Macbeth (1960 Australian film)

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Macbeth
Directed by William Sterling
Based onplay by William Shakespeare
Music byRobert Hughes
Production
company
ABC
Release dates
  • 7 September 1960 (1960-09-07)(Melbourne) [1]
  • 19 October 1960 (1960-10-19)(Sydney)
  • 19 August 1962 (1962-08-19)(Brisbane) [2]
Running time
90 minutes
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish

Macbeth is a 1960 Australian TV film based on the play by William Shakespeare. It was directed by William Sterling.

Contents

The ABC would present another version of the play in 1965.

Cast

Production

The play was filmed in conjunction with The Life and Death of Richard II which was shot in Sydney. Macbeth had several months of planning and rehearsals. Nine sets were used. There was location filming at Beaconsfield and Cape Schank (for the witches scene). [3] It was set in the eleventh century and was described as akin to Orson Welles' 1948 film production of the play. [2]

Barry Creyton has a small role. "I literally carried a spear," he later said. [4]

Reception

The Sydney Morning Herald wrote that the production as "visually efficient" but also "a dreadful warning of what can happen when a producer becomes frightened of a great text... a torrent of gabble and shouting. Some of the most concise dramatic poetry in all Shakespeare received treatment worthy of the race results." [5]

The Age said it was an "inordinately successful presentation." [6] In its year review of drama, that paper said it was one of the "outstanding" productions of the year. [7]

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References

  1. ↑ "Music for MacBeth". The Age. 28 July 1960. p. 13.
  2. 1 2 "Savage realism". TV Times. 19 August 1962. p. 10.
  3. ↑ "Untitled". The Age. 1 September 1960. p. 25.
  4. ↑ Vagg, Stephen (11 October 2020). "Barry Creyton Live!". Filmink.
  5. ↑ "Macbeth on television". The Sydney Morning Herald. 20 October 1960. p. 25.
  6. ↑ "MacBeth sets high standard for TV". The Age. 15 September 1960. p. 14.
  7. ↑ "Year ABC Gave Us a Heart Attack - and Remedy". The Age. 29 December 1960. p. 9.


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