The brilliant adaptation of Macbeth, in cinemas on 2 October, was partly shot on location in the Isle of Skye, a frowning ice-dusted landscape as cold as its characters’ hearts, says Stuart Kemp

The Scottish landscape is a vital, glowering presence in Justin Kurzel's visually breathtaking retelling of William Shakespeare's Macbeth.

Set in civil-war ravaged 11th-century Scotland, Kurzel's film tells of the murderous rise and bloody fall of Macbeth, a fearless warrior and inspiring leader haunted by a prophecy from three witches that he will one day become King of Scotland. He is ultimately doomed by ambition.

"There's something about the elements in Scotland, and about the nature of the place, that is kind of mystical"
Marion Cotillard

The action takes place in a harsh environment that gradually infiltrates the characters' psyches, undoubtedly helping to inform their violent actions. To capture those elements, Kurzel decided to shoot almost entirely outside, in the middle of a Scottish winter.

"It brought a lot of challenges," Kurzel admits. "But it gives it an earthiness which is quite unique to the verse and the storytelling."

Versatile actor Michael Fassbender, whose credits include 12 Years A Slave and X-Men: First Class, stars as Macbeth, with French actress Marion Cotillard, who won an Oscar for her role as Edith Piaf in La Vie en Rose, shining menacingly as the equally ambitious and cajoling Lady Macbeth.

Paddy Considine, whose varied credits include Dead Man's Shoes and The Bourne Ultimatum, dazzles as Banquo, while feted English actor David Thewlis, recently seen in The Theory of Everything, gives a nuanced performance as the soon-to-be-murdered King Duncan.

Film and TV stalwart Sean Harris and rising star Jack Reynor ooze energy and passion as Macduff and the king's son Malcolm respectively.

The cast deliver some of the film's pared-down Shakespearean verse atop the heather-clad moors, rugged mountainsides and wintry valleys of the highlands on the Isle of Skye. Here, the mountains boast ice-shattered peaks, giving them a jagged, fierce appearance.

The Quiraing, an ancient landslip on the eastern face of Meall na Suiramach, the northernmost summit on the Trotternish peninsula, plays a large on screen role. The frowning, ice-dusted mountains and freezing conditions add to the emotional intensity of Kurzel's film and sent shivers down cast members' spines.

"There's something about the elements in Scotland, and about the nature of the place, that is kind of mystical," says Cotillard.

The feature film, Kurzel's second following the Australia-set gangland thriller Snowtown, began shooting on 6 February 2014, with just six of the 36 shooting days not involving exterior work of any kind.

At the time, the UK was experiencing some of the worst winter weather for 20 years. By all accounts, it was cold enough to split stones.

"In a very old-fashioned way," says Kurzel, "when you see your production designer fly across the camera because they've literally been picked up by the wind, or you see Marion Cotillard disappear down a bog hole as she's walking along, it brings you all closer together."

Despite the harsh backdrop and freezing elements, it all adds up to a remarkable, blistering classic.