Macbeth (1948)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

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:

Wife | Scottish | Prophecy | King | Prophet

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:

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

Company:

Mercury Productions

Trivia:

Orson Welles had planned to take his company and put on the play at the Utah Centennial Festival in Salt Lake city. With costumes and props at his disposal, Welles rehearsed his company and shot this film in 21 days.

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:

Spoofed in "The Simpsons: Four Great Women and a Manicure (#20.20)" (2009)

A Masterpiece.

Orson Welles was a genius. He made this film under severe restraints. The budget was slim, the sets were re-done from old Republic Studios westerns, and the costumes were borrowed. In spite of all of this, the film is a masterpiece. Welles' direction was brilliant, and his portrayal of MacBeth was superb. The rest of the cast was wonderful. Great actors like Daniel O'Herlihy and Roddy McDowell just shine in their roles. And the criticisms of Jeanette Nolan as Lady MacBeth are totally unjustified. She gave a bravura performance, subtle yet strong. She is chilling in the daggers scene and brilliant in the mad scene. She was a fine actress who never received the praise that she deserved. As for the Scottish accents, it took me about a minute to get used to them, and I found them quite appropriate to the setting of the story. All-in-all, a dark, misty, brooding and totally brilliant film of this great work. P.S. If you want to see a great stage presentation of MacBeth, watch the Ian McKellen/Judi Dench/Royal Shakespeare Company version. Another example of a beautifully staged and brilliantly acted production of this masterpiece.