Macbeth (1948): Special Edition

Something wicked this way comes in Orson Welles's cinematic retelling of William Shakespeare's immortal classic. The larger-than-life Welles (Citizen Kane, The Lady from Shanghai, Othello, Touch of Evil) adapts, produces, directs and stars as the titular Scottish lord who is tragically undone by his own vaulting ambition.

Welles's noir-tinged interpretation bubbles over with supernatural prophecy and murderous intrigue, effectively mixing the use of shadow and oblique camera angles (courtesy of cinematographer John L. Russell, Psycho) to achieve an ominous sense of a land in peril. Co-starring Dan O'Herlihy (Robinson Crusoe), Roddy McDowall (Planet of the Apes), Alan Napier (TV's Batman) and Jeanette Nolan (The Big Heat) in her stunning film debut as Lady Macbeth, this iconic Mercury Production of The Scottish Play is an altogether stark and singular vision.

This 2-disc Special Edition includes both the original 1948 119-minute cut, replete with overture/exit music and affected Highland burrs, and the 1950 pared-down 85-minute re-release which excised most of the accented dialogue.

Special Features and Technical Specs:

• 4K RESTORATION BY PARAMOUNT PICTURES (2022)
• TWO VERSIONS OF THE FILM: the 1948 119-Minutes Roadshow Edition and the 1950 Pared-Down 85-Minute Re-Release
• NEW Audio Commentary by Novelist and Critic Tim Lucas
• Audio Commentary by Orson Welles Biographer Joseph McBride
• Welles and Shakespeare: 2016 Interview with Michael Anderegg (11:56)
• That Was Orson Welles: 2016 Interview with Legendary Filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich (9:49)
• Restoring Macbeth: 2016 Interview with Robert Gitt (8:22)
• Free Republic: Herbert J. Yates and the Story of Republic Pictures: 2016 interview with archivist Marc Wanamaker (6:32)
• Optional English Subtitles