Macbeth (1948 film)
| Macbeth | |
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U.S. theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Orson Welles |
| Produced by |
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| Written by |
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| Based on | |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Jacques Ibert |
| Cinematography | John L. Russell |
| Edited by | Louis Lindsay |
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Production
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Mercury Productions
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| Distributed by | Republic Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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107 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $800,000 or $900,000 |
Macbeth is a 1948 American historical drama war film adaptation by Orson Welles of William Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth, with Welles in the lead role. Jeanette Nolan co-stars as Lady Macbeth.
In 1947, Orson Welles began promoting the notion of bringing a Shakespeare drama to the motion picture screen. He initially attempted to pique Alexander Korda's interest in an adaptation of Othello, but was unable to gather support for the project. Welles switched to pushing for a film adaptation of Macbeth, which he visualized in its violent setting as "a perfect cross between Wuthering Heights and Bride of Frankenstein."
Teaming with producer Charles K. Feldman, Welles successfully convinced Herbert Yates, founder and president of Republic Pictures, of the prospect of creating a film version of Macbeth. Yates was attempting to raise the level of his studio, which produced Roy Rogers Westerns and low-budget features, into that of a prestige studio. Republic had already tried to present off-beat features, including Gustav Machatý's Jealousy (1945) and Ben Hecht's Specter of the Rose (1946).
However, Yates was not able to provide Welles with a large budget. Welles guaranteed to deliver a completed negative of Macbeth on a budget of $700,000. When some members of the Republic board of directors expressed misgivings on the project, Welles had a contract drawn in which he agreed to personally pay any amount over $700,000.
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