Macbeth (1971)

A ruthlessly ambitious Scottish lord seizes the throne with the help of his scheming wife and a trio of witches.

Director:

Roman Polanski

Writers:

Roman Polanski (screenplay by), William Shakespeare (play)

Stars:

Jon Finch, Francesca Annis, Martin Shaw

Won 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jon Finch	...	Macbeth
Francesca Annis	...	Lady Macbeth
Martin Shaw	...	Banquo
Terence Bayler	...	Macduff
John Stride	...	Ross
Nicholas Selby	...	Duncan
Stephan Chase	...	Malcolm
Paul Shelley	...	Donalbain
Maisie MacFarquhar	...	First Witch
Elsie Taylor	...	Second Witch
Noelle Rimmington	...	Third Witch
Noel Davis	...	Seyton
Sydney Bromley	...	Porter
Richard Pearson	...	Doctor
Patricia Mason	...	Gentlewoman

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.

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Plot Keywords:

king | murder | guilt | shakespeare play | warrior | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 December 1971 (Brazil)

Also Known As:

Macbeth

Filming Locations:

UK

Box Office

Budget:

$3,100,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Playboy Productions, Caliban Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

140 min

Sound Mix:

Mono 3 Channel Stereo (magnetic prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A box office bomb, final losses for the film were estimated at $3.5 million.

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Goofs

Whenever characters ride their horses, the film foleys in the sound of horse hooves running on cobblestones or some other hard unyielding surface. This sound appears even when it doesn't make sense, like at the start of the film when the horses are running across wet sand on a beach.

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Quotes

Lady Macbeth: All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand! Oh, oh, oh!

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Connections

Version of Repertory Theatre: Macbeth (1949)

User Reviews

An Excellent Film

Roman Polanski's Macbeth, is dark, cruel, genuine, and beautiful. It is a great achievement. Visually the film is amazing with the gloomy Scotish countryside and impressive interiors which give the film the realistic and dreary feeling of medieval Scotland. The music is unique and fits right in with the tone and feel of the film coveying a crude and rigid style. The acting is excellent which is absolutely necessary in any of Shakespeare's works and the actors themselves fit their rolls and bring the characters to life. The directing is masterful and is truly the work of a skilled craftsman with an idea for exactly what he wants. Certain liberties are taken with the dialogue but it remains a good representation of Shakespeare's play and gives it something that the play lacked with its violence and gore which further add to realistic feel of the film. Watching this film, I felt its power. It engulfed me and drew me in. It is one of my favorite films and certainly one of my favorite film adaptions of Shakespeare.