The Real Thing at Last

The Real Thing at Last
Directed byL. C. MacBean
J. M. Barrie
Written byJ. M. Barrie
William Shakespeare (original play)
Produced byA. E. Matthews
StarringEdmund Gwenn
Nelson Keys
Godfrey Tearle
Owen Nares
Norman Forbes
Distributed byBritish Actors Film Company
Release date
  • 7 March 1916 (1916-03-07)
Running time
30 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguagesSilent film
(English intertitles)

The Real Thing at Last is a "lost" satirical silent movie based on the play Macbeth. It was written in 1916 by Peter Pan creator and playwright J. M. Barrie as a parody of the American entertainment industry. The film was made by the newly created British Actors Film Company in response to news that American filmmaker D. W. Griffith intended to honor the 300th anniversary of William Shakespeare's death by producing of a film version of the play. It was subtitled A Suggestion for the Artists of the Future. It was screened at a charity benefit attended by the royal family, but was not widely distributed, and no copies are known to survive.