By Sydney Vollmer, ARB Intern
Do you remember when I thought there were a lot of film adaptations of Hamlet? Well, it turns out that number is nothing compared to the number of films made on Macbeth. The adaptations started as early as 1916 and are still running strong. Over the past 100 years, more than 15 film adaptations have been created. That number doesn’t even include the amount of television shows based on the play, episodes with Macbeth as their title, or all of the times the play has been filmed for television. (See full list below.) Many of these films are direct adaptations, but a few are creative twists on the traditional story. These twists include: Joe MacBeth (1955), Throne of Blood (1957), Men of Respect (1990), and Scotland, PA (2001).
Joe MacBeth
1955
1h 30m
In this adaptation, we no longer are traipsing through dark castles in Scotland, but ducking through the alleyways as Lily MacBeth urges her husband to take down the top mob boss. Starring in this movie is Paul Douglas as “Joe MacBeth” and Ruth Roman as “Lily MacBeth.”
Throne of Blood
1957
1h 50m
Highly regarded Japanese film, Throne of Blood, takes warrior Taketoti Washizu on the same journey of power and corruption that befell Macbeth. Taking place in Japan, the characters are slightly different. Instead of the Weird Sisters, there is a single seer who tells Washizu that he will one day be the Great Lord of the Spider’s Web Castle. It might be a tragedy, but based on that description, I can see it appealing to a lot of little kids. Maybe they’ll water it down and turn it into an anime…if they haven’t already.
Men of Respect
1990
1h 53m
Basically a revamped Joe MacBeth, Men of Respect features a hostile mob takeover. This time, the Macbeth character, “Mike Battaglia,” is played by John Turturro. Lady Macbeth, “Ruthie Battaglia,” is played by Turturro’s real-life wife, Katherine Borowitz. Other notable cast includes: Dennis Farina, Peter Boyle, and Stanley Tucci.
Scotland, PA
2001
1h 44m
By far the most outlandish adaptation, Scotland, PA takes place in the greasy fast-food world. Get this. Whereas all the other adaptations are dramas, this one is labeled as a dark comedy. The film stars James LeGros as disgruntled employee, “Joe ‘Mac’ Mcbeth,” Maura Tierney as “Pat McBeth,” James Rebhorn as café owner “Norm Duncan,” Kevin Corrgian as fry cook, “Anthony ‘Banko” Banconi,” and Christopher Walken as “Lieutenant Ernie McDuff.” Swords are traded in for refrigerator doors and vats of sizzling oil. Everyone loses their minds, and basically it sounds like the most ridiculous tragedy you’ll ever see.
Macbeth Movies
Year (Title if other than Macbeth)
Running Time
Actor playing Macbeth
Filming Location
1913
50m
Arthur Bourchier
UK
1916
1h 20m
Herbert Berrbohm Tree
1948
1h 32m
Orson Welles
USA
1971
R
2h 20m
Jon Finch
UK
1987 (Verdi Opera)
2h 13m
Leo Nucci
1987
1h 10m
Mato Valtonen
1990 (Macbeth in Manhattan)
R
1h 37m
Nick Gregory
USA
1997
2h 9m
Jason Connery
UK
2003
1h 15m
Peter B. Brown
2005 (Macbeth 3000: This Time It’s Personal)
2h
Bill Stepec
Canada
2006
1h 49m
Sam Worthington
Australia
2006
1h 58m
Clyde Sacks
USA
2009 (Macbeth the Movie)
1h 57m
Chris Canfield
USA
2015
R
1h 53m
Michael Fassbender
UK
2016 (post-production)
Mark Rowley
UK
2017 (pre-production)
David J. Keogh
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