Macbeth (2015 film)

Macbeth
A collage of the film's characters and settings.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJustin Kurzel
Screenplay by
Based onMacbeth
by William Shakespeare
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyAdam Arkapaw
Edited byChris Dickens
Music byJed Kurzel
Production
companies
Distributed byStudioCanal
Release dates
  • 23 May 2015 (2015-05-23) (Cannes)
  • 2 October 2015 (2015-10-02) (United Kingdom)
  • 18 November 2015 (2015-11-18) (France)
Running time
113 minutes[1]
Countries
Budget$15–20 million[4]
Box office$16.3 million[5]

Macbeth is a 2015 epic historical drama film directed by Justin Kurzel and written for the screen by Todd Louiso, Jacob Koskoff, and Michael Lesslie, based on William Shakespeare's eponymous play.[6] The film stars Michael Fassbender in the title role and Marion Cotillard as Lady Macbeth, with Paddy Considine, Sean Harris, Jack Reynor, Elizabeth Debicki and David Thewlis in supporting roles. The story follows the titular Scottish lord's rise to power after receiving a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Like the play it was adapted from, the film dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those who seek power for its own sake.

Macbeth premiered on 23 May 2015 at the Cannes Film Festival where it was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or.[7][8] The film was theatrically released by StudioCanal on 2 October 2015 in the United Kingdom and on 18 November 2015 in France. It received generally positive reviews from film critics who praised both Fassbender and Cotillard's performances, as well as those of the rest of the cast, visual style, script, direction and war sequences. Despite the positive critical reaction, the film grossed just $16 million worldwide against its production budget of $20 million.

  1. ^ "MACBETH (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 1 September 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  2. ^ "Macbeth (2015) | BFI". BFI. Archived from the original on 16 August 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  3. ^ "LUMIERE : Film: Macbeth". Lumiere. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  4. ^ "Justin Kurzel, 'Macbeth'". Screen International. 12 May 2015. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
  5. ^ "Macbeth (2015)". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  6. ^ "Macbeth review: 'Fassbender was born for this'". The Daily Telegraph. 1 October 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  7. ^ "2015 Official Selection". Cannes. Archived from the original on 18 April 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
  8. ^ "Screenings Guide". Festival de Cannes. 6 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.