Line #18 Trivia/Macbeth


1	!!The Play:
2	* CulturalTranslation: A 1970 Zulu-language adaptation by South African playwright Welcome Msomi, called ''uMabatha'', adapts the play into Zulu tribal culture of the early 19th century (around the reign of the famous King Shaka). Actor and theater critic Peter Ustinov remarked that until reading ''uMabatha,'' he did not understand ''Macbeth.'' Nelson Mandela remarked on the similarities between Macbeth and King Shaka.
3	* ExecutiveMeddling: Hecate's lines and musical number in act 3 are possibly incorporated from Thomas Middleton's The Witch. They appear within the First Folio (where the play was first recorded) but the music's words are in The Witch only. Modern adaptions often cut the part for time anyway.
4	* NoBudget: The play can be thrown together on the cheap. That's part of the reason it's so dangerous. The easiest way to conjure up that spooky Highland atmosphere is with darkness, and lots of it. Now just throw in lots of daggers and swords, and long, heavy cloaks that everyone can trip on and, yes, you can see the problem.
5	* The 8th among the royal descendants of Banquo who appear in the witchcraft induced vision in Act 4 is supposed to be King James I of England, who was the 8th king of the Stuart dynasty [[note]] but the 9th Stuart monarch, as Shakespeare's procession of Banquo's royal descendants leaves out James' mother, Mary Queen of Scots. [[/note]], which was said in legend to be descended from the real life Banquo. Somewhat ironically, the current British royal house is actually descended from the Thanes of Glamis, the old fief belonging to Macbeth himself in the play, since the Queen Mum, the mother of Queen Elizabeth II, is of a Scottish noble family who has been the real Thanes of Glamis since 14th century and spent her childhood there.
6	* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Creator/LaurenceOlivier, planned to make a movie in 1955 with himself in the title role and Creator/VivienLeigh as Lady Macbeth having had a big success on stage, alas after the failure of Richard III at the box office, the producer's death and both him and Leigh's commitment to other parts ending the chance.
7	!!Verdi's Opera:
8	* AllStarCast: As Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Macduff, and Banco...
9	** Audio Recordings:
10	*** 1964, conducted by Thomas Schippers: Giuseppe Taddei, Birgit Nilsson, Bruno Prevedi, and Giovanni Foiani.
11	*** 1970, conducted by Lamberto Gardelli: Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Elena Souliotis, Luciano Pavarotti, and Nicolai Ghiaurov.
12	*** 1976, conducted by Claudio Abbado: Piero Cappuccilli, Shirley Verrett, Plácido Domingo, and Nicolai Ghiaurov.
13	*** 1986, conducted by Riccardo Muti: Leo Nucci, Shirley Verret, Veriano Luchetti, and Samuel Ramey.
14	** Video Recordings:
15	*** 2008, conducted by James Levine at the Met Opera: Zeljko Lucic, Maria Guleghina, Dimitri Pittas, and John Relyea.
16
17	!!The 1948 Film:
18	* ActingForTwo: Each of the witches was played by an actor who played someone else in the film; Brainerd Duffield played the First Murderer, Peggy Weber played Lady Macduff and Creator/LureneTuttle played the Gentlewoman.
19	* CreatorBacklash: Creator/OrsonWelles hated his own costume, claiming "I looked like the Statue of Liberty in it" but had to use it because the low budget wouldn't allow for a change. He had mixed feelings towards the final film but ultimately said he wasn't ashamed of it.
20	* DirectedByCastMember: Creator/OrsonWelles directs and plays the lead role.
21	* DuelingWorks: Creator/LaurenceOlivier released an adaptation of ''{{Film/Hamlet\|1948}}'' the same year, and Creator/OrsonWelles withdrew this film from Cannes to avoid competing with it. Laurence Olivier had planned to make a ''Macbeth'' film initially, but dropped it when it became clear that this one would come out first.
22	* EnforcedMethodActing: According to WordOfGod the urgency in the scene where Macduff's forces charge the castle came from all the extras were starving and they'd just called lunch break.
23	* ExecutiveMeddling: Republic forced Creator/OrsonWelles to cut two reels of the film and re-record the dialogue with the actors using their natural voices instead of the {{Fake Scot}}s they had been in the original film.
24	* FakeScot: The whole cast used Scottish accents for the original audio. A separate one with them using their natural voices was used until the 80s. The exception is Christopher Welles, who uses her own natural voice.
25	* NoBudget: The film was made for very little money, relying on inexpensive sets and costumes rented out. Orson Welles hated the costume he wore for the majority of the film, but said there was no money to send it back and have it replaced. The total budget was $700,000.
26	* RealLifeRelative: Macduff's young son was played by Creator/OrsonWelles's [[CrossCastRole daughter]], [[GenderBlenderName Christopher Welles]].
27	* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Creator/VivienLeigh was the first choice for Lady Macbeth but Creator/OrsonWelles didn't even ask her, feeling that Laurence Olivier wouldn't have allowed her to star. Agnes Moorhead, Anne Baxter and Mercedes [=McCambridge=] were all approached but unavailable.
28
29	!!The 1971 Film:
30	* BoxOfficeBomb: The budget for the film was $2.5 million but it ballooned by several hundred thousand dollars in production. It only took in just over $3 million at the Box Office.
31	* CreatorBreakdown: It's widely assumed that the film's BloodierAndGorier nature was influenced by the real life murder of Creator/RomanPolanski's wife Sharon Tate. When some crew members suggested toning the film down, he responded "I know violence. You should have seen my house last summer." The little girl who played Lady Macduff's dead daughter was asked what her name was playfully by the director while he was smearing fake blood on her. She replied [[TearJerker "Sharon"]].
32	* RoleEndingMisdemeanor: Role ''preventing'' misdemeanour in this case. Music/MarianneFaithfull screentested for the part, but was rejected after her heroin use was discovered.
33	* SameLanguageDub: Terence Bayler's dialogue is dubbed.
34	* TroubledProduction: Production suffered lots of setbacks due to bad weather delaying filming, special effects malfunctioning and Creator/RomanPolanski insisting on doing several long excessive takes. Production ran six months over schedule and $600,000 over budget.
35	* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
36	** An elaborate bear-baiting scene was planned but due to several complications it ended up cut.
37	** Tuesday Weld was the first choice for Lady Macbeth, but she refused to do nude scenes.
38
39	!!The 2015 Film:
40	* AbilityOverAppearance:
41	** Although Lady Macbeth's nationality is never officially stated in the play, she's assumed to be Scottish (historically she was). She's played by French actress Marion Cotillard NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent - because she's an Oscar winning actress who is otherwise perfect for the part. The change does have a historical justification; Scotland has had many French queen consorts, making it plausible that Lady Macbeth could be French.
42	** There were just three witches in the original play. The director liked the seven-year-old Amber Rissmann so much that he created a fourth witch just to accommodate her.
43	* AcclaimedFlop: Despite great reviews, it grossed only $16 million. Its budget is averaged at $15-20 million.
44	* TheDanza: Ross Anderson plays the Thane of Ross.
45	* DuelingWorks: Another ''Macbeth'' adaptation - ''The Moving Forest'' was released in 2015.
46	* FakeScot:
47	** Irish actors Creator/MichaelFassbender and Jack Reynor as Macbeth and Malcolm.
48	** English Creator/DavidThewlis as Duncan, Creator/PaddyConsidine as Banquo, and Creator/SeanHarris as Macduff.
49	** Australian Elizabeth Debicki as Lady Macduff.
50	* TheOtherMarty: Creator/NataliePortman was cast as Lady Macbeth initially, but dropped out just before production began.
51	* MethodActing: Marion Cotillard - a native French speaker - worked hard to learn Shakespearean English for her role.
52	* ProductionPosse: Justin Kurzel, Creator/MichaelFassbender and Creator/MarionCotillard immediately moved from this film to ''Film/AssassinsCreed2016''.
53	* PromotedFanboy: Creator/MarionCotillard always dreamed of playing Lady Macbeth, and had assumed she'd only play her on the stage in France. Jack Reynor was likewise a fan of Marion and said it was an honour to actually work with her.
54	* ThrowItIn: When filming the "scorpions scene", Michael Fassbender improvised putting his hand up Marion Cotillard's dress and didn't tell her beforehand.
55	* WhatCouldHaveBeen: The fourth witch, played by child actress Amber Rissmann, had a line originally but it was cut.

Context Trivia / Macbeth