Because sometimes you just stumble across gems you have to link immediately

[selenak]

Patrick Stewart, getting interviewed about a recent Macbeth performance, talks about Ian McKellen giving him tips on the Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow monologue:

And lo and behold, YouTube also has the monologue in question (which is Macbeth's response to the news his wife has died) performed by both actors, in a completley different fashion (and both variations are superb):

Patrick Stewart as Macbeth

Ian McKellen as Macbeth

In conclusion, Gandalf/Picard OTP Magneto/Xavier Forever British septuangarian actors are awesome. And always were. (That McKellen clip is from the Trevor Nunn production in the 70s, with Judi Dench as Lady MacBeth, the only production I've seen where both Macbeth and Lady M were played by actors of equal strength. Normally one or the other is weaker.)

Comments

[katta]

I liked Patrick Stewart's version best, but that might have been because I saw it first. Or maybe that he was older and more experienced, to tie into your conclusion. :-)

[selenak]

Well, I've seen the McKellen version first (when we did Macbeth in school, our teacher showed us all the then existing film versions), and I still like Patrick Stewart's rendition of that speech best, so I think it might be age and experience. :)

[katta]

All the film versions? Wouldn't that be a lot? Or maybe it hasn't been filmed that many times after all...

My first introduction to Macbeth was a heavily abbreviated production created during two theme weeks by kids in my middle school, who kept forgetting the lines so much that nobody watching could understand anything. (Most memorably, Lady Macbeth said "look like the serpent, but be like the flower under it," thus confusing the entire audience.) I have never quite been able to get that bizarre experience out of my head.

Edit: I can usually spell Macbeth, really.

[selenak]

In the mid 80s, there weren't that many yet. :)

We were shown: Orson Welles, Kurosawa, Roman Polanski and the RSC tv filmed McKellen/Dench version. I don't think there were other Macbeths around on video tape at that time for English teachers to have, but I haven't checked it.

[kalypso]

I remember someone pointing out to me that, in the line

Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To...

you're expecting another "to day", but you get "to the last syllable of recorded time" instead.

[selenak]

*thinks about this* True.

[watervole]

Fascinating clips - thanks.

Odd to hear Ian's familiar voice with the younger face.

[selenak]

This was actualy the first part I've ever seen him in, at school in English class when we did Macbeth. (Our teacher owned the video tape.) So I saw younger Ian before older Ian, but I imagine for most people today it's the other way around.