Macbeth [Blu-ray]

Orson Welles (Actor, Director), Jeanette Nolan (Actor) Rated:

Format: Blu-ray

203 ratings

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September 18, 2012

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Editorial Reviews

An 11th-century Scottish general's wife drives him to murder; based on Shakespeare's tragedy. Directed by Welles.

Product details

Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ s_medNotRated NR (Not Rated)
Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.75 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches; 3.2 Ounces
Item model number ‏ : ‎ 440
Director ‏ : ‎ Orson Welles
Media Format ‏ : ‎ Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, NTSC, Original recording remastered, Black & White
Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 47 minutes
Release date ‏ : ‎ September 18, 2012
Actors ‏ : ‎ Orson Welles, Jeanette Nolan, Dan O'Herlihy, Roddy McDowall, Alan Napier
Studio ‏ : ‎ Olive Films
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B008D19WMU
Writers ‏ : ‎ William Shakespeare
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1

Best Sellers Rank: #123,751 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
- #8,805 in Drama Blu-ray Discs

Customer Reviews:
203 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		82%
4 star		11%
3 star		2%
2 star		2%
1 star		4%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Orson Welles Brings Madness to Macbeth!

Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2018

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Macbeth (1948) is Orson Welles' dark and grim take on William Shakespeare's play about treachery, guilt, and paranoia. Welles directed Macbeth with an acute eye for the most scary vibe and carefully framed shots with all characters in view. He makes sure you watch everyone's reactions to Macbeth's madness. Welles uses dim lighting to bring out the terror of his surroundings. The few lights only shine on the eyes of the guilty party or those viewing the insanity firsthand. The quick zoom in shots to the far wide shots of the scenario are magnificent. I loved Welles' use of fog and shadowplay to build atmosphere.

This is as good a film version of Macbeth as you'll ever get to watch. It is long, but the performances are so gripping and interesting. The heavy Scottish accents are fun to hear with their intriguing expressiveness. The music is Gothic and boisterous with a malicious intent to the sound. The reverberating voices in the deep caverns of Castle Macbeth are haunting. Welles goes to great lengths to convince you of Macbeth's guilt born madness overcoming him.

Speaking of which, Orson Welles as an actor continues to astound me. His thick Scottish accent covering his legendary deep voice with fits of rage and mourning alike. His Macbeth starts out sympathetic and ends up raving with the most fearsome fury and wrath. Welles plays the role beautifully.

Lastly, I must mention the beautiful Jeanette Nolan as Lady Macbeth. Her prodding Macbeth to murder is excellently cruel and punishing. Her revelry at the deed and proceeding distress is a pleasure to watch. Nolan's performance rivals even Welles.

In all, Macbeth has never looked so frightening in the stark black night screaming to the heavens. The scene in which lighting strikes around Orson is just gorgeous to witness. Check out this version of Macbeth if you want to see something special.

21 people found this helpful

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NICOLAS

Was never a great fan of this particular Welles film

Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2017

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Was never a great fan of this particular Welles film, but am now. I bought this Blue ray mainly due to all the extras. Watching this film now, so much clearer, and with the audio commentary, and the extras, if you are a Welles fan, like I have been for years, you really have to get this edition. Now it is a magnificent looking film, something that even in a theater, which I had seen twice before, one could not get.

Watching also Welles here, it is sad that he could not have had someone at the time guiding him, so that he would have been a major box office star. I am not saying this film would've made him one, though the commentary suggests that the money was recouped, but some other film, perhaps he could have. At the same time though, I guess his life could be suggest\ed in the dialogue, where Kane suggests that he could have been a great man, and Mr. Thatcher says he really is, and Kane responds, paraphrasing, "I guess I did well under the circumstances."

13 people found this helpful

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E. Hunter Hale

Another ORSON WELLES Treasure

Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2018

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Each Orson Welles film seems to add this amazing artist genius. Having recently added Welles' OTHELLO, THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS and CRIMES OF MIDNIGHT to my collection I was thrilled to see MACBETH. The disc is fine but lacks having sub-titles which would be helpful with this particular title. A newer addition has been released by Olive Films that has the original sound track as well as the re-recorded version and sub-titles. Also a higher bit rate transfer of the film. That said this earlier release is very nice.

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Kevin D. Levellie

a unique presentation

Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2014

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This is a great film, but it does demand your full attention. You can't coast through it like you might the Brannagh "Much Ado". Doing it in the Scottish burr sets it apart from others, but also demands your listening, especially as there are no subtitles which would really help in that regard. The four star rating comes that lack and from my wish that there had been special features giving us insights into the background of the production, as I feel there are many stories hidden there, and that they would have had both the English studio imposed soundtrack as well as the Scottish one so I could have compared the two for myself. Still, it is Welles. It's too bad he alienated himself from the studio system. Everything he undertook was superior. Maybe that was the problem with it. It didn't fit the mediocrity that the powers that were were trying to sell.

10 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

If you like the film

Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2017

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As close to a Criterion edition of this film as we're likely to get. If you like the film, this is the edition to get. It looks great, sounds great and has some pretty good extras, especially the audio commentary.

5 people found this helpful

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Alexander S. Carter

MACBETH (Orson Welles) Blu-ray Alexander S Carter 2013

Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2013

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Apart from the occasional flecks and a few nasty scratches the quality of the actual film is a sight to behold. The blacks and whites are crisp mingled with graduations of grey. As a film this is one of my favourites. Welles gives a superb performance,and his co-players, especially Jeanette Nolan as Lady Macbeth, are excellent. The stylised sets, the costumes; and Welles' tight, imaginative
direction create a semi-barbaric Scotland. If he had been around to see it, Shakespeare would have,I believe, been estatic with the result. For Welles' fans this is a MUST.

7 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Moondog

Actually better than Welles' Othello

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 25, 2021

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I bought this recently having just purchased the excellent 'F for Fake' and 'Around the World with Orson Welles'. I haven't seen it in years but knew it was shot quickly on a back lot with the actors sporting, what I thought were, dodgy cod Scottish accents.

I also bought Welles 'Othello' which I also hadn't seen in years for comparison.

I fully expected 'Othello' to be better but although there are fine moments (the beginning) and that Welles himself is pretty good, the film suffers from being disjointed because it took so long to make, in a variety of locations. In fact there is too much of Welles because he frequently dubs in his own voice where the actors aren't available to dub in their own dialogue. I always thought that Welles needed Hollywood to realise his work fully. Unfortunately Hollywood didn't need him. The demands of the box office meant they cut his work and he was forced to hike around Europe scrabbling for money and making technically shoddy (eg poorly dubbed and cut) movies.

A good example of this is 'Dead Calm' which was turned into a very polished and successful movie. There is footage of Welles' attempt, which looks like a really badly acted home movie about a fat man on a boat.

But back to Macbeth. You either know the play or you don't. You like watching filmed Shakespeare or you don't. I'm not mad on filmed Shakespeare but I know this play quite well and know Welles did a good job of pruning out extraneous dialogue. The fact that the film was one in about 18 days gives it a coherence that Othello lacks. The set design is wonderful and the costumes are stylish rather than authentic. The acting is sold throughout and as for the 'dodgy accents' well...hindsight is a marvellous thing..they are nowhere near as jarring as I remember. If you can get a cheap copy, buy it - assuming you like filmed Shakespeare.

One person found this helpful

Mr. David Titley

Now o'er the one half world Nature seems dead.....

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 30, 2015

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I will not pretend that this is the best English ever spoken. not the best set ever seen, but it is a very interesting version of the play and infinitely preferable to either the BBC tepidity of Nicole Williamson, or the over-egged outdoor Macbeth of Peter Finch & Polanski. It has a surreal quality like a nightmare, with a mannerist set and a castle that seems to be hacked out of the rock. It makes you think about the play. it leaves things hanging in the air.... Much here to admire...
I bought a cheap version and have no regrets.

One person found this helpful

skywalker

Welles was a genius

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 10, 2015

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The best Shakespeare interpretation for screen that I've watched. Welles is at his best in this film which has been re-edited to suit his original vision. It is a film of surrealism and abstract, a bold choice and executed with aplomb. Welles is fantastic as the doomed Scot, his voice over in particular adding weight to the scope of the film. The rest of the cast are ok, but really we're watching it for Welles.

One person found this helpful

C. E. Francis

Enjoyable.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 28, 2014

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Orson Welles is excellent in this. It is a film and not a stage play and is quite a good rendition of Shakespeare's original play. Good for GCSE English Literature students to get to grips with the "story" and characters of Macbeth which can be a lot to remember when just reading the original.Some of the sound quality is not good in places but the atmosphere of the film, dark and brooding is great.

2 people found this helpful

casio smith

THE macbeth

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 28, 2008

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the sets are surreal, absolutely perfect, welles gets to grips fully with shakes masterpeice, to me this is easily welles greatest acting, to me no other macbeth film comes even close, probably the one with john finch is a reasonable apprentice. the horror and evil are given full reign,some of the greatest ever moments of film,the camerawork is a work of art in itself,. i cannot understand some reveiwers moaning about the restoration it seems perfect. i have almost worn out my copy i have watched it so many times
casio Mcsmith

5 people found this helpful

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