Macbeth is a movie.
Macbeth ( or The Tragedy of Macbeth ) is a 1971 British-American historical drama film directed by Roman Polanski and co-written by Polanski and Kenneth Tynan . A film adaptation of William Shakespeare 's tragedy of the same name , it retells the story of the Highland lord who becomes King of Scotland through treachery and murder . The film stars Jon Finch as the title character and Francesca Annis as Lady Macbeth , noted for their relative youth as actors . Macbeth (2015 film) . The film stars Michael Fassbender in the title role and Marion Cotillard as Lady Macbeth . However , despite positive critical reaction , the film was a commercial failure , grossing $ 16 million worldwide against production budget of $ 20 million .