Macbeth (1948)

86% of critics liked it
(22 reviews)
75% of users liked it
(2,271 ratings)

Shakespeare's tragic tale of the rise and fall of ambitious 12th-century Scottish warrior MacBeth has proven irresistible to filmmakers. Orson Welles was so anxious to transfer the play to the screen that he acceded to the demands of his parent studio, Republic pictures, that he shoot his version of… More Shakespeare's tragic tale of the rise and fall of ambitious 12th-century Scottish warrior MacBeth has proven irresistible to filmmakers. Orson Welles was so anxious to transfer the play to the screen that he acceded to the demands of his parent studio, Republic pictures, that he shoot his version of MacBeth in 23 days on standing B-western sets. The result may not be the best-ever cinematic MacBeth, but it's certainly one of the most moody and atmospheric. Director Welles naturally casts star Welles in the title role, with his old radio colleague Jeanette Nolan as Lady MacBeth (her highly stylized performance has been unfairly castigated by purists, but we defy you to take your eyes off her). Dan O'Herlihy plays MacDuff, Roddy MacDowell is Malcolm, and Edgar Barrier the unfortunate Banquo. Erskine Sanford, William Alland and Gus Schilling, veterans all of Welles' masterpiece Citizen Kane, are also prominently featured, as is Welles' daughter Christopher (as one of MacDuff's murdered children). The severe cutting of the original text is compensated for by the addition of a new character, the "Holy Father" (played in Boris Karloff-style makeup by Alan Napier), whose potted Shakespearian speeches help to bridge several continuity gaps. Highlights include MacBeth's tremulous sighting of Banquo's ghost, an extended monologue in which only MacBeth's head is illuminated, and the synthesizer-like interpolations of the three ubiquitous witches. Welles had originally instructed his actors to deliver their dialogue in a thick Scots burr, but this proved so incomprehensible to preview audiences that Republic ordered the film to be completely redubbed. The original, fully restored version of MacBeth (as opposed to the 89-minute general release cut) was made available on videocassette in the mid-1980s. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 51 min.
Directed By: Orson Welles
Written By: Orson Welles
Genres: Drama, Classics

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1948 Wide
Studio: Mercury Productions

Critic Reviews

Variety Staff, Variety
Only a few of the Bard's best lines are audible. The rest are lost in strained, dialectic gibbering that is only sound, not prose.
Steve Daly, Entertainment Weekly
Stark, intermittently brilliant.
, TIME Magazine
Wonder-Boy Welles has an imaginative way with a camera.
Elliott Stein, Village Voice
One of the director's most personal creations, it's a courageous experiment with a craggy barbaric splendor all its own.
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
There is force in this rough, hasty rendering; the sheer speed of the pacing gives it a quality of crushing delirium.
Phil Hall, Film Snobbery
A fascinating endeavor.
Gabe Leibowitz, Film and Felt
Welles brings his usual first-rate shadows, mist, and deep compositions, but Macbeth is both strangely pat and frequently hammy otherwise.
David Parkinson, Empire Magazine
Powerhouse performance from Orson Welles as the troubled Prince.
Douglas Pratt, DVDLaser
The movie is so fragmented that no real interpretation of the play ever coagulates. As with all of Welles' films, however, there are a number of memorable moments.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
The film has a jagged, noir-ish aspect that makes it a powerhouse.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
A triumph of cinematic imagination over the limited resources of the parsimonious Republic Pictures Studio, which originally butchered the film and released it with a poor soundtrack.
Geoff Andrew, Time Out
Adventurous film-making that takes risks, and full of imaginative flourishes.
Emily Blunt, Blunt Review
It's Orson- over darmatic and bold- the way Macbeth should be
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Underbudgeted but frequently brilliant version of the play.
, Film4
Welles's bulky presence makes the ambitious egomaniac all too credible, but lack of time gives a constricted air with no sense of a world outside.
Bob Bloom, Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Welles at his maverick top, utilizing a small studio such as Republic to create a masterpiece.

Read all 16 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Lanning :

Hor-rors. This may be the worst version I've ever seen. To reiterate, this is my favorite of Shakespeare's plays, so I'm most critical when I watch a production. Worse still for Orson Welles, I was just iPoding the Arkangel recording while I was walking the Great… More
Hor-rors. This may be the worst version I've ever seen. To reiterate, this is my favorite of Shakespeare's plays, so I'm most critical when I watch a production. Worse still for Orson Welles, I was just iPoding the Arkangel recording while I was walking the Great Wall in China last week, so the play's all the more fresh in my mind. <p> It's as if Welles thinks he's always doing <i>Citizen Kane</i> -- don't get me started. You don't have to emote, okay, you have to deliver. The words carry enough drama all by themselves, all right? Yet one more reason why Welles will never make either my favorite actor or my favorite director lists.
Mike T

Another inspired, original work by one of the true artists in American cinema. Welles makes excellent use of his small budget, producing a film that is both stylish and surprising. He does things with the play that are unusual, and that's part of what makes his piece so exciting… More
Another inspired, original work by one of the true artists in American cinema. Welles makes excellent use of his small budget, producing a film that is both stylish and surprising. He does things with the play that are unusual, and that's part of what makes his piece so exciting to watch. An absorbing visual marvel.