The Tragedy of Macbeth Never Goes Out of Style
The newest adaption of Shakespeare’s classic stands on the shoulders of giants.
Macbeth is my favorite Shakespeare story. The theme of creating destiny by trying to stop it is the greatest tragedy of all time, and the witches weird language immediately becomes the foundation of all future wicked spell casting with double, double, toil and trouble… Macbeth is classic Shakespeare in the complexity hidden behind a fairly simple setup. It’s one reason why the 16th century playwright is endlessly adaptable. The catch is finding a way to make that adaption worthy of the story. Especially at a time when films are going straight to streaming, and audiences can disengage at a single notification, this was always going to be a challenge.
Hollywood loves reboots right now, and more of them flop with critics than fly. The Tragedy of Macbeth, featuring director Joel Cohen without his brother Ethan for the first time, knew what the stakes were. From the first trailer the black-and-white colors and ethereal set design from Stefan Dechant(Kong: Skull Island, Jarhead) catch the eye. The original Shakespeare dialogue is unchanged, since why fix what isn’t broken? Finally, with the star power of Denzel Washington & Frances McDormand in the lead, along with a jaw-dropping physical performance by Kathryn Hunter as the witches, the pieces are set. Cohen finalizes the formula by drawing inspiration from the past; both in older films and in theater itself.
Every scene feels like watching a play. The set pieces are monolithic and textured with light and shadow so they feel like a dream rather than a lived in space. Besides a few scenes, there are hardly any extras shown even on the frontlines of a battle or inside a fortress where a crowd would be expected. All the actors perform with grandiose body language and projected dialogue fit for a stage more than a camera lens. Even the lead Washington was picked from a list of actors with traditional theater experience.
Kathryn Hunters performance as a singular embodiment of the three witches is the most impressive. Hunter combines a jaw-dropping physical performance of twisted limbs and bulging eyes with the fiery delivery of a medieval preacher. Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal(1957) is an obvious comparison in the character design between Death and Cohen’s witch, but also in the tone and scenery itself. Both films feature landscapes empty and desolate, as though blanketed in the sorrow of the plot.
The Tragedy of Macbeth borrows heavily from the past with inspiration from older films, and treating the performance as though it were on a play. These older elements combine with modern casting and imposing cinematography to create a surreal effect. The film feels both old and new, a dream brought to life, and reminds us why Shakespeare never gets old.