Supreme acting by a devastating Florence Pugh propels this sexually-charged Victorian drama. We are submerged into a world where a lord’s rule is unquestionable and the lady of the manor is little more than a mannequin.
Lady Macbeth enjoys a strong cast but, just as with her debut in The Falling (2014), it is Pugh who shines brightest. An immense talent with no formal training, she has a brilliant career ahead of her if she keeps picking the right parts.
Wonderful Cinema strongly recommends you to not ruin the impact the director meticulously planned for you by watching trailers or reading spoilers. For those of you who, alas, cannot resist:
You can find more information on this British film on Wikipedia, IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes.
Production Details
Title: Lady Macbeth
Director: William Oldroyd
Year, Country, Language: 2016, England, English
Stars: Florence Pugh, Cosmo Jarvis, Naomi Ackie, Paul Hilton, Christopher Fairbank (click here for full cast)
Screenplay: Alice Birch
Based on: Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, the 1865 novella by Nikolai Leskov.
Cinematography: Ari Wegner
Editing: Nick Emerson
Score: Dan Jones
Wonderful Cinema 
Thank you for turning up this gem. This story was the basis of the Shostakovich opera which led to Stalin condemning Shostakovich as bourgeois.
Wow, fascinating. I’ll look that up, Jim. Many thanks!
A rather creepy film. But it works. Nice review.
Thanks, Dan.
Looks great, but I avoided the trailer. (As suggested) I’m never sure about ‘modern dress’ adaptations of Shakespeare, but happy to take your word for this one.
Cheers, Pete.
Hi Pete
This isn’t a Shakespeare adaptation, actually, but based on ‘Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District’ (1865) by Russian novelist Nikolai Leskov.
It’s a very interesting question if the period wear for the film is authentic of the era or whether the costume designer, Holly Waddington, took liberties. I have written to her and asked her, and I will post if she replies.
Thanks for clearing that up. I did wonder about the Russian comments. I must read more carefully! Sorry…
Thanks for getting into the details. It looks suitably Russian for the period.
Regards, Pete. (Obviously not concentrating…)
Getting old, and my eyes are not so good now…
Ja, my hearing is going to pot. It’s crazy the naughty stuff I think I hear people say. You hear what you want to hear, I’m told!
Is on my list to watch it!