Macbeth (1916 film)
Encyclopedia
Macbeth is a silent
, black and white
1916 film adaptation of the classic William Shakespeare
play
, Macbeth
.
It was directed
by John Emerson
, and released on June 4, 1916 in the United States, and on February 26, 1917 in Japan
. This version of Macbeth was produced
by D. W. Griffith
, with Cinematography
by Victor Fleming
. The film starred Herbert Beerbohm Tree
and Constance Collier
both famous from the stage and for playing in Shakespearean parts. Although released during the first decade of feature filmmaking, it was already the seventh version of Macbeth to be produced, one of eight versions that would be produced during the silent film era. In the companion book to Kevin Brownlow
's Hollywood The Pioneers
television series, Brownlow states that Sir Herbert Tree failed to understand that the production was a silent film and that speech was not needed so much as pantomime. Tree, who had performed the play numerous times on the stage, kept spouting reams of dialogue. So Emerson and Fleming simply removed the film and cranked an empty camera so as not to waste film when Sir Herbert kept reading his lines. It is considered today to be a lost film
, as no known copies of it are in existence. The running time is 80 minutes.
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
, black and white
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
1916 film adaptation of the classic William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
play
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
, Macbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
.
It was directed
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
by John Emerson
John Emerson
John Emerson was the 15th mayor of Calgary, Alberta. He was the mayor at the time that Alberta became a province of Canada, which was on September 1, 1905....
, and released on June 4, 1916 in the United States, and on February 26, 1917 in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. This version of Macbeth was produced
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
by D. W. Griffith
D. W. Griffith
David Llewelyn Wark Griffith was a premier pioneering American film director. He is best known as the director of the controversial and groundbreaking 1915 film The Birth of a Nation and the subsequent film Intolerance .Griffith's film The Birth of a Nation made pioneering use of advanced camera...
, with Cinematography
Cinematography
Cinematography is the making of lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for cinema. It is closely related to the art of still photography...
by Victor Fleming
Victor Fleming
Victor Lonzo Fleming was an American film director, cinematographer, and producer. His most popular films were The Wizard of Oz , and Gone with the Wind , for which he won an Academy Award for Best Director.-Life and career:Fleming was born in La Canada, California, the son of Elizabeth Evaleen ...
. The film starred Herbert Beerbohm Tree
Herbert Beerbohm Tree
Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree was an English actor and theatre manager.Tree began performing in the 1870s. By 1887, he was managing the Haymarket Theatre, winning praise for adventurous programming and lavish productions, and starring in many of its productions. In 1899, he helped fund the...
and Constance Collier
Constance Collier
Constance Collier was an English film actress and acting coach.-Life and career:Born Laura Constance Hardie, in Windsor, Berkshire, Collier made her stage debut at the age of 3, when she played Fairy Peasblossom in A Midsummer's Night Dream...
both famous from the stage and for playing in Shakespearean parts. Although released during the first decade of feature filmmaking, it was already the seventh version of Macbeth to be produced, one of eight versions that would be produced during the silent film era. In the companion book to Kevin Brownlow
Kevin Brownlow
Kevin Brownlow is a filmmaker, film historian, television documentary-maker, author, and Academy Award recipient. Brownlow is best known for his work documenting the history of the silent era. Brownlow became interested in silent film at the age of eleven. This interest grew into a career spent...
's Hollywood The Pioneers
Hollywood (documentary)
Hollywood is a 1980 documentary series produced by Thames Television which explored the establishment and development of the Hollywood studios and its impact on 1920s culture....
television series, Brownlow states that Sir Herbert Tree failed to understand that the production was a silent film and that speech was not needed so much as pantomime. Tree, who had performed the play numerous times on the stage, kept spouting reams of dialogue. So Emerson and Fleming simply removed the film and cranked an empty camera so as not to waste film when Sir Herbert kept reading his lines. It is considered today to be a lost film
Lost film
A lost film is a feature film or short film that is no longer known to exist in studio archives, private collections or public archives such as the Library of Congress, where at least one copy of all American films are deposited and catalogued for copyright reasons...
, as no known copies of it are in existence. The running time is 80 minutes.
Cast and crew
- Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree as Macbeth
- Constance CollierConstance CollierConstance Collier was an English film actress and acting coach.-Life and career:Born Laura Constance Hardie, in Windsor, Berkshire, Collier made her stage debut at the age of 3, when she played Fairy Peasblossom in A Midsummer's Night Dream...
as Lady Macbeth - Wilfred LucasWilfred LucasWilfred Lucas was a Canadian stage and film actor, film director, and screenwriter.-Career:A native of Ontario, Canada, Lucas headed to New York City to work in the theater, making his Broadway acting debut in 1904 at the Savoy Theater in the production of The Superstition of Sue...
as Macduff - Spottiswoode AitkenSpottiswoode AitkenFrank Spottiswoode Aitken was a Scottish- American actor of the silent era.Aitken was one of the first actors to settle in Los Angeles when the film industry was still at its strongest in New York...
as Duncan - Ralph LewisRalph Lewis (actor)Ralph Percy Lewis was an American actor of the silent era. He appeared in 160 films between 1912 and 1938.He was born in Englewood, Illinois and died in Los Angeles, California.-Selected filmography:...
as Banquo - Mary AldenMary AldenMary Maguire Alden was an American motion picture and stage actress. She was one of the first Broadway actresses to work in Hollywood.-Career:Born in New York City, Alden began her career on the Broadway stage...
as Lady Macduff - Olga GreyOlga GreyOlga Grey was an American silent film actress.Anna "Anushka" Zacsek, a Budapest native, immigrated to the United States, and by her late teens was pursuing an acting career in Hollywood....
as Lady Agnes - Lawrence Noskowski as Malcolm
- Bessie Buskirk as Donalbain
- Jack Conway as Lennox
- Seymour Hastings as Ross
- Karl Formes, Jr. as the Bishop
- Jack Brammal as Seyton
- L. Tylden as First Witch
- Scott McKee as Second Witch
- Jack LeonardJack LeonardJohn "Jack" Leonard was an English professional footballer who played in the Football League for Small Heath.Leonard was born in Gloucester. A clever dribbler on the right wing, he had a fine season in the Southern League with Bedminster, but fell out of favour and joined Small Heath in November...
as Third Witch - Francis Carpenter, Thema Burns and Madge Dyer as Macduff's children
- Raymond Wells as the Thane of Cawdor
- George McKenzieGeorge McKenzieGeorge McKenzie was a British bantamweight professional boxer who competed in the 1920s.He was born in Leith, Scotland-Amateur career:McKenzie was the 1920 British ABA bantamweight champion...
as the Doctor - Chandler House as Fleance
- David Griffith (Producer)
- Victor FlemingVictor FlemingVictor Lonzo Fleming was an American film director, cinematographer, and producer. His most popular films were The Wizard of Oz , and Gone with the Wind , for which he won an Academy Award for Best Director.-Life and career:Fleming was born in La Canada, California, the son of Elizabeth Evaleen ...
and George HillGeorge W. HillGeorge William Hill was an American film director and cinematographer.-Career:He began his film career at age 13 as a stagehand with director D. W. Griffith...
(Cinematography) - R. Wales (Art Direction)
- Erich von StroheimErich von StroheimErich von Stroheim was an Austrian-born film star of the silent era, subsequently noted as an auteur for his directorial work.-Background:...
(Assistant director) - Monte BlueMonte BlueMonte Blue was a movie actor who began his career as a romantic leading man in the silent film era, and later progressed to character roles....
(Stunt double for Herbert Tree)
Further reading
- Buchanan, Judith (2009). Shakespeare on Silent Film: An Excellent Dumb Discourse. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Ch. 6. ISBN 0-521-87199-9