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...

There's witchcraft a foot and the witchfinder general comes to village in my latest book reviewing. Today's the day the witchy play of Caryl Churchill is reviewed. Let me introduce you to Vinegar Tom  (1976)… The play's title is taken from the name of a witch's familiar that famous witchfinder Matthew Hopkins mentioned in his pamphlet 'The Discovery of Witches'. This is why in the play, the character of Alice has a cat called Vinegar Tomcat; it is Caryl Churchill's allusion to Matthew Hopkins. In this play we do meet Witchfinders, though neither are Matthew Hopkins. They still however have plans to weed out any witches in the village. The women here are treated as inferior to men, as though men are better. This reminds me of Churchill's play Owners  (1972) that I read and reviewed recently. The play is set in the 17th century so that is a little understanding. I do however disagree with it. The use of the songs in modern time highlight the discrimination...

Hello blog readers, I hope everyone is having a good March. If I am honest, I am finding things a bit testing at the moment but I keep on going, hoping some goodness is coming. Today I am treating you to a review of The Manning Tree Witches  (2021) by A. K. Blakemore. Set in 1643 England, this dark tale is filled with fear and suspicion when the witchfinder general arrives in Manningtree. With strong convictions from the Puritans swarming around, the women of Manningtree do not know who to trust. Questions are being asked and those being asked do not know what to say. The main question on everyone's lips - is she a witch? But this sinister novel forges a villain, not in the "witches" but rather in that of patriarchy. Here this novel challenges whether it is good women vs so called "witches" or rather "women" vs "men". Can one man truly be trusted?  This novel demonstrates the puritanical patriarchy present in the 17th century, amongst the wor...