The Metropolitan Opera – Verdi: Macbeth (2008) [PG-13]
Release Date:
April 13, 2008
Original Title:
The Metropolitan Opera – Verdi: Macbeth
Genres:
Drama | Music
Production Companies:
EMI
The Metropolitan Opera
Production Countries:
United States of America
Ratings / Certifications:
US: PG-13
Runtime: 157
Verdi’s admiration for Shakespeare led to such masterpieces as Othello and Falstaff, and if the earlier Macbeth isn’t on their exalted level it’s still a powerfully dramatic opera that hews closely to the original’s story line. The MET’s production retains the dark aura of the opera while updating it to a vaguely post-modern context. So the witches are bag ladies in various stages of decrepitude, with children in tow. The Banquet Scene features lowered chandeliers, a plethora of chairs, and a slew of extras dressed in tuxedos and party gowns. Macbeth sports a leather coat, the soldiers are in drab brown uniforms and seem to have fingers on their triggers even when they’re supposed to be in non-threatening situations. Director Adrian Noble also has Lady Macbeth do an inordinate amount of writhing around and singing from a lying-down position, adding to the feeling that a less interventionist directorial hand might have generated more impact.