Voodoo Macbeth (BLU-RAY)

Voodoo Macbeth - Trailer from Lightyear Entertainment on Vimeo.

Broadway star Rose McClendon asks 20-year-old Orson Welles to direct Shakespeare's Macbeth with all-Black cast in 1936.

Before Citizen Kane and The War of the Worlds, leading Broadway actress Rose McClendon and producer John Houseman convince a gifted but untested 20-year-old Orson Welles to direct Shakespeare's Macbeth with an all-Black cast in Harlem. Reimagined in a Haitian setting, this revolutionary 1936 production, which came to be known as "Voodoo Macbeth," would change the world forever, but the road to opening night proves to be a difficult one. Orson and Rose - who is to play Lady Macbeth - clash over everything from scene blocking to crew hires, while Houseman contends with a congressman hell-bent on shutting down what he deems "communist propaganda." Welles and McClendon must overcome political pressure, personal demons, and protests to realize their groundbreaking vision. Based on True Events.

Bonus Materials

• Audio Commentary
• Actual 1936 footage from National Archives of the play that toured the country to interracial audiences.