Macbeth **** (1948, Orson Welles, Jeanette Nolan, Dan O’Herlihy) – Classic Movie Review 773

Orson Welles’s 1948 film version of William Shakespeare’s great tragedy is highly intelligent and extremely watchable, even if it’s unattractively studio-bound and suffers from its low budget ($70,000), quick filming (21 days) cheap sets (designed by Orson Welles and fellow actor Dan O’Herlihy), a heavily cut text and phoney Scottish accents (the actors bizarrely miming to their pre-recorded dialogue).

It’s impressive that it’s more astounding visually than Roman Polanski’s much costlier 1971 remake and, under the circumstances, there’s some fine ensemble acting.

A very striking, young, handsome and relatively slimline Orson Welles evidently relishes his role, enjoys speaking the verse and generally makes a most commanding 10th-century Scots nobleman Macbeth, making a huge banquet of it. It’s a startling insight into the magnetic power of Welles in his prime.

Jeanette Nolan (Lady Macbeth), Dan O’Herlihy (Macduff), Roddy McDowall (Malcolm), Edgar Barrier (Banquo), Alan Napier (Holy Father), John Dierkes (Ross), Peggy Webber (Lady Macduff) and Erskine Sanford (Duncan) head the fine cast. Welles’s 10-year-old daughter Christopher plays a Macduff child. Welles so called her because he liked the sound of the name.

Welles later spoke of his ‘distress at the shapeless poverty of Macbeth’s castle. That papier maché stagey effect was dictated by a B-minus budget with a quickie shooting schedule of 20 days’. At least John L Russell’s attractive black and white cinematography most the most of the poverty-row sets.

The horrible cut, re-edited and re-dubbed (with American accents) US version runs 89 minutes. That was the only version of the film current till the handsomely restored original, running the full 106 minutes, finally reappeared to much praise in 1985.

Roman Polanski filmed the play again in 1971 and 2015 brings a new version with Michael Fassbender.

http://derekwinnert.com/macbeth-roman-polanski-1971-classic-film-review-774/

http://derekwinnert.com/macbeth-2015-michael-fassbender-marion-cotillard-sean-harris-david-thewlis-jack-reynor-elizabeth-debicki/

© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 773

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com