A ruthlessly ambitious Scottish lord seizes the throne with the help of his scheming wife and a trio of witches.
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Title: Macbeth (1971)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Jon Finch | ... | Macbeth | |
| Francesca Annis | ... | Lady Macbeth | |
| Martin Shaw | ... | Banquo | |
| Terence Bayler | ... | Macduff | |
 |
John Stride | ... | Ross |
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Nicholas Selby | ... | Duncan |
| Stephan Chase | ... | Malcolm | |
|
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Paul Shelley | ... | Donalbain |
|
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Maisie MacFarquhar | ... | First Witch |
|
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Elsie Taylor | ... | Second Witch |
|
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Noelle Rimmington | ... | Third Witch |
|
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Noel Davis | ... | Seyton |
| Sydney Bromley | ... | Porter | |
| Richard Pearson | ... | Doctor | |
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Patricia Mason | ... | Gentlewoman |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
Storyline
Roman Polanski's version of Shakespeare's tragedy about a Scottish lord who murders the king and ascends the throne. His wife then begins hallucinating as a result of her guilt complex and the dead king's son conspires to attack Macbeth and expose him for the murderer he is. Written by Jason Ihle <jrihl@conncoll.edu>
Parents Guide:
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Details
Language:
EnglishRelease Date:
25 December 1971 (Brazil) See more »Also Known As:
Macbeth See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$3,100,000 (estimated)Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1
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Three Witches: Fire burn and cauldron bubble
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
When Roman Polanski was casting the film, his co-screenwriter Kenneth Tynan suggested Nicol Williamson for the title role. Tynan was a great admirer of Williamson, but Polanski turned him down because he thought Williamson lacked sex appeal. Williamson later played Macbeth in London and on Broadway and for the B.B.C. See more »Goofs
When first meeting the witches, Macbeth follows them asking further questions as to their prophecies.One shot shows him nearing the witches as they each hurry down a small set of stairs, the youngest witch flashes herself at Macbeth and we see an angle change to see her hurry down the same steps and Macbeth directly behind her in the shot. the scene changes to show Macbeth standing in the same position as when the young witch flashed herself at him. See more »Quotes
Three Witches: Double double, toil and troubleThree Witches: Fire burn and cauldron bubble
See more »
THE PLOT: Through ambition, greed, and the spurring of his wife a man rises to the ranks of King, but leaves murder, destruction, guilt, and a wide array of enemies in his wake.
THE POSITIVE: This is visually stunning from beginning to end. The photography of the Scottish landscape seems almost surreal. Although some may argue that the violence is excessive it is still well done and works in a nice lyrical fashion with the script. The gory special effects are very realistic and top anything that I have seen in any slasher movie especially the decapitation scene. The witches also come off as looking very frightening here. The scene in their coven where you see dozens of fully nude elderly women is grotesquely brilliant. This is one Shakespeare rendition that doesn't have any of the stiff staginess. The characters seem to be having real conversations and their lines are spoken in a much more natural way. Finch is absolutely perfect in the lead. The facial expressions that he show during Macbeth's different phases are fascinating and right on target. This would be a good version to show to teenagers and others who might not ordinarily be into Shakespeare. The action is well mounted and paced so anyone would be able to follow it even if they are not able to completely grasp the language.
THE NEGATIVE: Outside of a relentlessly bleak visual style that may be too much for some there really isn't anything negative about it.
THE LOWDOWN: This is the best film adaptation to Shakespeare's work that I have seen. It is exciting, graphic, realistic, visual, and captivating all at the same time even for those that may not be into Shakespeare.
THE RATING: 8 out of 10.