Lady Macbeth
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Parting Shot: Naomi Ackie
“A cheerful lass around town” is how actress Naomie Ackie describes herself on her Twitter account. It’s an ingratiatingly modest introduction that belies the sense of discovery surrounding this British actress who makes her feature debut in William Oldroyd’s Lady Macbeth. Ackie, who studied at London’s Royal Central School of Speech & Drama, had a career in U.K. television (Doctor Who is a notable credit) before she was cast by Oldroyd to play the quietly observant maid in his microbudget adaptation of Nikolai Leskov’s 1865 Russian novella, a role she imbues with an unexpected power. The success of the film […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jun 16, 2017 -
Eating a Monica Bellucci By the Sea: The 64th San Sebastián Film Festival
San Sebastián may have a population of less than 190,000 but when it comes to culture and gastronomy the Basque seaside resort punches well above its weight. It combines the two during its annual film festival, even going so far as to team up with local bars to offer movie-themed pintxo snacks and a bottle of beer for less than $3, with names ranging from the elegant Monica Bellucci (roe and smoked herring perched on bread), to the less cerebral Porky’s (braised ham, pepper, onion and cheese) and the frightening Tarantino, which features a mushroom whose name translates as “trumpets […]
by Amber Wilkinson on Sep 28, 2016 -
Five Questions for Lady Macbeth Director William Oldroyd
With William Oldroyd’s Lady Macbeth now in U.S. theaters, we’re resposting this interview that originally appeared during the Toronto Film Festival. Heading into its world premiere today in the auteur-centric Platform section at the Toronto International Film Festival with considerable buzz is the feature debut of acclaimed theater director William Oldroyd, Lady Macbeth. Adapted by the young British playwright Alice Birch from Nikolai Leskov’s 1865 novel, Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, a work compared in its day to another work of literature with a strong female protagonist, Gustav Flaubert’s Madame Bovary, published just a year later. A Director in […]
by Scott Macaulay on Sep 9, 2016
