Adaptations - Shakespeare & Shakespeareana
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- DirectorF.W. MurnauStarsGösta EkmanEmil JanningsCamilla HornThe demon Mephisto wagers with God that he can corrupt a mortal man's soul.
- DirectorRichard BurtonNevill CoghillStarsElizabeth TaylorRichard BurtonAndreas TeuberA man sells his soul to the devil in order to have the woman he loves.
- DirectorSvend GadeHeinz SchallStarsAsta NielsenPaul ConradiMathilde BrandtDanish silent movie-star Asta Nielsen formed her own production company to make this film, in which new elements are combined with features (and a few lines) familiar from Shakespeare's version of the legend. The most important of these changes sees Hamlet made into a female character - a princess forced to masquerade as a man by her scheming mother; from this follows Hamlet's secret passion for Horatio and rivalry with Ophelia for his love. Queen Gertrude is here presented as conspiring in her first husband's murder, and the old king's ghost does not appear - young Hamlet merely hears a voice from the tomb and (apparently) dreams of him. In addition, Hamlet now kills Claudius (in a fire) immediately upon returning from Norway with an army led by old school- friend Fortinbras, and it falls to Gertrude to engineer Hamlet's death in the fencing match as well as kill herself by accidentally drinking the poisoned wine.
- DirectorLaurence OlivierStarsLaurence OlivierJean SimmonsJohn LauriePrince Hamlet struggles over whether or not he should kill his uncle, whom he suspects has murdered his father, the former king.
- DirectorFranz Peter WirthStarsMaximilian SchellHans CaninenbergWanda RothaHamlet, Prince of Denmark, returns home to find his father murdered and his mother remarrying the murderer, his uncle.
- DirectorGrigoriy KozintsevStarsInnokentiy SmoktunovskiyMikhail NazvanovElza RadzinaAfter the death of the King of Denmark - Hamlet's father - his brother Claudius ascends the throne, who takes his widow Gertrude as his wife. Hamlet meets the ghost of his father and learns that he was killed by Claudius.
- DirectorBill ColleranJohn GielgudStarsRichard BurtonHume CronynAlfred DrakeThe highly successful 1964 Richard Burton Broadway production of "Hamlet", deliberately staged in the style of a "dress rehearsal", but performed in front of a live audience.
- DirectorPhilip SavilleStarsChristopher PlummerRobert ShawAlec ClunesHamlet suspects his uncle has murdered his father to claim the throne of Denmark and the hand of Hamlet's mother, but the Prince cannot decide whether or not he should take vengeance.
- DirectorKenneth BranaghStarsKenneth BranaghJulie ChristieDerek JacobiHamlet, Prince of Denmark, returns home to find his father murdered and his mother remarrying the murderer, his uncle. Meanwhile, war is brewing.
- DirectorTony RichardsonStarsNicol WilliamsonJudy ParfittAnthony HopkinsAcademy Award-winning director Tony Richardson brings Shakespeare's tragedy to the screen - with searing performances from Nicol Williamson as the melancholy Dane and future Academy Award-winner Anthony Hopkins as the deceitful Claudius.
- DirectorDavid GilesStarsIan McKellenFaith BrookJohn WoodvineHamlet suspects his uncle has murdered his father to claim the throne of Denmark and the hand of Hamlet's mother, but the Prince cannot decide whether or not he should take vengeance.
- DirectorMichael AlmereydaStarsEthan HawkeKyle MacLachlanDiane VenoraModern-day New York City adaptation of Shakespeare's immortal story about Hamlet's plight to avenge his father's murder.
- DirectorPeter WoodStarsRichard ChamberlainMichael RedgraveMargaret LeightonHamlet suspects his uncle has murdered his father to claim the throne of Denmark and the hand of Hamlet's mother, but the prince cannot decide whether or not he should take vengeance.
- DirectorCelestino CoronadoStarsQuentin CrispHelen MirrenBarry StantonHamlet (Tony Meyer) suspects his uncle, King Claudius (Barry Stanton) has murdered his father to claim the throne of Denmark and the hand of Hamlet's mother, Gertrude (Dame Helen Mirren), but the Prince cannot decide whether or not he should take vengeance.
- 1978–19853h 30mTV-148.0 (665)TV EpisodeDirectorRodney BennettJohn GorrieStarsDerek JacobiClaire BloomPatrick StewartHamlet suspects his uncle has murdered his father to claim the throne of Denmark and the hand of Hamlet's mother, but the Prince cannot decide whether or not he should take vengeance.
- DirectorAki KaurismäkiStarsPirkka-Pekka PeteliusEsko SalminenKati OutinenPlayboy Hamlet sees the ghost of his father, a paper baron in today's Finland.
- DirectorFranco ZeffirelliStarsMel GibsonGlenn CloseAlan BatesHamlet, Prince of Denmark, finds out that his uncle Claudius killed his father to obtain the throne, and plans revenge.
- DirectorKirk BrowningKevin KlineStarsMacIntyre DixonRene Raymond RiveraBill CampA Danish prince and university student avenges his father's murder by his uncle, who stole the crown and married his mother.
- DirectorPeter BrookStarsAdrian LesterJeffery KissoonNatasha ParryPeter Brook presents a new interpretation of the classic in a setting is vaguely eastern rather than Scandinavian, with a multi-ethnic cast .
- DirectorGregory DoranStarsDavid TennantPatrick StewartPenny DownieThe RSC puts a modern spin on Shakespeare's Hamlet in this filmed-for-television version of their stage production. The Prince of Denmark seeks vengeance after his father is murdered and his mother marries the murderer.
- DirectorBruce RamsayStarsBruce RamsayLara GilchristPeter WingfieldShot on a micro-budget in only three days, Ramsay's adaptation of Shakespeare's immortal play premiered in competition at the Vancouver International Film Festival in 2011.
- DirectorLyndsey TurnerRobin LoughStarsBenedict CumberbatchCiarán HindsSian BrookeHamlet, Prince of Denmark, finds out that his Uncle Claudius killed his father to obtain the throne, and plans his revenge.
- DirectorRobert IckeRhodri HuwIlinca RadulianStarsAndrew ScottJuliet StevensonJessica Brown FindlayHamlet, Prince of Denmark, returns home to find his father murdered and his mother remarrying the murderer, his uncle. Meanwhile, war is brewing.
- DirectorTom StoppardStarsGary OldmanTim RothRichard DreyfussTwo minor characters from the play 'Hamlet' stumble around unaware of their scripted lives and unable to deviate from them.
- DirectorClaire McCarthyStarsDaisy RidleyMia QuineyCalum O'RourkeA reimagining of Hamlet, told from Ophelia's perspective.
- DirectorJ. Gordon EdwardsStarsTheda BaraHarry HilliardGlen WhiteShakespeare's classic tale of ill-fated lovers whose deaths bring peace to their warring families.
- DirectorGeorge CukorStarsNorma ShearerLeslie HowardJohn BarrymoreYoung love is poisoned by a generations long feud between two noble families.
- DirectorRenato CastellaniStarsLaurence HarveySusan ShentallFlora RobsonIn Shakespeare's classic play, the Montagues and Capulets, two families of Renaissance Italy, have hated each other for years, but the son of one family and the daughter of the other fall desperately in love and secretly marry.
- DirectorLev ArnshtamLeonid LavrovskyStarsGalina UlanovaYuri ZhdanovIraida OleninaRussian ballet version of Shakespeare's tragedy about star crossed lovers from two feuding Italian Renaissance families.
- DirectorPaul CzinnerStarsMargot FonteynRudolf NureyevDavid BlairTwo teenagers fall in love, but their feuding families and fate itself cause the relationship to end in tragedy.
- DirectorFranco ZeffirelliStarsLeonard WhitingOlivia HusseyJohn McEneryWhen two young members of feuding families meet, forbidden love ensues.
- 1978–19852h 48mTV-146.6 (465)TV EpisodeDirectorAlvin RakoffStarsPatrick RyecartRebecca SaireCelia JohnsonTwo teenagers fall in love, but their feuding families and fate itself cause the relationship to end in tragedy.
- DirectorArmondo Linus AcostaStarsJohn HurtRobert PowellFrancesca AnnisAn eccentric bag lady rescues the stray cats of Venice and puts them on a boat to set sail for the New World.
- DirectorBaz LuhrmannStarsLeonardo DiCaprioClaire DanesJohn LeguizamoShakespeare's famous play is updated to the hip modern suburb of Verona still retaining its original dialogue.
- DirectorBarbara Willis SweeteStarsRoberto AlagnaAngela GheorghiuTito BeltránWilliam Shakespeare's classic tale of passion, rage and the corruption of youth retold on the mean streets of Providence, Rhode Island.
- DirectorCarlo CarleiStarsHailee SteinfeldDouglas BoothDamian LewisRomeo and Juliet secretly wed despite the sworn contempt their families hold for each other. It is not long, however, before a chain of fateful events changes the lives of both families forever.
- DirectorDon Roy KingStarsOrlando BloomDola RashadDonté BonnerOrlando Bloom and Condola Rashad take on the title characters in a modern adaptation of the timeless classic, Romeo and Juliet. This Broadway stage production is being broadcast in movie theaters.
- DirectorDimitri BuchowetzkiStarsEmil JanningsWerner KraussIca von LenkeffyBased on Shakespeare's play: The treacherous Iago plans to ruin the life of Othello by provoking him to jealousy.
- DirectorOrson WellesStarsOrson WellesMicheál MacLiammóirRobert CooteThe Moorish General Othello is manipulated into thinking that his new wife Desdemona has been carrying on an affair with his Lieutenant Michael Cassio when in reality, it is all part of the scheme of a bitter Ensign named Iago.
- DirectorSergei YutkevichStarsSergey BondarchukIrina SkobtsevaAndrei PopovThe Moorish general Othello is manipulated into thinking that his new wife Desdemona has been carrying on an affair with his lieutenant Michael Cassio when in reality it is all part of the scheme of a bitter ensign named Iago.
- DirectorStuart BurgeStarsLaurence OlivierFrank FinlayRobert LangGeneral Othello's marriage is destroyed when vengeful Ensign Iago convinces him that his new wife has been unfaithful.
- DirectorGeorge More O'FerrallStarsJohn GielgudEdward WoodwardJoanna DurhamThe Moorish general Othello is manipulated into thinking that his new wife Desdemona has been carrying on an affair with his lieutenant Michael Cassio when in reality it is all part of the scheme of a bitter ensign named Iago.
- DirectorJonathan MillerStarsAnthony PedleyBob HoskinsGeoffrey ChaterGeneral Othello (Sir Anthony Hopkins) becomes convinced that his wife is having an affair, even though there is no evidence.
- DirectorFranco ZeffirelliStarsPlácido DomingoKatia RicciarelliJustino DíazVerdi's famous opera is brought to life in this production. The immortal tale of the noble Moor and his beautiful young wife, and of his lieutenant, whose jealousy and lust for power lead him to commit the ultimate treason.
- DirectorAnthony GarrickTrevor NunnStarsMichael GrandageIan McKellenClive SwiftA slightly updated version of Othello set in the 19th century Cyprus, where all characters wear uniforms and dresses from the American Civil War era. Othello, a heroic aging Moroccan mercenary marries beautiful and loving Desdemona, daughter of a general. Their love has no match, but their doom is spelled by non other than Othello's personal confidant Iago, a master manipulator, who believes that a trained loyal soldier like him is more deserving of a good life than a foreign mercenary.
- DirectorOliver ParkerStarsLaurence FishburneKenneth BranaghIrène JacobThe Moorish General Othello is manipulated into thinking that his new wife Desdemona has been carrying on an affair with his Lieutenant Michael Cassio, when in reality, it is all part of the scheme of a bitter Ensign named Iago.
- DirectorGeoffrey SaxStarsEamonn WalkerChristopher EcclestonKeeley HawesShakespeare's Othello retold in modern London; racial tension in the police force collides with jealousy and revenge. An officer suspects his new bride of infidelity.
- DirectorTim Blake NelsonStarsMekhi PhiferJulia StilesMartin SheenAn update of Shakespeare's 'Othello' with a young cast, set in an upper class prep school, & centered around basketball player Odin.
- DirectorPeter SchönhoferStarsAleksandrs AntonenkoMarina PoplavskayaCarlos ÁlvarezThe Moorish general Othello is manipulated into thinking that his new wife Desdemona has been carrying on an affair with his lieutenant Michael Cassio when in reality it is all part of the scheme of a bitter ensign named Iago.
- DirectorOrson WellesStarsOrson WellesCharles GrayIrina MaleevaA rich merchant, Antonio is depressed for no good reason, until his good friend Bassanio comes to tell him how he's in love with Portia. Portia's father has died and left a very strange will: only the man that picks the correct casket out of three (silver, gold, and lead) can marry her. Bassanio, unfortunately, is strapped for cash with which to go wooing, and Antonio wants to help, so Antonio borrows the money from Shylock, the money-lender. But Shylock has been nursing a grudge against Antonio's insults, and makes unusual terms to the loan. And when Antonio's business fails, those terms threaten his life, and it's up to Bassanio and Portia to save him.
- DirectorCedric MessinaStarsMaggie SmithFrank FinlayCharles GrayAntonio's friend Bassanio is in love and needs money to go courting. Using Antonio as his collateral, he borrows money from Shylock. But when the debt comes due, Shylock demands repayment in the form of a pound of Antonio's flesh.
- DirectorJohn SichelStarsLaurence OlivierJoan PlowrightJeremy BrettShylock, a Jewish moneylender, demands his due of a pound of flesh for a forfeited loan.
- DirectorJack GoldStarsJohn Franklyn-RobbinsJohn Rhys-DaviesAlan DavidA rich merchant, Antonio is depressed for no good reason, until his good friend Bassanio comes to tell him how he's in love with Portia. Portia's father has died and left a very strange will: only the man that picks the correct casket out of three (silver, gold, and lead) can marry her. Bassanio, unfortunately, is strapped for cash with which to go wooing, and Antonio wants to help, so Antonio borrows the money from Shylock, the money-lender. But Shylock has been nursing a grudge against Antonio's insults, and makes unusual terms to the loan. And when Antonio's business fails, those terms threaten his life, and it's up to Bassanio and Portia to save him.
- DirectorMichael RadfordStarsAl PacinoJoseph FiennesLynn CollinsIn 16th century Venice, when a merchant must default on a large loan from an abused Jewish moneylender for a friend with romantic ambitions, the bitterly vengeful creditor demands a gruesome payment instead.
- DirectorRobin LoughJonathan MunbyStarsDominic MafhamBrian MartinRegé-Jean PageAntonio and his friend Bassanio borrow money from Shylock, a rich Jew, so that Bassanio may marry. When the payment is due, Bassanio can't pay and Shylock demands a pound of his flesh.
- DirectorJonathan MillerStarsCharles GrayAnton LesserTony SteedmanDuring the Trojan War, a Trojan warrior is distraught when his lover takes up with a Greek.
- DirectorJonathan MillerStarsJohn FortuneJohn BirdTony JayTimon loves to give parties and objects to friends, but when he cannot pay his creditors, his "friends" refuse to help him, and he becomes a misanthropic hermit.
- DirectorDavid Hugh JonesStarsEdward PetherbridgeJohn WoodvineEdita BrychtaWhen Pericles discovers the dread answer to Antioch's riddle, he flees for his life straight into famine, shipwreck, love, fatherhood, and another shipwreck; he loses his wife and daughter, and doesn't find them again until the story moves us through resurrection, attempted murder, pirates, prostitution, and divine revelation.
- DirectorElijah MoshinskyStarsPaul JessonRay RobertsLeon LissekA banished hero of Rome allies with a sworn enemy to take his revenge on the city.
- DirectorRalph FiennesStarsRalph FiennesGerard ButlerBrian CoxA banished hero of Rome allies with a sworn enemy to take his revenge on the city.
- DirectorJosie RourkeTim Van SomerenStarsRochenda SandallMark StanleyDwane WalcottCaius Martius Coriolanus is a war hero, banished from his home, seeking to come back.
- DirectorEnrico GuazzoniStarsAmleto NovelliBruto CastellaniIrene MattaliaThe growing ambition of Julius Caesar is a source of major concern to his close friend Brutus. Cassius persuades him to participate in his plot to assassinate Caesar but they have both sorely underestimated Mark Antony.
- DirectorDavid BradleyStarsCharlton HestonGrosvenor GlennHarold TaskerThe growing ambition of Julius Caesar is a source of major concern to his close friend Brutus. Cassius persuades him to participate in his plot to assassinate Caesar but they have both sorely underestimated Mark Antony.
- DirectorJoseph L. MankiewiczStarsLouis CalhernMarlon BrandoJames MasonThe growing ambition of Julius Caesar is a source of major concern to his close friend Brutus. Cassius persuades him to participate in his plot to assassinate Caesar but they have both sorely underestimated Mark Antony.
- DirectorStuart BurgeStarsCharlton HestonJason RobardsJohn GielgudThe growing ambition of Julius Caesar is a source of major concern to his close friend Brutus. Cassius persuades him to participate in his plot to assassinate Caesar, but they have both sorely underestimated Mark Antony.
- 1978–19852h 41mTV-147.4 (259)TV EpisodeDirectorHerbert WiseStarsRichard PascoCharles GrayKeith MichellThe assassination of the would be ruler of Rome at the hands of Brutus and company has tragic consequences for Brutus and the republic.
- DirectorCharlton HestonStarsCharlton HestonHildegard NeilEric PorterAfter the murder of her lover Caesar, Egypt's queen Cleopatra needs a new ally. She seduces his probable successor Mark Antony. This develops into real love and slowly leads to a war with the other possible successor: Octavius.
- DirectorJon ScoffieldStarsRichard JohnsonJanet SuzmanRosemary McHaleAfter the murder of her lover Julius Caesar, Egypt's Queen Cleopatra needs a new ally. She seduces his probable successor Mark Antony. This develops into real love and slowly leads to a war with the other possible successor, Octavius.
- DirectorJonathan MillerStarsJohn PaulJonathan AdamsJane LapotaireAfter the murder of her lover Julius Caesar, Egypt's queen Cleopatra needs a new ally. She seduces his probable successor Mark Antony. This develops into real love and slowly leads to a war with the other possible successor, Octavius.
- DirectorLawrence CarraStarsLynn RedgraveTimothy DaltonNichelle NicholsAfter the murder of her lover Caesar, Egypt's queen Cleopatra needs a new ally. She seduces his probable successor Mark Antony. This develops into real love and slowly leads to a war with the other possible successor: Octavius.
- DirectorBarry AvrichStarsGeraint Wyn DaviesYanna McIntoshSean ArbuckleA humorous retelling of the classic, complicated love story, Antony and Cleopatra. Reason and judgment prove no match for the tsunami of mutual passion. Surrendering everything to their desires.
- DirectorJane HowellStarsPaul Davies ProwlesEdward HardwickeWalter BrownRoman warrior Titus Andronicus finds himself trapped in a nightmarish cycle of vengeance, misery, and bloodshed.
- DirectorJulie TaymorStarsAnthony HopkinsJessica LangeOsheen JonesTitus returns victorious from war, only to plant the seeds of future turmoil for himself and his family.
- DirectorElijah MoshinskyStarsRichard JohnsonMichael PenningtonClaire BloomCymbeline (Richard Johnson), the King of Britain, is angry that his daughter Imogen (Dame Helen Mirren) has chosen a poor (but worthy) man for her husband. So he banishes Posthumus (Michael Pennington), who goes to fight for Rome. Imogen (dressed as a boy) goes in search of her husband, who meanwhile has boasted to his pal Iachimo (Robert Lindsay) that Imogen would never betray him. And Iachimo's determined to prove him wrong.
- DirectorMichael AlmereydaStarsEthan HawkeEd HarrisMilla JovovichA gritty story of a take-no-prisoners war between dirty cops and an outlaw biker gang. A drug kingpin is driven to desperate measures.
- DirectorErnest C. WardeStarsFrederick WardeLorraine HulingWayne AreyLear is an old man blind to his weaknesses. He decides to divide his kingdom among his three daughters according to who recites the best declaration of love. Goneril and Regan pretend to love him but treat him cruelly. Cordelia is loyal but, confusing honesty with insolence, he disowns her.
- DirectorAndrew McCulloughStarsOrson WellesNatasha ParryArnold MossAn old king, stepping down from the throne, disinherits his favorite daughter on a mad whim and gives his kingdom to his two older daughters, both of whom prove treacherous.
- DirectorPeter BrookStarsPaul ScofieldIrene WorthCyril CusackKing Lear divides his kingdom among his daughters, giving great importance to their protestations of love for him. When Cordelia refuses to idly flatter the old man, he banishes her and turns for support to his remaining daughters.
- DirectorGrigoriy KozintsevIosif ShapiroStarsJüri JärvetElza RadzinaGalina VolchekA Soviet adaptation of a world-famous tragedy about an aged king and how cruelly he lose his illusions.
- DirectorEdwin SherinStarsDouglass WatsonPaul SorvinoRaul JuliaKing Lear, old and tired, divides his kingdom among his daughters, giving great importance to their protestations of love for him. When Cordelia, youngest and most honest, refuses to idly flatter the old man in return for favor, he banishes her and turns for support to his remaining daughters. But Goneril and Regan have no love for him and instead plot to take all his power from him. In a parallel, Lear's loyal courtier Gloucester favors his illegitimate son Edmund after being told lies about his faithful son Edgar. Madness and tragedy befall both ill-starred fathers.
- DirectorJonathan MillerStarsJohn ShrapnelNorman RodwayMichael KitchenKing Lear (Sir Michael Hordern), old and tired, divides his kingdom amongst his daughters, giving great importance to their protestations of love for him. When Cordelia (Brenda Blethyn), youngest and most honest, refuses to idly flatter the old man in return for favor, he banishes her and turns for support to his remaining daughters. But Goneril (Gillian Barge) and Regan (Dame Penelope Wilton) have no love for him and instead plot to take all his power from him. In a parallel, King Lear's loyal courtier the Earl of Gloucester (Norman Rodway) favors his illegitimate son Edmund (Michael Kitchen) after being told lies about his faithful son Edgar (Anton Lesser). Madness and tragedy befall both ill-starred fathers.
- DirectorMichael ElliottStarsColin BlakelyLeo McKernRobert LindsayAging King Lear invites disaster when he abdicates to his two disloyal and obsequious daughters while rejecting the one who truly loves him.
- DirectorJean-Luc GodardStarsWoody AllenFreddy BuacheLeos CaraxA descendant of Shakespeare tries to restore his plays in a world rebuilding itself after the Chernobyl catastrophe obliterates most of human civilization.
- DirectorRichard EyreStarsPaul RhysFinbar LynchTimothy WestKing Lear, old and tired, divides his kingdom among his daughters, giving great importance to their protestations of love for him. When Cordelia, youngest and most honest, refuses to idly flatter the old man in return for favor, he banishes her and turns for support to his remaining daughters. But Goneril and Regan have no love for him and instead plot to take all his power from him. In a parallel, Lear's loyal courtier Gloucester favors his illegitimate son Edmund after being told lies about his faithful son Edgar. Madness and tragedy befall both ill-starred fathers.
- DirectorTrevor NunnStarsIan McKellenWilliam GauntPhilip WinchesterSir Ian McKellen gives a tour-de-force performance as Shakespeare's tragic monarch, in this special television adaptation of the Royal Shakespeare Company production of one of the playwright's most enduring and haunting works.
- DirectorMichael GrandageRobin LoughStarsMichael HadleyPaul JessonAlec NewmanAn ageing monarch. A kingdom divided. A child's love rejected. As Lear's world descends into chaos, all that he once believed is brought into question.
- DirectorJonathan MunbyRoss MacGibbonStarsIan McKellenSinéad CusackDanny WebbTwo aging fathers - one a King, one his courtier - reject the children who truly love them. Their blindness unleashes a tornado of pitiless ambition and treachery, and their worlds crumble.
- DirectorRichard EyreStarsJim BroadbentJim CarterTobias MenziesAn aging King invites disaster when he abdicates to his corrupt, toadying daughters, and rejects his loving and honest one.
- DirectorOrson WellesStarsOrson WellesJeanette NolanDan O'HerlihyMacbeth, the Thane of Glamis, receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders his king and takes the throne for himself.
- DirectorKen HughesStarsPaul DouglasRuth RomanBonar ColleanoShakespeare (more-or-less) in modern gangster setting. Lily MacBeth pushes her husband Joe to rub out the reigning crime boss and become the new "kingpin" himself. Success is short- lived, however, as he confronts Lennie, a mobster whose father and wife are Joe's murder victims.
- DirectorPaul AlmondStarsSean ConneryZoe CaldwellWilliam NeedlesThe Scottish Lord Macbeth, chooses evil as the way to fulfill his ambition for power. He commits regicide to become King, and then furthers his moral descent with a reign of murderous terror to stay in power, eventually plunging the country into civil war. In the end, he loses everything that gives meaning and purpose to his life before losing his life itself.
- DirectorJohn GorrieStarsEric PorterJanet SuzmanJohn ThawThe Thane of Cawdor plots to become King of Scotland.
- DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsJon FinchFrancesca AnnisMartin ShawA ruthlessly ambitious Scottish lord seizes the throne with the help of his scheming wife and a trio of witches.
- DirectorPhilip CassonTrevor NunnStarsIan McKellenJudi DenchJohn BownMacbeth (Ian McKellen) is a daring member of the Scottish military, who receives a revelation from three menacing sorceresses that he will someday become the King of Scotland. This information gives him a thirst for power, and with prompting from his wife, Lady Macbeth (Judi Dench), he kills the current leader in order to take the throne. But he must continue to commit murders to keep his actions a secret, and soon no one is safe.
- DirectorArthur Allan SeidelmanStarsJeremy BrettPiper LaurieSimon MacCorkindaleMacbeth, the Thane of Glamis, receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders his king and takes the throne for himself.
- DirectorJack GoldStarsBrenda BruceEileen WayAnne DysonMacbeth and his wife murder Duncan in order to gain his crown, but the bloodbath doesn't stop there, and things supernatural combine to bring the Macbeths down.
- DirectorPenny WoolcockStarsJames FrainSusan VidlerAndrew TiernanShakespeare's play is updated to the present day starring James Frain and Susan Vidler. On a council estate where people survive by dealing drugs and shoplifting, Duncan is the Godfather. Urged by Mrs Macbeth, Macbeth kills Duncan.
- DirectorJeremy FreestonStarsJason ConneryHelen BaxendaleGraham McTavishA ruthlessly ambitious Scottish laird seizes the throne with the help of his scheming wife and a trio of witches.
- DirectorMichael BogdanovStarsSean PertweeGreta ScacchiLorren BentEnglish thespian Sean Pertwee plays the painfully ambitious royal who schemes to murder so he can ascend to the throne in this superior version of William Shakespeare's literary classic. Spurred by the pressure exerted by his equally power-hungry wife, Lady MacBeth (Greta Scacchi), the Thane conspires to kill, but is so overcome with guilt that he's unable to wash the blood off his hands -- literally and figuratively.