Macbeth
A stark, expressionist Shakespeare adaptation follows a Scottish nobleman whose belief in prophecy transforms ambition into tyranny and ruin.
Overview
A nobleman's ambition leads to his tragic downfall in a world steeped in darkness and betrayal.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- macabre
- oppressive
- foreboding
- classic cinema night
- shakespeare study
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Orson Welles’s stark, highly stylized adaptation as a powerful and visually distinctive Shakespeare film despite its compressed restructuring.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The witches’ prophecy empowers Macbeth’s ambition and shapes his treason, paranoia, and eventual collapse.
The film’s fog-dripping moors, macabre settings, and severe visual design mirror Macbeth’s descent into guilt and tyranny.
Macbeth gains the Scottish crown through treason but finds the kingship unbearable and increasingly insecure.
Lady Macbeth receives Macbeth’s secret and actively drives the regicidal scheme that transforms their relationship and kingdom.
Films like Macbeth, and why
Othello
stylized Shakespearean tragedy, morally corrosive ambition, and heightened visual expressionism
The Tragedy of Othello: The Moor of Venice
dark literary tragedy, stark expressionist imagery, and a protagonist destroyed by manipulation and ambition
Hamlet
classic adaptation of Shakespeare with theatrical performances, political intrigue, and tragic downfall
Throne of Blood
bleak period drama centered on prophecy, power, guilt, and supernatural unease
Movie Details
- Director
- Orson Welles
- Release Date
- 1948-10-01
- Runtime
- 107 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (188)
Cast
- Orson Welles
- Jeanette Nolan
- Dan O'Herlihy
- Roddy McDowall
- Edgar Barrier
- Alan Napier
- Erskine Sanford
- John Dierkes
- Keene Curtis
- Peggy Webber
Common questions
- What is Macbeth about?
- A stark, expressionist Shakespeare adaptation follows a Scottish nobleman whose belief in prophecy transforms ambition into tyranny and ruin.
- What is Macbeth like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Macbeth as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Macbeth violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Macbeth as moderate.
- What did critics think of Macbeth?
- Critics broadly regard Orson Welles’s stark, highly stylized adaptation as a powerful and visually distinctive Shakespeare film despite its compressed restructuring.
- Which films are like Macbeth?
- Films with a similar feel include Othello, The Tragedy of Othello: The Moor of Venice, Hamlet, and Throne of Blood.
- How long is Macbeth?
- Macbeth runs 107 minutes.
