Press release -
Is this a DVD I see before me?
Film fans taking home Justin Kurzel’s critically acclaimed big-screen version of Macbeth on DVD and blu-ray will also be able to plan a holiday around the Scottish king’s old haunts.
VisitScotland’s locations guide, Macbeth – The Man, Myth & Legend, will be included in 60,000 copies of the DVD and blu-ray, which goes on sale today (Monday 1 February).
The national tourism organisation has also teamed up with film distributors STUDIOCANAL and Scone Palace for an on-pack competition, which offers up to four people a luxury two-night break at the palace near the site where the real King Macbeth was acclaimed (crowned) in the 11th Century.
With spectacular scenes shot on Skye, the film, starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard, enjoyed a star-studded premiere in Edinburgh in September 2015.
As well as highlighting places on Skye that feature in the movie, Macbeth: The Man, Myth & Legend also focuses on 20 locations associated with the real Scottish king and the central character in William Shakespeare’s immortal play.
Locations in Macbeth – The Man, Myth & Legend include:
• Moray – the Mormaerdom, or Kingdom, where Macbeth ruled
• Dingwall – the town in the Highlands where it is believed Macbeth was born around 1005
• Forres – where Shakespeare located King Duncan’s castle, and near the ‘blasted heath’ where Macbeth had his fateful encounter with the three witches
• Cawdor Castle – Macbeth is given the title of ‘Thane of Cawdor’ in the play
• Glamis Castle – the Bard also gives his lead character the title of ‘Thane of Glamis’, which lies in Angus
• Elgin Cathedral – although the cathedral did not exist in Macbeth’s time, it is said a mortally wounded Duncan was carried to Elgin following his battle with Macbeth in 1040
• Scone Moot Hill – where Macbeth was acclaimed (crowned)
• The Quiraing, the Fairy Pools, the Old Man of Storr and Sligachan Glen – filming locations on Skye
Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland, said: “Featuring places of historical significance, theatrical intrigue and stunning beauty, our Macbeth guide gives visitors to Scotland a fascinating insight into one of our most enduring figures. And with the release of this fantastic film on DVD and blu-ray, people can now plan their trip to the home of Macbeth from the comfort of their living rooms.”
Kelly Morris, Senior Product Manager at STUDIOCANAL, said: “We are delighted to be able to include the Macbeth: The Man, Myth & Legend guide in our Blu-ray & DVD release. Film fans always love to learn more about the locations used in a shoot, and our on-pack competition to ‘Win a break to Macbeth Country’ is a fantastic way for a lucky winner to experience some of the stunning locations associated with the real Macbeth. We would encourage everyone to watch the film and see for themselves, as it really is a stunning retelling of such a classic tale.”
Cameron Taylor from Moray Speyside Tourism and co-author of On the Trail of the Real Macbeth, King of Alba, served as an advisor on the guide.
He said: “Exploring the landscapes of the real Macbeth brings the actual story behind Shakespeare’s famous drama to life, providing an authentic experience of Scotland’s fascinating history. We look forward to welcoming visitors inspired by Justin Kurzel’s adaptation of Macbeth, and helping them walk in the footsteps of the real King Macbeth.”
Set-jetting is a growing trend, with research showing that 40 per cent of visitors to the UK are inspired to come here after seeing a location on film or on television. In June 2015, Scotland was voted the world’s Best Cinematic Destination by readers of USA Today, with Scottish locations associated with popular movies enjoying considerable increases in visitor numbers.
To view VisitScotland’s Macbeth guide online, go to www.visitscotland.com/macbeth
To find out more about films shot in Scotland, see Set in Scotland – A Film Fan’s Odyssey: http://www.visitscotland.com/ebrochures/en/set-in-scotland/
Macbeth is available on DVD and blu-ray from today.
Topics
- Tourism
Categories
- corporate communications
- film tourism
Regions
- Scotland
Notes to Editors
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- VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland.
- The organisation’s core objective is to contribute to the Tourism 2020 Strategy ambition of growing tourism revenues by £1 billion by 2020.
- This will be supported by seven overarching strategies:
- Marketing: we will market Scotland and its outstanding assets to visitors from all parts of the world, including the promotion of Scotland to people living in Scotland to visit different parts of the country
- Events: we will support the national events strategy and its delivery, and sustain, develop and promote Scotland’s international profile as one of the world’s foremost events destinations
- Internationalisation and International Engagement: we will utilise all our platforms to enable Scottish-based tourism businesses to better understand international opportunities and market to a global audience and we will work within One Scotland Partnerships to optimise the potential of Scotland’s Diaspora and our strategic partners at regional, European and global levels
- Customer Experience: we will provide information and inspiration to visitors both locally and globally via their preferred medium of choice
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- VisitScotland works together with tourism businesses to make tourism a success for everyone and ensure the industry continues to grow.
- The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland.
- Spending by tourists in Scotland generates around £12 billion of economic activity in the wider Scottish supply chain and contributes around £6 billion to Scottish GDP (in basic prices). This represents about 5% of total Scottish GDP.
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Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design 2016 - 2016 will shine a spotlight on Scotland’s achievements in innovation, architecture and design through a wide-ranging, variety of new and existing activity.
- The Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design begins on 1 January 2016 and ends on 31 December 2016 and will build on the momentum generated by the current 2015 Year of Food and Drink as well as previous years including Homecoming Scotland 2014, the Year of Creative and the Year of Natural.
- Through a series of exciting events and activity, the year will showcase Scotland’s position as an “innovation nation”, its outstanding built heritage, and its thriving, internationally acclaimed creative industries sector.
- The Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design is a Scottish Government initiative being led by VisitScotland, and supported by a variety of partners including Scottish Government, Creative Scotland, Architecture + Design Scotland, Scottish Tourism Alliance, Scottish Enterprise, The National Trust for Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS).
- The Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design events fund is managed by EventScotland, part of VisitScotland’s Events Directorate.
- Join the conversation at #IAD2016
- Events can join the 2016 Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design Partner Programme throughout the year by visiting http://www.eventscotland.org/YIAD_partner_programme
