Shakespeare in Performance: Film
Macbeth (1960, George Schaefer)
| Title | Macbeth |
|---|---|
| Year | 1960 |
| Release Locations | USA |
| Director | George Schaefer |
| Medium | Color video |
| Length | 1 hrs, 47 mins |
| Languages | English |
| Audience | college and university general public high school |
| Play Connections | Macbeth (interpretation) |
| Series | Hallmark Hall of Fame |
Description
In 1960, Maurice Evans joined forces with George Schaefer to redo the 1954 Macbeth for television. This time, however, the production was first made as a movie in color. Most of it was indeed filmed on location in Scotland at considerable expense. The decision to make a film for television marked a major breakthrough in television practice. Indeed this Macbeth and a gangster show called The Scarface Mob (from The Untouchables) compete for the honor of being the first to innovate the now common practice of combining a theatrical film with a television production. The expanded theatrical version was released in 1963 and made widely available on 16 mm film for schools. Because the film was originally made for tv, close-ups and mid-shots tend to prevail and give it a kind of claustrophobic atmosphere, though ironically the exterior shots made on location in Scotland have been thought incongruously sunny and cheerful for a play so steeped in evil. For other Shakespeare programs in the Hallmark series, see 102, 126, 305, 484, 593, 594, 613, and 649
Description from Shakespeare on Screen : an International Filmography and Videography by Kenneth S. Rothwell and Annabelle Henkin Melzer. ©1990 Kenneth S. Rothwell. Cited by permission. — Added 2008-11-14
Cast Overview
Production Team and Crew Overview
Production information courtesy of: Kenneth Rothwell