solid support, with Valarie Taylor, Anita Sharp-Bolster and April Olrich excellent as the witches, each given a unique look ranging from elderly and haggard to young and seductive. Having seen two productions of this on stage plus several film and TV versions, I consider this the most outstanding of them all, brilliantly directed by George Schaefer and technically excellent. It is an example of how great TV could be, although there is a big screen feel to it that would make me rush to get tickets if it is ever restored and re-released.
While much edited from the full play, what remains is a meaty adoption of the story of the Scottish ruler who gained his throne through deceit and murder with the help of his loyal and conflicted wife. It is obvious that their decision to murder the current Scottish King Duncan (Malcolm Keen) comes with much trepidation and determination, compelled through an ambition that is destroying both of them from the inside. Anderson, in particular, shows Lady Macbeth's torture, and is once again commanding every moment just as she did as Queen Gertrude of "Hamlet", just as she did as Medea, and certainly even more than she did as the sinister Mrs. Danvers in "Rebecca". Even in her early 60's, she is surprisingly attractive, alluring and seductive, not the silly Big Mama of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" here, but equally as loyal to her husband even if it means losing her soul.
Evans, best known for his comical recurring role as Agnes Moorehead's warlock husband on "Bewitched", does seem perhaps a bit too old for the part, but once you get into the swing of understanding his often hard to understand dialect, he becomes powerful, especially as his own inner tortures take over his senseless ambitions. Michael Hordern, Jeremy Brett, Ian Bannen and Felix Aylmer provide solid support, with Valarie Taylor, Anita Sharp-Bolster and April Olrich excellent as the witches, each given a unique look ranging from elderly and haggard to young and seductive. Having seen two productions of this on stage plus several film and TV versions, I consider this the most outstanding of them all, brilliantly directed by George Schaefer and technically excellent. It is an example of how great TV could be, although there is a big screen feel to it that would make me rush to get tickets if it is ever restored and re-released.