|
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Macbeth
20 November 1960, NBC
Role: Malcolm
Review from
Los Angeles Times (PDF)
In this production, Jeremy played Malcolm,
the eldest son of Duncan, the King of Scotland. In a 1981
production, JB played Macbeth, the title character and a
general in the army of King Duncan.
In Shakespeare's play, Lady Macbeth plots to have her
husband kill King Duncan and take the throne. The plan succeeds,
and Duncan's sons, Malcolm and Donalbain, flee. More blood is
spilled as Macbeth tries to thwart prophecies of the three
Witches. First he kills Banquo -- whose heirs would be contenders
to his throne. Upon the warning to "beware Macduff," he
has everyone at Macduff's castle killed, including Macduff's wife and
children.
Macduff and Malcolm, who both have been in
exile, plot to invade Scotland and overthrow the tyrant Macbeth.
After more bloodshed, Malcolm ascends to the throne as the
rightful new King of Scotland.
About this production, from Shakespeare
in Performance: Film:
-
In 1960, Maurice Evans joined forces with
George Schaefer to redo the 1954 Macbeth for television. This
time, however, the production was first made as a movie in
color. Most of it was indeed filmed on location in Scotland at
considerable expense. The decision to make a film for television
marked a major breakthrough in television practice. ... The
expanded theatrical version was released in 1963 and made widely
available on 16mm film for schools. Because the film was
originally made for TV, close-ups and mid-shots tend to prevail
and give it a kind of claustrophobic atmosphere, though
ironically the exterior shots made on location in Scotland have
been thought incongruously sunny and cheerful for a play so
steeped in evil.
According to
The Brettish
Empire, this film of Macbeth had a premiere at the
Royal Festival Hall on Dec. 9, 1960, to benefit the British
Red Cross Society. "If you see a theater credit listed for
Jeremy Brett as Malcolm at the Royal Festival Hall in 1960,
that's what this it -- not a play, but a screening of the
film Macbeth.
IMDb
page // Wikipedia
page about the play // Full
text of the play
|