The
Petőfi Literary Museum
marks the 400th anniversary of
Shakespeare’s
death
by organizing a Film Club in autumn 2016 in association with the British Council, the Institute of British-American Studies of Péter Pázmány Catholic University and the Hungarian Shakespeare Committee.
The program includes some of the most daring and unconventional adaptations. Shakespeare’s overwhelmingly rich legacy inspired not only the best filmmakers like
Derek Jarman, Peter Greenaway
,
or Roman Polanski
but also other acknowledged artists like the legendary theater director Peter Brook to undertake the task of reinterpreting the genius for
their contemporaries.
Each screening starts with an introduction by an invited expert and is followed by an open discussion.
Roman Polanski’s Macbeth (1971)
Introduction: Prof Frank Prescott (Associate Professor at the Institute of English Studies, KRE)
Roman Polanski presents his nightmarish vision of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy about the lust for power and its bloody consequences. Jon Finch is Macbeth, the Scottish war hero, whose insane ambition unleashes a cycle of violence. Prompted by the supernatural prophecy of three witches, Macbeth is goaded by his Lady (Francesca Annis) into slaying King Duncan and assuming his throne. Filmed in rugged North Wales, Polanski used the landscape to accentuate the visual elements of Shakespeare’s play.
