Orson Welles Macbeth 1948 film broadcast on France 3, Digi Mart USA News: France 3’s Midnight Cinema slot is bringing back Macbeth, the feverish, expressionist adaptation Orson Welles made in 1948 from Shakespeare’s tragedy. The film will air on the night of Saturday, November 21, from 12:15 a.m., and will be available to watch for 30 days on france.tv.
The story follows Macbeth, urged on by his wife and consumed by ambition, as he murders Duncan, King of Scotland, and seizes the throne, fulfilling a prophecy made by three witches. The witches also foretold that the descendants of his ally Banquo would succeed him.
To hold on to power, Macbeth commits further murders and sinks into paranoia, while Lady Macbeth slides into madness.
Welles transforms this relentless mechanism of guilt into a visual nightmare. Rather than simply illustrating the play, he reinvents it, using thick mists, rocky and cave-like sets, low skies and dizzying low-angle shots to create a primitive, almost barbaric world in which medieval Scotland resembles a theater of shadows.
Welles also plays the title role, alongside Jeanette Nolan as Lady Macbeth, Dan O’Herlihy as Macduff and a very young Roddy McDowall as Malcolm.
The film was shot in just over three weeks for Republic Pictures, a small Hollywood studio best known for its westerns and B-movies, on a tight budget and an accelerated schedule. To meet the deadline, Welles had the dialogue recorded in advance and asked his actors to perform with a strong Scottish accent, a choice that puzzled part of the critical establishment.
Presented at the Venice Film Festival, the film competed directly with Laurence Olivier’s Hamlet and received a mixed reception. Welles later agreed to re-edit and post-synchronize a shortened version for American release, which explains the film’s two formats: a short version of about 82 minutes and a long version of 108 minutes.
France 3’s Midnight Cinema will broadcast the 82-minute short version, with a 30-day replay. The 108-minute long version will also be offered on france.tv, giving viewers a rare opportunity to compare the two cuts of the same work.
Broadcast details: Channel France 3 (Midnight Cinema); Date: night of Saturday, November 21, 2026; Time: 12:15 a.m.; Streaming/replay: france.tv (30 days); Running time: short version 82 min / long version 108 min; Genre: classic cinema (1948).
