Macbeth (1948)

Director:

Orson Welles

Writer:

William Shakespeare (play)

Release Date:

23 June 1950 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Entertainment Greatness . . . That Only Motion Picture Magic Can Bring !

Plot:

In fog-dripping, barren and sometimes macabre settings, 11th-century Scottish nobleman Macbeth is led...

Plot Keywords:

Directed By Star | Able To See The Dead | William Shakespeare | Shakespeare's Macbeth | Scotland

Cast

Orson Welles	...	Macbeth
Jeanette Nolan	...	Lady Macbeth
Dan O'Herlihy	...	Macduff
Roddy McDowall	...	Malcolm
Edgar Barrier	...	Banquo
Alan Napier	...	A Holy Father
Erskine Sanford	...	Duncan
John Dierkes	...	Ross
Keene Curtis	...	Lennox
Peggy Webber	...	Lady Macduff / The Three
Lionel Braham	...	Siward
Archie Heugly	...	Young Siward
Jerry Farber	...	Fleance
Christopher Welles	...	Macduff Child
Morgan Farley	...	Doctor

Runtime:

89 min (cut version) | Germany:92 min | USA:107 min (premiere version) | USA:107 min (restored video version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Brazil:14 | Belgium:16 (Enfants Non Admis) | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Republic Studios/CBS Studio Center - 4024 Radford Avenue, Studio City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Mercury Productions

Trivia:

Laurence Olivier wanted to follow up The Chronicle History of King Henry the Fift with His Battell Fought at Agincourt in France (1944) with a film version of "Macbeth", but decided against it because Welles' version would reach theatres first. Olivier opted to make his film of Hamlet (1948) instead, which went on to win him Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Actor.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Duncan and his men renew their baptismal vows with a prayer composed by Pope Leo XIII in 1884.

Quotes:

[first lines]
The Three Witches: Double,double,toil and trouble; fire burn, and cauldron bubble.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Neues aus der Anstalt: Mental-Training vor der Fußball-EM (#2.5)" (2008)

Orson Welles's "Macbeth" a darkly well made film.

Orson Welles Macbeth is to me, perhaps even better made than "Citizen Kane." The fact that much of the Shakespearean dialogue was over my head should not sway my reviewing of the film, and that is why I rated the film as a "9" out of "10."

Orson Welles once again brings the story to life with his cinematography which brings out the dark nature and inner obsessions and strong emotions of his characters.