Macbeth

Macbeth (2015 film)

 

 Macbeth is a 2015 British-French-American^[4] war drama film directed by Justin Kurzel and written by Jacob Koskoff, Todd Louiso, and Michael Lesslie, based on William Shakespeare's play The Tragedy of Macbeth. The film stars Michael Fassbender in the title role and Marion Cotillard as Lady Macbeth. The film was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.^[5][6]

Plot

 The film starts with a funeral of Macbeth's and Lady Macbeth's child, with both parents grieving for their loss.

Macbeth, who supports King Duncan in the civil war, is leading royal troops into a final battle. Macbeth emerges victorious, but with heavy losses, including many boy soldiers. The battle is observed by three women with a small girl and an infant. They approach Macbeth and Banquo, hailing Macbeth as a Thane of Cawdor and future King, and Banquo as a father of Kings, before disappearing in the mist.
Elsewhere, Duncan hears about Macbeth's victory and is brought the Thane of Cawdor who, deemed to be a traitor because he has allied with Norse invaders, is stripped of his title and executed. The King orders his servants to take the title of Thane of Cawdor to Macbeth, who reacts uncertainly. He sends a message ahead to his wife, Lady Macbeth, telling her about the witches' prophecies. Lady Macbeth then prays to the dark spirits in the village’s church asking them for guidance. When Macbeth and his soldiers return, and her husband tells her that Duncan will stay one night as their guest, she urges Macbeth to kill the King to fulfill the prophecy from the witches. Duncan arrives to the village and a feast is being held, where the King pronounces Malcolm as his heir. Macbeth still hesitates and Lady Macbeth persuades him to commit the deed, while she slips a sleeping potion to the King's servants. After the feast ends, Macbeth sees a ghost of one of the boy soldiers who had been killed during the battle who gives him a dagger and leads him towards Duncan’s tent. Macbeth follows and brutally slays Duncan. Malcolm enters the tent and seeing what Macbeth has done, flees in fear. Shaken, Macbeth goes to his wife and gives her the daggers he used to kill the King. Lady Macbeth rebukes him that he should leave them in the tent and goes herself to place the daggers in the hands of the sleeping chamberlains. Later she meets Macbeth in the church where they both wash their hands from blood and with Lady Macbeth telling him that the water has washed their deed away.

Cast

• Michael Fassbender as Macbeth
• Marion Cotillard as Lady Macbeth
• Paddy Considine as Banquo
• Sean Harris as Macduff
• Jack Reynor as Malcolm
• Elizabeth Debicki as Lady Macduff
• David Thewlis as King Duncan
• Ross Anderson as Rosse
• David Hayman as Lennox
• Maurice Roëves as Menteith
• Hilton McRae as Macdonwald
• Seylan Baxter, Lynn Kennedy, Kayla Fallon and Amber Rissmann as the Witches
• Lochlann Harris as Fleance
• Barrie Martin as Thane
• Rebecca Benson as Maidservant
• James Harkness as Angus
• Scott Dymond as Seyton
• Gerard Miller as Macbeth's messenger
•  

Production

The production company behind Macbeth is See-Saw Films; the film was distributed by StudioCanal worldwide.

Release

 In October 2013, The Weinstein Company acquired distribution rights to the film.^[20] Macbeth premiered at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival on 23 May and was released in the United Kingdom on 2 October 2015.^[21] The film was released in the United States on 4 December 2015.^[22] The film will be made available through Amazon Instant Video shortly after its theatrical release, as part of a deal between The Weinstein Company and Amazon.^[23]