British Universities Film & Video Council

moving image and sound, knowledge and access

Joe Macbeth

Synopsis
Feature film presenting the Macbeth plot as a gangster film. Joe Macbeth is number two in the underworld to ‘kingpin’ Duca. Goaded by his wife Lily, who wants Joe to become ‘kingpin’, and half-believing the words of Rosie, a fortune teller, Joe invites Duca to his lakeside house and murders him. Joe is now head of the underworld. His friend, Banky, is loyal to him but his son, Lennie, is resentful, and Joe hires a gunman to dispose of him. By mistake Banky is murdered instead. Banky’s ghost appears to Joe at a party, and Joe feels he is losing control over his gang. Another plan is bungled when Lennie’s wife and baby are killed during a kidnap attempt. Joe barricades himself in. Joe accidentally kills Lily, then is gunned down by Lennie. [With acknowledgment to McKernan & Terris op cit for the plot synopsis].
Language
English
Country
Great Britain
Medium
Film
Technical information
Black-and-white / Sound
Year of release
1955
Duration
90 mins; 8,107 feet

Credits

Director
Ken Hughes
Producer
M.J. Frankovich
Cinematographer
Basil Emmett
Screenplay
Philip Yordan
Music
Trevor Duncan
Cast
Paul DouglasJoe Macbeth (Macbeth)
Ruth RomanLily (Lady Macbeth)
Nicholas StuartDuffy (Macduff)
Sid JamesBanky (Banquo)
Bonar ColleanoLennie (Fleance)
Gregoire AslanDuca (King Duncan)
Harry GreenDutch
Minerva PiousRosie
Robert ArdenRoss (Ross)

Additional Details

Production type
Fiction Films
Plays
Macbeth
Subjects
Drama
Keywords
Shakespeare, William (1564-1616); Gangster films

Notes

Notes
The BFI National Archive, London holds a 35mm preservation material only. No viewing copy.

The Birmingham Public Library holds a release script.
General
Scriptwriter Philip Yordan wrote the script for HOUSE OF STRANGERS (1949) and BROKEN LANCE (1954), both King Lear derivatives.
Reviews
McKernan, Luke and Olwen Terris. Walking Shadows: Shakespeare in the National Film and Television Archive (London: BFI, 1994), p. 94.

Howard, Tony. ‘Shakespeare’s Cinematic Offshoots’ in The Cambridge Companion to Shakespeare on Film ed. Russell Jackson. (Cambridge, CU, 2000), p. 302-3.

Production Company

Name

Film Locations

Archive

Name

BFI National Archive

Web
http://www.bfi.org.uk/archive-collections/searching-access-collections/research-viewing-services External site opens in new window
Phone
020 7255 1444
Fax
020 7436 0165
Address
21 Stephen Street
London
W1T 1LN

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