Joe Macbeth

Before his befuddled attempt to rework Shakespeare's tragedy into an urban mob movie, Philip Yordan had more than an honorable career as a screenwriter: When Strangers Marry, Whistle Stop, Suspense, The Chase, Reign of Terror, Edge of Doom, Detective Story, Johnny Guitar, The Big Combo (to cite only titles in or near the noir cycle). Perhaps Joe Macbeth's production in the United Kingdom proved the impetus for its being adapted from the ill-starred 'Scottish play,' adding one more element originating in Great Britain to satisfy all the codicils in the deal. But Yordan's writing is far from the major shortcoming in a movie that, despite occasional spurts of interest, falls short of satisfying.

For starters, it's hard to buy the usually sympathetic Paul Douglas as a plausible pretender to the throne, even a weak-kneed and vacillating one (Douglas was nearing 50 – as well as the end of his life – at the time). True, his striking at the king is prompted (if not prodded) by his ambitious wife – Ruth Roman, here steely and matronly (she was a sadly underused actress). But both are upstaged by Bonar Colleano as a smoldering agent of revenge and retribution – in much too underdeveloped a role.

Then, the milieu, which seems to be New York City and an estate on Long Island, strikes an inauthentic note, having been filmed on sound stages across the big pond (the street scenes are shabbily Victorian rather than raffishly New World). In a genre where atmosphere ought to be preeminent, Joe Macbeth stays imprecise and generic.

Last, the direction fell to the workmanlike Ken Hughes, who had some experience in British suspense thrillers, including some that might now be termed 'Britnoir:' The House Across The Lake and The Long Haul are two of the more notable of them. But he really doesn't have much to bring to the party, and once or twice stoops to low-comedy touches grindingly at odds with the tone of the movie.

The most arresting aspect of Joe Macbeth (and aspect, alas, which becomes an albatross), is a misguided fealty to the Bard of Avon. Lest anyone overlook its Elizabethan pedigree, Joe Macbeth piles on the homages. Banquo becomes 'Banky' (the ever watchable Sid James) and MacDuff 'Duffy;' the three witches are downsized to one, a has-been actress reduced to telling Tarot cards (Minerva Pious, in a delightful turn; her cauldron becomes a kettle where she boils chestnuts on a pushcart); we even have Roman doing the 'Out, damned spot' scene (luckily, Douglas was spared 'Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow'). The trouble is, when you start noticing all the literary allusions and waiting for the next one to pop up, the movie you're watching has ceased to engage you on its own terms. Nice try, but no cigar.

This 1955 version of Shakespeare's 1606 play was a project to be directed by William Dieterle from a script by Phillip Yordan and starring Robert Cummings. But Orson Welles filmed "Macbeth" (1948) and Kurosawa soon followed with "Throne of Blood" (1957). It's what directors do when their careers are on thin ice. Welles and Kurosawa managed fealty to the original, but this attempt to make the story appealing for the film noir-relishing masses by updating it to a Chicago gangland yarn is distinctly inferior. The actors are fine, but the audience is not committed--or even sensible--to concepts like the divine right of kings or the Elizabethan chain of being, so it loses it's power to involve and move us. At times silly, it's easy to see why Dieterle moved on.

A fortune teller predicts a rapid, bloody rise to the top for a mid- level mobster and it soon comes to pass with a little help from the goon's ambitious wife...

I'm sure it sounded like a good idea at the time (still does, actually) but this underworld updating of Shakespeare's MACBETH was criminal in more ways than one and reminded me of those "Classics Illustrated" comics I had as a kid. "Simple" sums it up and a too-old Paul Douglas hammed it up shamelessly, coming off more like "Curly" from THE THREE STOOGES than the Bard's vacillating thane. The idea that the Chicago syndicate (at least I think that's what it was since I heard "the Detroit mob is moving in" at one point) could bump each other off left and right with impunity was only one of the film's many preposterous conceits but this low budget Brit noir (a Columbia picture filmed at Shepperton Studios) still had its moments, nonetheless, albeit few and far between.

The classic tale's all there from "Banky"s ghost to the damned spot on Lady, er Lily, Macbeth's hands trotted out in "Cliff's Notes For Dummies" fashion and Ruth Roman as the power behind the crime kingpin's throne was, well, Ruth Roman. She's like Arlene Dahl, Faith Domergue, Rhonda Fleming, Debra Paget, and a host of others from that era: they knew their lines and didn't bump into the furniture but their acting rarely rose above "competent". "Decorative" was the operative word for these gals and most faded away once their looks went but Ruth actually made a pretty good character actress later on in her career. I understand an underworld-set MACBETH was tried again with MEN OF RESPECT in 1990 and it's gotta be better than this.

I have always confounded this film with Russel Rouse's NEW YORK CONFIDENTIAL; I don't know why, maybe because plots are rather close and because I have always also confounded Paul Douglas - here - and Broderick Crawford - NEW YORK CONFIDENTIAL; both actors had more or less the same kind of face and played the same kind of characters too. So this explains that. This Ken Hughes' film is excellent, a gritty, violent crime movie, the rise and fall scheme concerning a ruthless and ambitious gangster and his moll. I would have never imagined Paul Douglas in such a role, and Ruth Roman is excellent in his gun moll role. Best film from Ken Hughes, besides CROMWELL.

In this British made crime thriller the makers attempt to apply pedigree with an updated version of Shakespeare's Macbeth but from the outset it becomes clear that this dog does not hunt. Working with a bare bones outline the the film for the most part relates in name only.

Joe Macbeth (Paul Douglas) is a respected strong arm man for "Kingpin" Lennie, more than happy with his situation. Wife Lily (Ruth Roman) is ambitious however and she begins to hector Joe about moving on up which would entail removing Lennie in a permanent sort of way. Joe vacillates but Lily remains steadfast.

The possibilities are plentiful with this modern day version of one of Shakespeares most accessible plays but more than likely due to budget and time the makers of the film never even attempts to elevate Bill's words; a bit galling given he's a hometown boy. Director Hughes is either too clueless or lazy to hone scenes into a decent hybrid. If we need further proof just look to his abysmal leads as mouthpieces. Bombastic likable lug Douglas is too soft from the outset and his descent into paranoia shrill. Roman's Lady M shows some early promise as she slaps Joe into line on her wedding day for running late from a whack but director Hughes doesn't seem to want to trust her with more than a sentence or two at a time and Roman who has the look and cynicism in her voice never gets a chance to deliver the memorable lines of as good a female character you would find in all of drama.

Mac does have an imaginative moment or two with a flower hag representing the three witches and a smug butler making short work of the gatekeeper scene to go along with a cold offing of the "Kingpin" as well as Ms. Macbeth's exit but overall given the original material and its author this film is not only bad it insults English Literature along the way.