British Universities Film & Video Council

moving image and sound, knowledge and access

Macbeth

Synopsis
Fiction film. A re-telling of Macbeth set in the ganglands of Melbourne. Macbeth (Worthington), a loyal henchman to his crime boss Duncan (Sweet), is told by teenage witches that he will one day assume a position of great power. His ambition fuelled, Macbeth confides in his beautiful drug addicted wife - a woman mad with grief over the death of their young child. On hearing the prophecy, Lady Macbeth (Hill) hatches a plot to kill Duncan so Macbeth can take leadership of the gang for himself.
Language
English
Country
Australia
Medium
Film
Technical information
Colour / Sound
Year of release
2006
Duration
109 mins

Credits

Director
Geoffrey Wright
Producer
Martin Fabinyi
Cinematographer
Will Gibson
Screenplay
Geoffrey Wright; Victoria Hill
Music
John Clifford White
Art Direction
Adele Flere
Cast
Sam WorthingtonMacbeth
Victoria HillLady Macbeth
Lachy HulmeMacduff
Matt DoranMalcolm
Bastoni. SteveBanquo
Chloe ArmstrongWitch (1st)
Gary SweetKing Duncan
Kate BellWitch (2nd)
Miranda NationWitch (3rd)

Additional Details

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

Notes

General
The film’s production notes state "There are little or no changes to the original dialogue except that we have edited it, moved it around and reordered things for maximum impact in terms of drama and filmmaking’. A flavour of the film’s re-telling can be gleaned from the same production notes ‘The single biggest change in the story was the fact that Banquo (Steve Bastoni) is not present when the witches visit Macbeth (Sam Worthington) for the first time. Wright explains, "In our version we wanted it to be a more subjective experience for Macbeth, particularly, because he’s just laced/loaded/plied himself with drugs and alcohol. We wanted to leave open to interpretation whether the witches were supernatural or a figment of Macbeth’s drug-addled brain."
Reviews
Martin, Adrian. Sight & Sound. vol.17, no.9, September 2007. p.69.

Online Availability

Online URL
http://www.macbeththefeaturefilm.com.au/

Production Company

Name

Film Victoria

Name

Mushroom Pictures

Distributor

Name

Revolver Entertainment

Email
info@revolvergroup.com
Web
http://www.revolvergroup.com/ External site opens in new window
Phone
020 7243 4300
Fax
020 7243 4302
Address
48-49 Princes Place
Holland Park
London
W11 4QA
Notes
Distributor and online retailer of a collection of arty and edgy DVDs and Blu-rays in all genres, including documentary. Titles also available through retail outlets.

Distributor (Sale)

Name

Retail outlets

Record Stats

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