Orson Welles

Macbeth (Olive Signature) Orson Welles

Something wicked this way comes in Orson Welles' cinematic retelling of William Shakespeare's MacBeth. Welles stars as the titular MacBeth-a doomed Scottish lord tragically undone by his own ambition. Welles' noir-tinged interpretation bubbles over with supernatural prophecy and murderous intrigue, effectively mixing the use of shadow and oblique camera angles to achieve an ominous sense of a land in peril. Beautifully shot by John L. Russell (Psycho) and starring Orson Welles (who also adapted, produced and directed), Jeanette Nolan (The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance), Dan O'Herlihy (Robinson Crusoe), Roddy McDowall (How Green Was My Valley) and Alan Napier (TV's Batman), MacBeth is an altogether unique interpretation of Shakespeare's Scottish play. This special Olive Signature edition includes both the original 1948 107-minute cut, replete with affected highland accents, and the 1950 pared-down 85-minute re-release that removed most of the accented dialogue. New High-Definition digital restoration; Includes 1948 and 1950 versions; Audio Commentary with Welles biographer Joseph McBride; "Welles and Shakespeare" - an interview with Welles expert, Professor Michael Anderegg; "Adapting Shakespeare on Film" - a conversation with directors Carlo Carlei (Romeo & Juliet) and Billy Morrissette (Scotland, PA); Excerpt from We Work Again, a 1937 WPA documentary containing scenes from Welles' Federal Theatre Project production of MacBeth; "That Was Orson Welles" - an interview with Welles' close friend and co-author, Peter Bogdanovich; "Restoring MacBeth" - an interview with former UCLA Film & Television Archive Preservation Officer Bob Gitt; "Free Republic: The Story of Herbert J. Yates and Republic Pictures"; "The Two MacBeths" - an essay by critic Jonathan Rosenbaum.