Macbeth (1997)

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

Director:

Jeremy Freeston

Writers:

Bob Carruthers, Jeremy Freeston

Stars:

Jason Connery, Helen Baxendale, Graham McTavish

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jason Connery	...	Macbeth
Helen Baxendale	...	Lady Macbeth
Graham McTavish	...	Banquo
Kenneth Bryans	...	Macduff (as Kenny Bryans)
Kern Falconer	...	Seyton
Hildegard Neil	...	1st Witch
Chris Gormlie	...	MacDonwald
Jean Trend	...	2nd Witch
Phillipa Peak	...	3rd Witch
Iain Stuart Robertson	...	Ross
John Corvin	...	Duncan
Ross Dunsmore	...	Malcolm
Paul MacDonald	...	Donalbain
Phil Wallace	...	Lennox
Dominic Borrelli	...	Angus

Storyline

In eleventh century Scotland, three witches foretell that Macbeth will become King, while Banquo will beget Kings. Macbeth accordingly has King Duncan slain, and is duly crowned in his place. But that's where his problems really begin...

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Plot Keywords:

character name as title | one word title | macbeth character | lady macbeth character | king | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Features 505 accredited "Associate Producers" all of whom made donations to finance the production.

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Goofs

When Duncan is to be woken and the murder discovered, Macbeth waits outside. First, he has his sword in its scabbard in his left hand and his right hand upon the hilt, then in the next shot he has the sword in its scabbard pressed against his body and his right hand upon his shoulder saying "Twas a rough night." In the next shot, he holds the sword as in the shot before with his hands on the hilt and the scabbard.

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Connections

Version of Ledi Makbet Mtsenskogo uezda (1989)

User Reviews

Very good Macbeth movie

I have said elsewhere that only people who really know what they are doing should attempt to do Shakespeare. This also goes for the reviewers: only those who really know Shakespeare should attempt to review a Shakespeare production. Otherwise ignorance will make you say things that reflect as poorly on you as a poor Shakespeare production reflects on its creators.

Why are many people saying bad things about the Jason Connery Macbeth? Well, one reason is that the technical side of things is not in order. The available versions do not have a crisp picture or sound quality, and the movie is kept in a torch-light mood which under these conditions tend to smudge the colors and the light somewhat. Which is a shame, because if the technical things were in order, this would be a very good movie. The direction is good, the acting is impressive, and the overall style is effectively atmospheric. It is not as good as it might have been, but it is almost as good as the Polanski version, and has its own characteristic style. It is colorful rather than dark, but an effect similar to darkness is achieved by the production being dominated by reds, oranges and earth-tone colors, enhancing the torch-light mood. The milieu and costumes are realistic and convincing, and the Scottish accents are great. Macbeth with the proper accents is the only appropriate way to experience this play!

As I am a bit of an idealist, who tends to see a film in its (imagined) ideal version, I choose to look beyond the technical deficiencies of this movie, and judge it as if I had access to a crisp and perfect version. It is a worthy Macbeth in any case, all the more admirable for being a well-produced movie rather than a filmed stage play. It's really too bad about the technical defects; hopefully a more polished version will be available one day. But an enjoyable Macbeth in any case, and one that merits a good rating.

8 out of 10.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 May 1997 (UK)

Also Known As:

Macbeth

Filming Locations:

Blackness Castle, Blackness, Linlithgow, Falkirk, Scotland, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cromwell Productions Ltd., Grampian Television, Lamancha Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

129 min

Color:

Color