Tom's treasures of fiction, poetry, literature and more...

They keep coming... Yes, another review for a film of my favourite Shakespeare play. This time the film is the 2010 version directed by Rupert Goold. Here is a confusing film that delivers one your worst nightmares! I give to you the three witches of Macbeth, dressed as masked nurses! Every time we see them, there is always a horrid act. This includes one of the witches cleaning a large knife, or even when the three witches first meet Macbeth and Banquo, a witch holds up a patients heart. This is after the patient's death of course. I meticulously noticed that these three sinister sisters continued to appear throughout the film, even in the form of other guises to that of the masked nurses. Aside from masked nurses, witches or however they are perceived, the king and other characters are soldiers. This film is based on the idea of a war which is to be won. With soldiers shooting guns and planes heard from above, this film is a bloody and violent depiction of the Scottish play. The ...

Hello everyone, it is time for another Macbeth film review. This time I am taking you into Michael Bogdanov's rough and tough world. For one thing, the Macbeth home looks like some abandoned warehouse with missing windows or doors. But we get an impression of how this version of Macbeth is to be just from seeing the opening. The three witches, played by Lesley Joseph, Lorren Bent and Denise Black are presently discussing their affairs in a junkyard with an array of debris scattered about. When Macbeth and Banquo arrive, I thought it was cleverly done how the three witches were able to disappear in the way they did, not just 'vanish' as if. Later on when Macbeth returns to speak with them, the scene is in black and white as they make magic with their cauldron. The only colour which is present at the start of that scene is the fire. To me this was a unique take on the scene and having the fire created a sinister, troublesome atmosphere. This sums up the witches of Macbeth bec...

Today I am gifting you with my review of the 1997 film version of  Macbeth  directed by Jeremy Freeston. This version of the play opens with the fighting scene, which in the play is scene two. This is a scene that is loud, with all the men fighting with one another and charging at each other to kill in a field. That is until Macbeth comes along. The noises all stop and it goes silent until he strikes down an opposing man and all that can be heard is the final striking with the sword being delivered. Only then do we get the witches from amidst the smoke. These witches give off an appearance of peasantry, as though they are poor women. I state this based on their outfits, which are nothing special. When Macbeth and Banquo first meet the witches their appearance changes to ghastly and not fully there to emphasise they are supernatural. This time they are also have blackish make up which I like because it contrasts their paleness. In general the costumes and make up was well thoug...

I just wanted to start off by wishing all those who celebrate a very happy Christmas! I am also going to give you another review, this time of the 1983 TV film of Macbeth. This is quite possibly a favourite of all the different films of Shakespeare's plays I have seen. At the start of the play, the witches are presented looking like rocks. The way they blend in with the background is clever. Then when they unfurl and show themselves in full, standing up it can be seen that they are wearing ragged clothing. Brenda Bruce, Annie Dyson and Eileen Way play the three witches well, offering a good visual idea of the witches. What adds to their opening scene is how lightning is used. It not only boosts the supernatural and mysterious atmosphere. The film additionally stood out thanks to Jane Lapotaire's Lady Macbeth who portrayed the character excellently with a huge depth to the character of Lady Macbeth and a range of such strong and vivid emotions. One particular scene is when Lady ...

It is Christmas eve so I hope to all of those who celebrate, that you have a good Christmas this year. Anyway,  here I am to give you a review of Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth. Or rather the Scottish play as those in the acting world will call it. Just a little secret, but out of all the Shakespeare plays I have read, this is my favourite! I love how Shakespeare set the tone of the play by opening the play with the three witches. We looked at that opening scene with the witches in drama at school. The year after we fully studied the whole play in English. When I had the opportunity to pick a subject for one of my university assignments, I picked witches and linked it to  Macbeth . Admittedly that was not my first assignment in four years that had a link to witches. However, the witches in the play are not the only characters providing a supernatural element which I love. In act three, Macbeth is plagued by the ghost of his late friend, Banquo. I love how Banquo's ghost comes b...

My second blog post today is that of a review, discussing Shakespeare's problematic play Measure for Measure . This play opens with the Duke Vincentio taking leave from his duties in Vienna. In his place, is Antonio who the Duke has instructed to do his role until he returns. Shortly into the start of his tenure, Antonio punishes Claudio to death for getting his partner Juliet pregnant before marriage. Antonio wants to make an example out of Claudio so no one else does this. What stands out to me about this whole affair is how Antonio is willing to let Claudio go unpunished if his sister, Isabella is willing to sleep with Antonio. This is the same Antonio who wants to punish Claudio for doing the exact same. What is worse is that Isabella is in the process of becoming a nun when she gets visited by her brother's friend, Lucio. As she has not fully become a nun yet she can talk with him. She is even visits her brother in prison and to my disgust, he tells her to do it. All while...

The 1955 film version of Romeo and Juliet is one of the earliest versions of this film. It is in black and white though that does not take away from the film at all. Actually, the film was good and that is because of the characters. The acting is done well and the film are dramatic, through it's characters. I like watching a play (staged or filmed) and having the characters full of such vivid emotion. I could feel Juliet's sadness from watching her. Yes, the speech also adds to that but for me, I find the characters in this film are a strong quality to the film. One scene that highlighted this well was the fighting scene between Romeo, Tybalt and Mercutio. Tybalt's anger was evident just from the look on his face. Even if you had no idea on what would happen next because you had never read the play or watched a film on it, you could easily guess. Then there was the scene where Juliet is given the poison and she is reduced to tears. This was a nice film though it was not my ...

 Hello all. Today's the day for a review of a Shakespeare play. Here are two lovers never destined to receive their happy ending. We have the Montagues, Romeo is one of them. We have the Capulets, Juliet is one of them. Their two families have been warring with one another for so long they cannot actually remember what it was all for. Over the course of the play, lives are claimed as fights and brawls cause blood to be drawn. In the end, we see two lovers cruelly torn apart and not wanting to be so. When it comes down to it, this play demonstrates how love can be the most powerful thing. I do question Romeo's love for Juliet. His ex was one of her cousins and he brawled with another, resulting in the death of two people and Romeo's immediate exile. Thus the down fall begins in the wake of Tybalt's fury, in my opinion. The way I see the play is that if Tybalt had not gone after Romeo, Mercutio would not have suffered, nor would grief take hold of Romeo, whose actions res...

Another day, another play. Is that not what they say? Regardless, it's time to have a review of my second play. Today's review is that of the Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex  (C.429 BC) by Sophocles. This play is a bit of a shocker from start to finish. The moment that shook me most was when Oedipus found out the truth about his wife Jocasta and how she is his mother. I still cannot comprehend marrying your own mother and having children with her. The mythology of the Greeks is a strange one to me. Then we have Oedipus' hamartia which leads to a turn of events I found unexpected. Hamartia is the tragic flaw of the protagonist that leads to their downfall. His determination for answers and truth, after justice ends up leaving him in the wrong. Oedipus never expected to discover that he  was the one who committed the murder on his own father. This led to his "downfall". I mention "downfall" though it also became the downfall of his wife/mother. Jocasta, who ends...