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 & 2 nominations.

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:

11th century | based on play | character name in title | 1970s film | king | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

During the set up of the gruesome death scene of Lady MacDuff's children, director Roman Polanski was instructing a four-year-old blonde girl on how to play dead, while smearing fake blood all over her body. Polanski playfully asked the girl what her name was, to which she replied "Sharon."

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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.

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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 Trettondagsafton (1967)

User Reviews

one of the mightiest adaptations from Shakespeare's :p

Vehement and inch-perfect approach of Roman Polanski towards Shakespeare's greatest play "Macbeth". Polanski's absolute narrative technique and profound direction set the heinous deed of Macbeth and his tragic fate with elegance.

He brilliantly represents all Shakespearean symbols on the screen--- especially the floating "dagger", apparitions in the witches' den. Jon Finch powerfully portrays the downfall of Macbeth while Annis appears vivid struggling with her greed and conscience. Vibrantly, one of the mightiest adaptations from Shakespeare's :p

8/10__:D

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 December 1971 (Brazil)

Also Known As:

Macbeth

Filming Locations:

Bamburgh Castle, Bamburgh, Northumberland, England, 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 (optical prints) 3 Channel Stereo (magnetic prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1