Why Macbeth Has The Best Fight Scene in Cinema History.

Roman Polanski's MacBeth (1971) is an incredible take on Sharspeares most famous play and I think it has one of the greatest fight scenes ever commited to film. Let me try to explain why, and a little bit about the amazing man who helped created this fight and many more.

Check it out on Blu-Ray or Amazon Prime (you wont regret it!):

00:00 - Grim and Pessimistic: Polanski's MacBeth
02:14 - Visualising Birnam Wood
03:02 - Believability of Armour
05:46 - The Exhuastion of a Fight
06:44 - Storytelling Through Costume
08:18 - The End of MacBeth
09:19 - Fights in Modern Media
10:27 - The Man Behind The Fight
11:17 - Outro

[christoph]

the actor who plays Macbeth...Jon Finch...he once said he did acting to finance the things he really liked to do, he was an outdoor type, mountaineering and parachuting, he did his national service in The Parachute Regiment and stayed on as a member of the SAS Reserve Regiment, training at the weekends and in the evenings, he was courted by Bond producers as a possible James Bond, but he wasn't interested in the stardom that would have brought him, he just wanted to quietly do theatre and film work...and earn enough to get by.

[scuffedryangosling]

It's my biggest pet peeve watching fighters effortlessly cut through full plate armor like it's not even there in movies. Nice to see not only the armor work, but the actors actually using it as an asset in the fight. You don't see that often.

[SavCorp]

I think one of the enduring things of Macbeth is the struggle of a man who is in denial of his own mortality, and this fight scene displays that perfectly, humans don’t want to die, we do so much to protect ourselves and struggle but it’s really really rare movies depict that struggle faithfully because 1: choreography is hard, and 2: easy kills makes more spectacle. The contrast in this scene compared to most fight scenes is so human in its struggle and desperation.

[arrasonline]

I taught Macbeth for 30 years and always showed this film...students always loved this fight scene. Your analysis of the scene is masterful.

[anarchisttutor]

In a backyard boxing party, I remember being so tired that my punches could be comically slow. That part where MacBeth swings his sword and hits the wall over MacDuff well after he ducks seems quite realistic to me.

[davidj.thompson]

Also, Michael York and Christopher Lee's battle at the end of "The Four Musketeers" is another example of a well-choreographed sword duel.

[fisharmor]

We watched this in English class after reading the play in 12th grade. Our teacher told us it was the first film Polanski did after Sharon Tate was murdered by the Manson gang and is probably why it's so dark.
I know something about armored combat and you're spot on, and there's history to prove it. There's an account I read once of Bertrand du Guesclin, one of the most celebrated knights ever, who got in a duel with an English knight and the English knight's friends had to beg Bertrand to stop after he straddled him, forced open his visor, and punched him repeatedly in the face with his gauntlets.

[richardjweeks]

Honestly, I had doubts when reading the title but your ability to dissect and convey your argument has won me over. Excellent work as usual. 👍

[MrMarch]

The fight scene is dated in many ways, but I have to say that final impalement...I'm utterly blown away. All the fight scenes in all the movies I've seen, but never have I witnessed a fatal blow that made so much sense and looks shockingly vicious for the age of this film! The actors reactions are excellent, both Macbeth and MacDuff seem shocked, and the tragic, almost pathetic way Macbeth tries reaching to remove the sword at that odd angle in which he's impaled...it's so human. Thank you for sharing this!

[TheWiseDoge]

How Macbeth's arms reach for his head even after the second he's beheaded gives me CHILLS. It's TERRIFYING.

[MrBottlecapBill]

The fact that the armour works makes this one of the greatest fight scenes ever. Still full of fluff but....the added little details are amazing. It brings it just a bit closer to an authentic duel. THey start full of energy with weapons at the ready and it ends in a tussle of desperation. Just like reality.

[sangetube]

The Rob Roy final fight is the best film sword fight I have ever seen. So gritty and believable, not just some choreographed dance number like most other films.

[tonyjanney]

The final duel between Tyrone Power and Basil Rathbone in "The Mark of Zorro" (1940). The sudden realization by Captain Esteban (Rathbone) that Don Diego (Power) is not a fop, but a real danger, is one of the great FAFO moments in film.

[modernmajorgeneral]

I love how not all the strikes land; some hit walls, some hit the ground, some swing wildly away. It makes the characters feel more human.

[thatJustinUknow]

Wow, you ain't kidding! If you were in any combat sports, MMA, wrestling etc. or were ever a soldier in combat you can testify that this scene is a legit portrayal!
Thanks for turning us on to it. Excellent breakdown!!

[gpwnedable]

We studied Macbeth when I was in high school in 10th grade. Our whole class went into town to a movie theater to see the Roman Polanski version. I was 15. It's still my favorite Shakespeare play of all time.

[santiagorojaspiaggio]

I recommend "THE DUELISTS", Ridley Scott's 1st film, which has some of the most realistic sword fights. It's also remarkable how experimental Scott's filming was at that time (furthermore considering "Alien" and "Blade Runner" were his 2nd and 3rd films).

[DanYHKim]

I saw this version in high school. I was also struck by how unusual this sword fight was. If you look at some of the sword battle scenes of more fantastic movies, it is very dissatisfying to see the hero taking down one armored opponent after another with a single swipe of his sword. That sword, striking against plate or mail, would really be expected to deal out nothing more than blunt force trauma. And yet it is often shown slicing against armored soldiers, who then go down with hardly a twitch.

When I saw the fight scene described in this video, I was impressed at how awkward and exhausted the two men quickly became. They both lost their main weapons and had to resort to kicking and tripping each other, with them also taking whatever opportunities they could to rest and catch their breath. As described, they absorb the blows of swords against their armor with little cost or effect, as one might expect. There is also never any actual penetration of the metal. Even the final cut involves a sword snaking its way through a gap, which makes a lot of sense. In the technological arms race of swords and armor, so it's became larger and heavier in order to overcome the strength of the armor, but eventually we're supplanted by thinner and more flexible swords that would be able to find the smallest gap and snake their way through into the body beneath.

[Dionis]

It shocks me, honestly, that there are so few fight scenes like this in cinema.

[Skyumi-Vk]

"I have no word, my voice is in my sword" still gives me shivers.