Macbeth (1979 film)

Macbeth is a 1979 videotaped version of Trevor Nunn's Royal Shakespeare Company production of the play by William Shakespeare. Produced by Thames Television, it features Ian McKellen as Macbeth and Judi Dench as Lady Macbeth. The TV version was directed by Philip Casson.

Description and background

The original stage production was performed at The Other Place, the RSC's small studio theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. It had been performed in the round before small audiences, with a bare stage and simple costuming. The recording preserves this style: the actors perform on a circular set and with a mostly black background; changes of setting are indicated only by lighting changes.

During the scene of the ghost, Macbeth "ha[s] a seizure" in this version of the play.

Reception

"Ian McKellen's tortured Macbeth and Judi Dench's commanding, intelligent Lady Macbeth were powerful as individual performances, and the relationship between them was urgent and intense", noted Alexander Leggatt. The staging is described as "stark and empty".