This adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth, done by the BBC, places the medieval tragedy inside a modern kitchen. Joe Macbeth is played by James MacAvoy, the heart and soul of the restaurant, and its true lead chef. Duncan is in charge of the restaurant and, for appearances only, is the official head chef, though he is never seen cooking for the kitchen. He is charming and beloved by all, and, though Macbeth resents him for taking the credit, he also loves him.The film emphasizes the repeated symbolism of animals and the theme of blood from the play well, and it is clear through Ella (Lady) Macbeth's madness that they have their same effect in the film. The dark comedic scenes were a great homage to those done by Shakespeare and his acting troupe.The highest points of the film were the superb acting, because of the skilled and experienced cast, and the great adaptation of the lines from Shakespearan prose to modern British English.

This is a worthy addition to the ever lengthening list of Shakespearean works on film, either in their original format or done as a reworking for modern sensibilities. They range from terrific to patchy but still enjoyable, and a lot of the enjoyment comes from the wonderful casting for each segment -- you get a who's who of terrific British talent, which is always a treat.My favorite by far is the Much Ado about Nothing segment -- as someone said in one of the supplements, it is the one of the Bard's works that does indeed seem very modern, a boy-meets-girl, they-hate-each-other, they fall in love at the end story (how many have we seen on the big screen like that?) Damien Lewis, who has been a favorite of mine since The Forsyte Saga, is pitch perfect as Benedick. And thank you to the writers for giving me a Hero that I did NOT want to strangle (sorry, gang, but Shakespeare blew it with her -- Claudio dumps on her not once, but twice, in public, and she still marries him and assures him she's still a 'maid'? come on!!) "Macbeth" was a bit odd, but once Igot used to the idea of it being set in a restaurant, I went with the flow and found it very well done and very chilling. James McAvoy is fabulous (have to admit, he is why I rented this set in the first place, HUGE fan) and Keeley Hawes is a magnificent 'power behind the throne'. And I did love the idea of the three weird sisters being three mystical bin men -- that's warped enough to be a lot of fun."Taming of the Shrew" has never been my favorite of the canon, and I didn't have great expectations for this segment. It worked rather better than I expected, as this Petruchio analog (the wonderful Rufus Sewell) does actually love Kate. However, Shirley Henderson does not make the transition convincing for me, any more than Shakespeare's Kate convinced me. It's probably my modern sensibilities coming into play again, but the idea of browbeating (and worse) a woman into submission doesn't work for me. And this Kate is even more of a witch than the original, something I didn't think was even possible. It has its moments (one of them NOT being the bizarre costume at the wedding), but with the source material what it is, it just did not satisfy."Midsummer Night's Dream" was a frolic, as was the original, and there has to be a fantasy element with this story, or it does not work at all. It gets a little crazy at times, but the casting saves it, primarily Bill Paterson and Imelda Staunton as the parents of the would-be bride. I adore the gent playing Puck, whose name I can't now remember, and I can never remember Sharon Small being so gorgeous (I'm used to her from the Inspector Linley mysteries). And it was a surprise to find out that Rupert Evans, late of Hellboy, was a Brit! In all, I enjoyed the entire set, but some stories more than others. It is, however, one I would highly recommend for anyone that likes an alternative view of the Bard.

Surprisingly, I really enjoyed this modern re-telling of "Macbeth." This is the only part of the series that I've watched so far. It was very different but I thought that they pulled it off nicely. And I love James McAvoy so of course I think he was perfect for the film. I liked how they showed how much the characters were all affected by their actions and the choices they made and how it changed them all in the end. Their facial expressions said everything and I like when the actors can really accomplish that and James McAvoy did an excellent job. It really makes the movie. "Macbeth" is probably not a movie for everyone but if you like Shakespeare it is worth a try.

--spoilers------I'm always a bit wary of Shakespeare or Chaucer or similar retells of old works because too often the modern writers put too much of their own personal fancies into the story and ignore the original. It's not often (well in my opinion anyway) that a modern retell turns out really well. Shrew works splendidly. Terrific charisma between Rufus Sewell, who's one of my favourite actors anyway, and Shirley Henderson and their scenes are hilarious and charming magic. The wedding has to be seen to be believed! This is a very moreish play!Much Ado is also splendid so far as Beatrice and Benedick are concerned, but the plot gets into a muddle over Hero and her suitor, her father and his black sheep devious brother Don John who in this version has become Hero's pretty pathetic friend who wants to be more and can't take rejection. Worse, the original clever Hero theme following the wedding fiasco in which she pretends to be dead to teach her easily fooled and untrusting lover a well-needed lesson is completely lost as the modern writer has her seriously injured for real by her lover during his temper tantrum at the wedding, and you can't be surprised she goes off him. Fortunately, the B-B plot and other aspects still make this compellingly entertaining viewing.I wasn't entirely pleased with Midsummer Night's Dream. It's a very enjoyable light magical fantasy until the last scenes where the modern writer was clearly at a complete loss to know what to do with Bottom and Co's "entertainment". The original Pyramus and Thisbe play is so famous and so hilariously cringemaking that you just fall about, so it needed something equally clever and funny to succeed in this modern version. Unfortunately the writer seemed to have suddenly lost all inspiration and the "entertainment" isn't remotely funny, not even Bottom's badly misjudged "jokes", it all just falls completely flat. Oberon's solution, to make the wedding party think it's all very funny, works fine in the original as it is very funny to the real audience, but since this modern version hasn't got anything funny for an entertainment. Oberon's solution just makes it worse.I wasn't so keen on the Macbeth. When I first saw this version on TV I was bored. The original is about Kings and power, and the modern setting chosen didn't work for me at all. I'd have preferred a political theme. Second time around it's a bit better but I wish the Beeb had kept to either comedies or tragedies, not pushed in this one tragedy which seems completely anomalous alongside the others and although I want to buy this DVD set, I am annoyed that one of the plays is so far from interesting me. If only the Beeb had adapted Love's Labour Lost, The Merchant of Venice, Measure for Measure or my favourite Twelfth Night......