 |
| 1948 |
| 107 minutes |
| Republic Pictures |
| Principal Cast: |
| Orson Welles: Macbeth |
| Jeannette Nolan: Lady Macbeth |
| Dan O'Helihy: Macduff |
| Roddy McDowall: Malcolm |
| Peggy Webber: Lady Macduff |
| Principal Crew: |
| Director, Producer, Script: Orson Welles |
| Photography: John L. Russell |
| Editor: Louis Lindsay |
| Music: Jacques Ibert |
Macbeth was an attempt by Welles to make classics on a small budget, hoping that if the picture were a success, he'd be allowed to do other such small films with similar budgets. The film, unfairly compared to Lawrence Olivier's big budget, Freud-by-numbers version of Hamlet, was blasted by many American critics, but non-English speaking viewers took to it much better.
Welles was asked to cut twenty minutes from the film before release, and did so; while unhappy with having to cut the film, he at least did so on his own. Also, the original soundtrack, with the cast using Scottish accents, was removed for a more traditional sounding soundtrack. It was only in 1980 that the original Welles cut of the film, with the original soundtrack, was discovered and restored. It is the version in common release now.
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