Nudity

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REPLY 1
The late Kenneth Tynan who helped to write the screenplay for this screen adaptation of "Macbeth" experimented at times with the use of artistic nudity in performing arts with "Oh Calcutta!"being the most noted example.In an interview once he remarked that one of the reasons for having Lady macbeth do her sleepwalk from actV,sceneI nude was because a nightgown did not come into fashion as sleepwear until the 14th century some 300 years after the time in which Macbeth takes place,and he ostensibly was striving for reality in this film. A point to also remember: In that time for someone to walk around in a daze without regard to their appearance or apparel and to sleepwalk in such manner totally oblivious to their surroundings or reality would be taken as a sign of madness or going mad - which Shakespeare portrayed Lady macbeth as doing under the weight of her guilt. Though a marked departure from the more traditional interpretations such would not be out of keeping with shakespeare's portayal of Lady Macbeth. A pair of side notes: According to biographical sorces on Tynan and Roman Polanski, actress Tuesday Weld was initially approached for the role of Lady Macbeth But declined when she learned about the nude sleepwalk. Francesca Annis agreed to the role and the scenebut only on the condition the set be cleared of all non-essential personnel during filming of this scene;the condition was agreed upon and carried out per her wishes.This was not the first time that sleepwalk scene raised some eyebrows it should be noted also;in the late 19th century famed actress Sarah Bernhardt gave a stunning performance as Lady Macbeth in London. she did her sleepwalk barefoot in a clinging dress that was said to be rather revealing by Victorian standards!

In Shakespeare's time and before, witches were thought as among other things consorting with the denizens of the Netherworld. The notion then of showing them nude could be thought of as an allusion to that,and as one respondent here here remarked it could add to the dark, mysterious atmosphere of the scene. Hecate the mythological patron goddess of witchcraft is not shown in this film version. Yet in the text of Shakespeare's play the wiches are portayed as being involved in some rite prior to Macbeth's arrival to learn his future from them. If one let one's imagination go one could think of this as culminating in some orgastic rite. Such would not necessarily be out of keeping with Shakespeare and nudity involved in such a rite if one so let one's imagination go. A note here: In some presentations of this play the witches role has varied and in some, this scene was abridged due to its' macabre nature. Witches were also thought to be able to cause lightning, thunder, and storms in shakespeare's day - which is why in the text of the play when they appear there is mist or thunder as there was mist in the beginning of the film here.

Child nudity has often been used in art to denote child hood innocence and vulnerability and I also suspect that was the case here as well. When one sees Macduff's son standing in that basin he appears almost cherubic and it appears that he is playing with a ball made from old rags that have been wrapped together and sewn into a ball - or it may be a sponge of some sort we are meant to think that was used to bathe him. In either case he is seen playing with it as he stands in that basin. The notion of of an innocent and vulnerable child can be drawn from that. When Lady MacDuff rinses and dries him then wraps him in the blankets before he steps out of the basin and then out of the image and camera view is how one would expect a loving mother to do,and tthe dialogue is that one might expect between a parent and child.The nudity here was I dare say meant to be innocent and harmless in context and nature; nothing lewd, pornograpic, or obscene was intended I dare say by this. The notion of a loving mother and loyal wife together with an innocent child, this is in keeping with the manner shakespeare portrayed Lady MacDuff and her son in actIV,sceneII, albeit again in manner that was a very marked departure from more traditional presentations of this.
Though the text of the dialogue between Lady MacDuff and her son is abridged in this film, the notion of a loving mother and an innocent child dies come through here in the film and its' images as in the text. Lady MacDuff's remark "Now,God help thee poor monkey!" ( which is in the film) was meant as playful and jokingly affectionate as an example of this.Mother and children all of course die at the hands of Macbeth's assassins at the scene's end. There innocent lives being forfeit to Macbeth's ruthless ambititon with their only crime if you will being wife and children of a man Macbeth fears. Some other remarks on this scene: In the late 18th and early 19th centuries the murder of Lady MacDuff and son was omitted from many stage presentations of "Macbeth" - apparently some stage producers of that time considered the scene a bit too intense for audience tastes of that time. Another item of note:I first saw this version of "Macbeth" in the early 1990s when it was shownin its' entirety in a wide-screen format on Bravo Channel here in the United States on cable TV. The version now on DVD is the same one they showed there. When it was shown again later on Bravo Channel curiously the nude sleepwalk of Lady Macbeth and the nude images of the witches were all shown in full but the portion of the scene in which MacDuff's son is seen fully nude standing in the basin was edited out. Why it was done I do not know.
It may have been related in some way to the Cavin Klein ad and other controversies which were taking place at about the same time as thelater showings on Bravo Channel, but again I do not know. Lastly, I have wondered if in thefilming of the portion of this scene in which MacDuff's son was seen standing nude in that basin was a stand-in or body double used in plac eof the young actor named in the credits as playing MacDuff's son for that shot. That is why I posted that message on the board here, curious if anyone might know how I might find the answer to that question. I know there are cases where this has been done (Brooke Shields for instance, in the nude swim scenes in "The Blue Lagoon" a double was use for her),I was curious if it was done here.

It's not pornographic, and I can't believe it's rated highly because of the nudity. There is full frontal nudity, but none of it is erotic or pornographic.

The longest scene is probably the one with the crowd of naked witches; most are somewhat aged and none is portrayed in an erotic fashion (if you watch the scene, you'll realize what an understatement that is!). Although Lady Macbeth is clearly naked in one scene, as I recall most of her body is obscured.

In short, don't be put off by the name of the production company! This is well worth a watch.

(1) Hugh Hefner produced it. (Playboy).
(2) It was the 70's.
(3) the whole movie is full of cheap cheesy sensationalism that has nothing to do with Shakespeare, so the nudity is just part & parcel of the whole approach.

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shame that Sir Laurence Olivier didn't do one, as he was the GREATEST Shakespearean actor I've ever seen

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The greatest ham!

You can't actually expect a production of Macbeth financed by Hugh Hefner and the Playboy company to not cotain some nudity, can you? I think it adds very much to this interpretation of the play. Macduff's son is seen as unprotected, the witches are seen as more gruesome, and Lady Macbeth is seen as fragile when all are shown in their naked state.

"If God had intended us to walk, he wouldn't have invented roller skates." - Willy Wonka