The William Shakespeare play 'Macbeth' has been brought to the big screen several times since 1908, but the latest adaptation could possibly reintroduce the Scottish Play to a younger and wider audience. The film might even raise 'Macbeth' to the same level as '300' and 'Braveheart' when it comes to action sequences.
The new adaptation is directed by Australian director Justin Kurzel and has premiered at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, where it received critical acclaim. 'Macbeth' is now ready for its worldwide release, and this has been made known by the official US trailer showing the visceral yet stunning cinematography of the film.
The synopsis for the movie reads as follows:
"From the producers of THE KING'S SPEECH comes the feature film adaptation of Shakespeare's Scottish play about General Macbeth (Michael Fassbender), whose ambitious wife (Marion Cotillard) urges him to use wicked means in order to gain power of the throne over the sitting king."
The trailer shows Macbeth in the battlefield, where he encounters the witches that reveal his fate. He and Lady Macbeth devise a plan to murder King Duncan so the general can rise to power before everything whips into a glorious montage of gorgeous cinematography and possible Oscar wins. As the witch says to the General, "All hail Macbeth that shall be king hereafter."
The witches in 'Macbeth' may be responsible for the belief that the play is cursed. There are speculations that William Shakespeare used real spells and incantations where he wrote the play, and real witches were so outraged by the casual use of their incantations that they have cursed 'Macbeth.' It is believed that the word 'Macbeth' must not be uttered because bad fortune could befall the speaker.
'Macbeth' also stars Paddy Considine as Banquo, Sean Harris as Macduff, Elizabeth Debicki as Lady Macduff, Jack Reynor as Malcolm and David Thewlis as King Duncan. The film will be released in the United Kingdom on October 2 and will premiere in the US on December 4, 2015.
