Verdi Macbeth (1987): Besetzung, Handlung & Streaming

Released in 1987, Verdi Macbeth is a musik film directed by Claude d'Anna, running about 133 minutes.

What it’s about. Claude D'Anna's film of Verdi's Macbeth is a gloomy affair, stressing the descent into madness of the principal villains. It's acted by the singers of the Decca recording of the opera (with two substitutions of actors standing in for singers) and the lip-synching is generally unobtrusive. The musical performance is superb, conducted by Riccardo Chailly with admirable fire, and sung by some of the leading lights of the opera stages of the 1980s. Shirley Verrett virtually owned the role of Lady Macbeth at the time, and she delivers a terrific performance, the voice equal to the role's wide register leaps and it's suffused with emotion, whether urging her husband on to murder or maddened by guilt in the Sleepwalking Scene. Leo Nucci's resonant Macbeth may lack the ultimate in vocal color and steadiness (his last notes of the great aria Pietà, rispetto, amore are wobbly) but he compensates with intensity in both singing and acting.

Who’s in it. Verdi Macbeth stars Leo Nucci as Macbeth, Shirley Verrett as Lady Macbeth, Samuel Ramey as Banquo and Anna Caterina Antonacci as Dama de Lady Macbeth, among others.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Verdi Macbeth page.

If you liked it. Fans of Verdi Macbeth tend to enjoy Whiplash, Coco - Lebendiger als das Leben!, Green Book - Eine besondere Freundschaft and Die Legende vom Ozeanpianisten.