''Macbeth'' is a 2010

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

based on

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

tragedy A tragedy is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a tragic hero, main character or cast of characters. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy is to invoke an accompanying catharsi ...

of the same name. It was broadcast on

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

on 12 December 2010. In the United States, it aired on PBS' ''

Great Performances ''Great Performances'' is a television anthology series dedicated to the performing arts; the banner has been used to televise plays, musicals, opera, ballet, concerts, as well as occasional documentaries. It is produced by the PBS member statio ...

''. It was directed by Rupert Goold from his stage adaptation for the

Chichester Festival Theatre Chichester Festival Theatre is a theatre and Grade II* listed building situated in Oaklands Park in the city of Chichester, West Sussex, England. Designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya, it was opened by its founder Leslie Evershed-Mart ...

in 2007.

Patrick Stewart Sir Patrick Stewart (born 13 July 1940) is an English actor. With a career spanning over seven decades of Patrick Stewart on stage and screen, stage and screen, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Patrick Stewart, variou ...

is featured in the

title role The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piëce. The title o ...

, with

Kate Fleetwood Kate Fleetwood (born 24 September 1972) is an English actress and voice over artist. She was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance as Lady Macbeth in ''Macbeth'', at Chichester Festival Theatre and the West End and Broadway and an O ...

as Lady Macbeth.

Premise

The film is a more modern re-imagining of William Shakespeare's ''Macbeth''. It evokes the atmosphere of

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

in the 1960s, with parallels between Ceaușescu and Macbeth in their equally brutal quests for power. The

Three Witches The Three Witches, also known as the Weird Sisters, Weyward Sisters or Wayward Sisters, are characters in William Shakespeare's play ''Macbeth'' (c. 1603–1607). The witches eventually lead Macbeth (Macbeth), Macbeth to his demise, and they ...

likewise receive an update in keeping with the 20th century aesthetics, appearing as hospital nurses. Their presence is pervasive throughout the film, punctuating the horror of Macbeth's murderous reign.

Cast

Principal cast: *

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

–

* Lady Macbeth –

Banquo Lord Banquo , the Thane (Scotland), Thane of Lochaber, is a semi-historical character in William Shakespeare's 1606 play ''Macbeth''. In the play, he is at first an ally of Macbeth (character), Macbeth (both are generals in the King's army) an ...

– Martin Turner * Macduff – Michael Feast * Malcolm – Scott Handy * Donalbain – Ben Carpenter * Duncan / Doctor – Paul Shelley * Lady Macduff – Suzanne Burden * Lennox – Mark Rawlings * Ross – Tim Treloar * Angus – Bill Nash * Old Seyward / Murderer – Christopher Knott * The Porter – Christopher Patrick Nolan * Fleance – Bertie Gilbert

Production

The film was shot entirely on location at

Welbeck Abbey Welbeck Abbey is an English country house near the village of Welbeck in the Bassetlaw District of Nottinghamshire. It was the site of a monastery belonging to the Premonstratensian order, and after the Dissolution of the Monasteries a residen ...

Awards

''Macbeth'' won a

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and in ...

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

.COMPLETE LIST OF RECIPIENTS OF THE 70th ANNUAL PEABODY AWARDS
from peabody.uga.edu In addition,

was nominated for a

Screen Actors Guild Award Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1995 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...

for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries.

References

External links

*
''Macbeth: About the Film and Preview''

The Macbeth of a lifetime
London Evening Standard * https://web.archive.org/web/20101211161127/http://cft.org.uk/cft-productions_details.asp?pid=71 * https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/patrick-stewart-how-we-filmed-macbeth-in-18-days-2152271.html * https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/8194438/Terrifying-Macbeth-shows-Shakespeare-works-on-the-small-screen.html * https://www.pbs.org/video/great-performances-macbeth/
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macbeth (2010 Film) 2010 television films 2010 films 2010 drama films British drama television films Films based on Macbeth Modern adaptations of works by William Shakespeare Peabody Award–winning broadcasts Films shot in Nottinghamshire Films directed by Rupert Goold 2010s English-language films Television shows based on Macbeth