The Making of Macbeth, the Movie, Starring Jason Connery

In the summer of 1996 I managed to get a job as an extra in the Cromwell Productions film of Macbeth, starring Jason Connery, Helen Blaxendale, and Hildegard Neil, with my old friend the late John Corvin, cast as King Duncan. It was, for me, a valuable lesson in the art of making a little go a long way, and a realisation that a couple of fields in Warwickshire, shot in a particular way, can be made to look like, well, anywhere.

A large charming Scotsman by the name of Bob Carruthers started the film company in a small suite of offices in Cook’s Alley, in Stratford, which is just around the corner from Shakespeare’s Birthplace, and a million miles away from Hollywood. Over the years Bob has created a body of work that has stood the test of time in terms of integrity, scope, and sheer professionalism. Most of his films are documentaries dealing with historical subjects (including a lot of military history), many of which can still regularly be seen on the Discovery and History channels with virtually his whole output now available on DVD.

Macbeth was to be Bob’s first move into feature films, and an experience that must have aged him considerably, weakened his bank balance, and probably, in the early hours, made him ask the question: Why?