In 1985, Jean-Luc Godard—the enfant terrible of the French New Wave—and the Israeli producer Menahem Golan signed a contract on a cocktail napkin: the story of King Lear, written by Norman Mailer, filmed by Godard, ready for the following year’s … Continue reading KING LEAR
Of all Shakespeare’s plays, few hold fascination with artists and audiences quite like The Tragedie of Macbeth. Romeo and Juliet has the romance and Hamlet has the speech, but Macbeth—first published in 1623—is filled with control, corruption, and comeuppance. There’s … Continue reading MACBETH
Style is half the picture. Story is the other half. William Shakespeare’s 17th-century play, The Tragedie of Macbeth, might be one of the greatest stories ever penned. If not, it’s at least one of the most durable. The desire for power, … Continue reading THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH
The movie opens and closes with a similar image, the ruins of a fortress, built at the foot of Mt. Fuji, enveloped by fog. A visual cue from famed Japanese director Akira Kurosawa reminding viewers that what goes around comes … Continue reading THRONE OF BLOOD
Michael J. Cinema 