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Macbeth

Play trailer Poster for Macbeth R,  1971,  2h 20m,  Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist 78% 65 Reviews Tomatometer 73% 5,000+ Ratings Popcornmeter
78% Tomatometer 65 Reviews 73% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Proud Macbeth (Jon Finch) and his power-mad wife (Francesca Annis) plot to murder King Duncan (Nicholas Selby) and usurp the throne of Scotland, despite the increasing suspicions of Macbeth's rival, Macduff (Terence Baylor), and his once-loyal friend Banquo (Martin Shaw). Roman Polanski directed this violent and sexualized revision of William Shakespeare's tragedy of madness and political intrigue, financed by executive producer Hugh Hefner, publisher of Playboy magazine.
Macbeth

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Roman Polanski's Macbeth is unsettling and uneven, but also undeniably compelling.

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Critics Reviews

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Les Bridges Chicago Tribune Jul 21, 2023
4/4
At the outset, Jon Finch, who plays the title role, seems to lack the depth of emotion needed to play such a tragic figure... In the end, he has charged the role with a brooding force that is astonishing coming from an actor of 28 years. Go to Full Review
William B. Collins Philadelphia Inquirer Jul 21, 2023
There are excellences in this Macbeth that would be beyond tamer talents. The play has been translated from the stage to the screen with a movement, a rhythm and a visual impact unique to the medium. Go to Full Review
Perry Stewart Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com Jul 21, 2023
Without a shred of "modernization," Polanski has created a film which is as contemporary and as relevant as The Godfather. Go to Full Review
Yasser Medina Cinefilia Mar 11, 2025
5/10
At times it's a historical epic in which Polanski maintains an atmospheric and violent tone, but, frankly, there is almost no power in the Shakespearean soliloquies and the characters are often as flat as a sword blade. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review
Bernard Drew Gannett News Service Jul 21, 2023
If it is not great Shakespeare, it is damned good moviemaking. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Harry M Mar 31, 2018 im not much of a shakespeare lover, but i was very impressed by this picture
Leia W Mar 23, 2018 This movie is shit for a macbeth movie im not seeing alot of macbeth and the witches are described has horrible beings but in the movie they are regular joes. the audio sounds like they are on a sound stage an d for a movie they do a lot of telling and alot of showing i wouldnt recomend it to everyone i would give it a macpass 10/10 See more
Hagrid R Sep 28, 2017 Roman Polanski takes the classic bloody William Shakespeare tragedy and gives it the edge it needs to be wonderful movie. We get some great performances and a dark tone that befalls the movie, and we see the tortured perspectives brought to life. It's compels the same reaction a live performance of this would, and makes most of the dreary atmosphere and melodrama. It is an undeniably wonderful piece of work among all of Shakespearean adaptations and Polanski's catalog. See more
Han S Mar 25, 2017 What a creepy and haunting way to start off a movie. I love it! Very dark, very bleak, very bloody. Some of the shots in this movie are outright gorgeous with the mountains marking the background and the sky as beautiful as could be. This movie brings being haunted by your past ghosts to a whole new meaning. What shocking and terrible sight to see the man you've just slain standing right in front of you. Terrifying and shocking imagery displayed in this very movie. Ideas and images that cause nightmares. That part with the mirrors. Holy crap! Does thine eyes deceive me? That was wonderfully done. It felt like a damn never ending nightmare. Polanski definitely didn't hold back with the shock factor in this one. Showing children dead and all bloodied up, you get the sense that things were very brutal and merciless back then. What a terrific cast of performers. One would think they were watching a live play right before their very eyes. The actress who played Lady Macbeth did a wonderfully terrifying job. Apart from being beautiful, she can be frightening. Like in the one scene where she is naked. Even being naked she still manages to paint a sense of horror. It's pretty crazy to see how a man can go insane with power and lose it. Talk about a great fight! That final battle was mesmerizing to watch. The choreography was great. What a marvelous adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth. Truly a haunting and grueling journey for Macbeth that ended swiftly. Nevertheless, I will be revisiting this movie. See more
Leia L Jan 11, 2017 No me convenció está versión de Macbeth, hay partes interesantes pero muchas otras muy aburridas y lentas, donde los actores no me parecieron lo suficientemente convincentes See more
Anakin S Aug 4, 2014 inevitably contains the same flaws as the play: storybook scene-jumping and jarring soliloquies that don't always work. but its mechanical ambition to stay faithful to shakespeare's story provides half-hearted excitenment and dynamic cinematography. See more
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Macbeth

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Movie Info

Synopsis Proud Macbeth (Jon Finch) and his power-mad wife (Francesca Annis) plot to murder King Duncan (Nicholas Selby) and usurp the throne of Scotland, despite the increasing suspicions of Macbeth's rival, Macduff (Terence Baylor), and his once-loyal friend Banquo (Martin Shaw). Roman Polanski directed this violent and sexualized revision of William Shakespeare's tragedy of madness and political intrigue, financed by executive producer Hugh Hefner, publisher of Playboy magazine.
Director
Roman Polanski
Producer
Andrew Braunsberg, Roman Polanski
Screenwriter
Roman Polanski, Kenneth Tynan
Distributor
Columbia Pictures
Production Co
Columbia Pictures, Caliban Films, Playboy Productions Inc.
Rating
R
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 15, 1971, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 15, 2010
Runtime
2h 20m
Sound Mix
Surround
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