Real Thing at Last, The
- Synopsis
- A burlesque of Macbeth which imagines how the play would be adapted and filmed by an American producer. The New York Times critic, reviewing the London screening, noted ‘The drama ends happily with a touching reconciliation between Macbeth and Macduff, and Macbeth embracing his wife, while the piano plays "Life’s Too Short to Quarrel."
- Country
- Great Britain
- Medium
- Film
- Technical information
- Black-and-white / Silent
- Year of release
- 1916
- Recording date
- 8 Mar 1916
- Duration
- Unknown
- Availability
- Presumed a lost film
Credits
- Director
- L.C. MacBean
- Screenplay
- J.M. Barrie
- Cast
Additional Details
- Production type
- Fiction Films
- Plays
- Macbeth
- Subjects
- Drama
- Keywords
- satire; Shakespeare, William (1564-1616); United States of America; burlesgues
Notes
- Notes
- The typescript of the Barrie screenplay is held by the Beinecke Library, Yale University.
- General
- Barrie’s contention was that picture theatres had been ignored by the committee which had the Shakespeare tercentenary celebrations in hand, so the actors have a celebration of their own. The contradictions in evidence for the cast of some minor roles are outlined by Ball p223-4.
- History
- THE REAL THING AT LAST was first shown at a Royal Command Performance at the London Coliseum on March 7 1916 as part of a charity show to provide funds for concerts for British troops.
- Reviews
- Ball, Robert Hamilton. Shakespeare on Silent Film: A Strange Eventful History. London: George Allen and Unwin, 1968 (p.223-6, 360-1).
Production Company
How to cite this record
Shakespeare, "Real Thing at Last, The". https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/shakespeare/search/index.php/title/av69313 (Accessed 26 Nov 2024)