Macbeth Factfile | Roman Polanski has made two films in Northumberland - Macbeth and Cul-De-Sac Bamburgh Castle has a starring role in the film Macbeth was made in 1971 TV presenter Keith Chegwin makes an unlikely appearance in the film playing Fleance Macbeth was the first film made by Polanski after the murder of his wife Sharon Tate by Charles Manson鈥檚 gang Roman Polanski was born in Paris and raised in Krakow by foster parents after his own parents were interned in a Nazi concentration camp Francesca Annis who plays Lady Macbeth appeared in the film Excalibur |
A young Scottish nobleman, Macbeth (Jon Finch), vies for the throne of Scotland and is driven on by his power-hungry wife Lady Macbeth (Francesca Annis). He eventually kills the king and takes the throne but his plans are doomed.
| Jon Finch stars as Macbeth |
Macbeth is haunted by the ghosts of the past including those who he鈥檚 killed in his mission for power. The three witches have prophesied his death, and Macbeth must be punished for his transgression. On location Roman Polanski makes great use of dramatic Northumberland locations such as Bamburgh and Lindisfarne Castles. The stark landscape of the windswept Northumberland coast adds to the dark and brooding atmosphere. "I see Macbeth as a young, open-faced warrior, who is gradually sucked into a whirlpool of events because of his ambition" | Roman Polanski |
Other locations featured in the film include: St Aidan鈥檚 Church North Charlton Moors near Alnwick Bamburgh Beach The wild Northumbrian landscapes with its craggy coastline, and castles with battlements was the ideal backdrop for the dramatic story. |