Cultural Translation: 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.
Executive Meddling: 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.
No Budget: 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.
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. , 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.
What Could Have Been: Laurence Olivier, planned to make a movie in 1955 with himself in the title role and Vivien Leigh 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.
Verdi's Opera:
All-Star Cast: As Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Macduff, and Banco...
Audio Recordings:
1964, conducted by Thomas Schippers: Giuseppe Taddei, Birgit Nilsson, Bruno Prevedi, and Giovanni Foiani.
1970, conducted by Lamberto Gardelli: Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Elena Souliotis, Luciano Pavarotti, and Nicolai Ghiaurov.
1976, conducted by Claudio Abbado: Piero Cappuccilli, Shirley Verrett, Plácido Domingo, and Nicolai Ghiaurov.
1986, conducted by Riccardo Muti: Leo Nucci, Shirley Verret, Veriano Luchetti, and Samuel Ramey.
Video Recordings:
2008, conducted by James Levine at the Met Opera: Zeljko Lucic, Maria Guleghina, Dimitri Pittas, and John Relyea.
The 1948 Film:
Acting for Two: 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 Lurene Tuttle played the Gentlewoman.
Creator Backlash: Orson Welles 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.
Dueling Works: Laurence Olivier released an adaptation of Hamlet the same year, and Orson Welles 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.
Enforced Method Acting: According to Word of God 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.
Executive Meddling: Republic forced Orson Welles to cut two reels of the film and re-record the dialogue with the actors using their natural voices instead of the Fake Scots they had been in the original film.
Fake Scot: 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.
No Budget: 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.
What Could Have Been: Vivien Leigh was the first choice for Lady Macbeth but Orson Welles 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.
The 1971 Film:
Box Office Bomb: 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.
Creator Breakdown: It's widely assumed that the film's Bloodier and Gorier nature was influenced by the real life murder of Roman Polański'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 "Sharon".
Role-Ending Misdemeanor: Role preventing misdemeanour in this case. Marianne Faithfull screentested for the part, but was rejected after her heroin use was discovered.
Troubled Production: Production suffered lots of setbacks due to bad weather delaying filming, special effects malfunctioning and Roman Polański insisting on doing several long excessive takes. Production ran six months over schedule and $600,000 over budget.
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 Not Even Bothering with the Accent - 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.
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.
Acclaimed Flop: Despite great reviews, it grossed only $16 million. Its budget is averaged at $15-20 million.
Promoted Fanboy: Marion Cotillard 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.
Throw It In!: When filming the "scorpions scene", Michael Fassbender improvised putting his hand up Marion Cotillard's dress and didn't tell her beforehand.
What Could Have Been: The fourth witch, played by child actress Amber Rissmann, had a line originally but it was cut.
