Great Performances: Macbeth - DVD

Jeremy Brett, Piper Laurie, Simon MacCorkindale, Barry Primus. Inspired by the bloody vision of three witches and the cold-blooded encouragement of his wife, MacBeth sets out to win the crown through murder. This tragedy of a Scottish man with overreaching ambition is told hauntingly in this film adaptation of Shakespeare's powerful play. 1981/color/151 min/NR/fullscreen.

Director/scripter Orson Welles plays the title role of the 11th-century monarch in this atmospheric and shadow-filled film translation of Shakespeare's InchScottish play.Inch Haunted by a series of strange prophecies and driven by the urging of ambitious wife Lady MacBeth (Jeanette Nolan), the ill-starred nobleman MacBeth resorts to murder to fulfill his ascension to the throne, only to see his fate take a dark turn. Roddy McDowall, Dan O'Herlihy, Alan Napier also star. Original 1948 cut; 119 min./1950 re- cut; 85 min. Standard; Soundtrack English DTS Lossless stereo; Subtitles English; audio commentary; interviews. Two-disc set.

Orson Welles dark and moody screen version of the classic William Shakespeare tragedy about a presumptuous Scottish princes quest for power through patricide in keeping with both the plays spirit and Welles vision. As with his other masterpieces, Welles effectively mixes the use of shadow and oblique camera angles to achieve the ominous sense of a land in peril. Originally cut to 89 minutes for the theatrical , the film has been restored to it's full 107 complete with effected highland accents by the actors.