3.2 Polanski's "Tragedy of Macbeth" (1971)

I have selected the extract from Roman Polanski's "The Tragedy of Macbeth" (1971). It's very interesting, that in Polanki's interpretation Macbeth carries less weight of fault than I would guess from the original play, to the point that the director considers it to be the character's tragedy (as if he himself did not cause tragedy for others and even for the entire land!) You can feel it from the opening scene of the film, when the three ugly witches set up the spell in the deserted place. The first object to enter the frame is the magic stick, which draws a circle (symbol of magic, lack of choice). We then see hands which dig a hole in the mud, where they put a hangman's noose (symbol of crime and punishment), a chopped off blue arm holding a bloody knife, which projects Macbeth as a victim rather then convict. The weird witches spill some more blood (spell and spit) on top of the hidden killing arm, which means that more people are to suffer from this wicked spell. The witches leave with a squeaky sound of rolling cart (like a hanging body swinging in the air on the wooden gibbet), and we get to see Polanski's vision of the "deserted place": reflective surface, as if they walk on water, which symbolizes their magic nature. The place is gray and lifeless, smoky (hell) and foggy (stench) - the place one would hardly like to find himself. Besides few words by the witches we can hear screams of  crazy birds, who feel the fear (the place is so remote, that only a crazy bird can reach it). I am looking forward to watching this film. Polanski is an arguable character and personality, but he's got what he's got - an incredible talent for directing and irresistible attraction of depicting.