5. Macbeth (2010)
Starting with possibly the most obscure production, but most definitely one of my favourites. The 2010 Macbeth with Patrick Stewart in the main role was astounding all around, and truly deserves all the appreciation in the world. Macbeth is my favourite Shakespeare tragedy. It is a story of ambition, murder and the eventual collapse of all things. It was written around 1606, just after the Gunpowder Plot was foiled, and examines such issues as the divine right of kings and the insanity that ensures when its flouted. Its one of Shakespeares most powerful plays, and certainly amongst his darkest. This production captured that darkness perfectly. Evoking Soviet Russia, it casts Stewarts Macbeth in an almost Stalin-like role. The other character concepts are also brilliant. Lady Macbeth was cast as the younger woman, an almost trophy wife who drives Macbeth to his deeds and pays the price. Several other figures bear strong resemblance to prominent people in World War II and beyond. The true triumph in character concept are the witches, though cast as deathly grim nurses, their sinister presence hovers throughout the film and makes the darkness ever present. The setting for these characters is also brilliant, and definitely brings to mind Soviet Russia and other such brutal regimes. All of the film was filmed at the setting of Welbeck Abbey, and this gives an atmosphere of inescapable claustrophobia that fits the play so very well my memory of the whole production is flavoured with dark stone and shadows, a certain Gothic creepiness that perfectly accommodates evil. It is modern, but is still just as creepy if not creepier than if it was set in its original time period. This creepiness is aided by the amazing performances. The witches are chilling figures, ones that I remember even now. Their presence permeates the play, popping up at the most unexpected moments. They arent loud like most witches, but the restrained and quiet performances of the actresses fit the tone of the production completely. Tim Treloar is great as the minor character of Ross, making me briefly suspect an evil interpretation of the character before breaking my heart and making me feel terribly sorry for the assumption. Kate Fleetwood is a brilliant Lady Macbeth, and probably challenges for one of my favourites the beautiful trophy wife, who nonetheless loves her husband and ends up plunging unwillingly into her insanity. And as for Stewart He truly is one of our greatest actors, and it shows here. He is wonderful as Macbeth steadily more terrifying as the play goes on, and yet heartbreaking at exactly the right moments. This version of Macbeth didnt get a cinema release, to my knowledge, but its still one that deserves an awful lot of attention. The concepts are brilliant, from characters to settings, and the performances are absolutely wonderful. It was a brilliant adaptation to watch, and to this day remains my favourite adaptation of my favourite play.