History Film / Macbeth1971

* EvilCripple: Hinted at with Donalbain. In this movie, Donalbain walks with a serious limp, an idea not found in Shakespeare's text. This serves as subtle {{Foreshadowing}} for the last scene, in which Donalbain is seen arriving at the witches' lair.

* AdaptationExpansion: Lady Macbeth's body is shown, as is Macbeth's reaction to it.

''Macbeth'' is a 1971 film by Creator/RomanPolanski.

It is, obviously, an adaptation of Creator/WilliamShakespeare's ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}''. Macbeth, Thane of Glamis, (Creator/JonFinch) defeats the traitorous Thane of Cawdor in battle. On the way back, Macbeth and his good friend Banquo (Creator/MartinShaw) are greeted by three mysterious witches, who greet him by saying "All hail Macbeth, Thane of Glamis...All hail Macbeth, Thane of Cawdor...All hail Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!"

This film is a pretty faithful adaptation of ''Macbeth'' so most of the tropes found on that page also apply to this film. This was the first film Roman Polanski made after his wife Creator/SharonTate, their unborn baby, and four other people were slaughtered at Tate and Polanski's home by the Manson Family. It was produced by Hugh Hefner and Magazine/{{Playboy}} Productions, as part of a short-lived effort by Hefner to break into the movie business.

* CallBack: In the play, Lady Macbeth makes her first appearance reading Macbeth's letter telling her about his encounter with the witches. In this film, the scene with the letter is moved to near the end, when Lady Macbeth has gone completely mad. She shakes and sobs as she reads the letter, which in the movie is a CallBack to the beginning of the story.

It is, obviously, an adaptation of Creator/WilliamShakespeare's ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}''. Macbeth, Thane of Glamis, (Creator/JonFinch) defeats the traitorous Thane of Cawdor in battle. On the way back, Macbeth and his good friend Banquo are greeted by three mysterious witches, who greet him by saying "All hail Macbeth, Thane of Glamis...All hail Macbeth, Thane of Cawdor...All hail Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!"

* BeautyEqualsGoodness: Subverts this to hell with Lady Macbeth - who is shown as a beautiful blonde with RapunzelHair and GorgeousPeriodDress (even before she becomes queen). Yet her beauty conceals what a villain she really is.

* AgeLift: Polanski deliberately sought out "young and good-looking" actors for the parts of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, believing that the characters of Macbeth were more relatable to young people than experienced, elder actors. Producer Kenenth Tynan believed that people over sixty were too old to ambitious.

* AdaptationalVillainy: Ross, who is a sort of pointless character in the play, is made the Third Murderer in this film and participates in the killing of Banquo, as well as killing the other two Murderers.[[note]]The [[Film/TheTragedyOfMacbeth 2021 film]] also combines Ross with the Third Murderer.

* AdaptationalVillainy: Ross, who is a sort of pointless character in the play, is made the Third Murderer in this film and participates in the killing of Banquo, as well as killing the other two Murderers.
* AgeLift: Polanksi deliberately sought out "young and good-looking" actors for the parts of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, believing that the characters of Macbeth were more relatable to young people than experienced, elder actors. Producer Kenenth Tynan believed that people over sixty were too old to ambitious.

* FanDisservice:
** Macbeth's second visit with the witches finds not just three of them, but a few dozen "secret, black, and midnight hags", all naked, mostly old crones, performing some dark ritual.
** Francesca Annis is naked with GodivaHair for the "out damned spot" mad scene. It's probably supposed to be FanDisservice as her NakedNutter freakout underscores her madness, but then again, she's awfully good-looking.

* FanDisservice: Macbeth's second visit with the witches finds not just three of them, but a few dozen "secret, black, and midnight hags", all naked, mostly old crones, performing some dark ritual.
* {{Fanservice}}: Francesca Annis is nude (with some GodivaHair) for Lady Macbeth's "Out, out damned spot" mad scene. It's either Fanservice because she's exceptionally good-looking, or FanDisservice as her nudity helps demonstrate how she is spiraling into insanity.

* NakedNutter: Lady Macbeth performs the classic "Out Damned Spot" Sanity Slippage soliloquy while in the nude.

* NakedFreakOut: Lady Macbeth is nude for her "out, damned spot" mad scene.

* AnachronismStew: Suits of armor like the one Macbeth, Macduff and Malcolm wear in the climax did not exist in the eleventh century.

* AnachronismStew: Suits of armor like the one Macbeth wears in the climax did not exist in the eleventh century.

* YoungerAndHipper: Roman Polanski chose to make his leads in their twenties, feeling that older characters wouldn't be as ambitious.

* TheHecateSisters: The three witches consist of a young one, a matronly one, and a blind and lame crone.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/94942c99_27cc_494a_bedc_9af2f181c167.jpeg]]

This film is a pretty faithful adaptation of ''Macbeth'' so most of the tropes found on that page also apply to this film. This was the first film Roman Polanski made after his wife Creator/SharonTate, their unborn baby, and four other people were slaughtered at Tate and Polanski's home by the Manson Family.

* GodivaHair: Francesca Annis's long hair hides most everything in the front when she's nude for Lady Macbeth's mad scene.

* FanDisservice: Macbeth's second visit with the witches finds not just three of them, but a few dozen "secret, black, and midnight hags", all naked, performing some dark ritual.

* RageAgainstTheReflection: The last of Banquo's line of kings "bears a glass" in which he shows Macbeth many more kings from Banquo's line. Macbeth smashes the mirror in a rage, only to wake up alone in the witches' den.