The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)- BFI London Film Festival 2021

Review

105min

Genre:       Drama, Thriller

Director:     Joel Coen

Cast:         Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand , Bertie Carvel…more

Writers:     Joel Coen and William Shakespeare

-Synopsis-

A medieval Scottish lord and his ambitious wife execute a dastardly plan to ruthlessly seize power in the land after the prophecy of three weird witch sisters, only to be plunged into a slow demise into paranoia and delirium, and head towards a reckoning in this distinct take on the Shakespearean tragedy which should not be named from one half of the directing team behind ‘Fargo’ and ‘No Country for Old Men’.

After over three decades of co-directing, writing, and producing with his brother Ethan and helping to fuel the indie cinema revolution of the 1990s, whilst becoming one of the greatest filmmakers of his generation along the way, Joel Coen goes solo after his brother’s film sabbatical. Teaming up instead with Apple and his wife the mighty Frances McDormand, one of the film’s producers and co-stars, to apply his visionary eye to one of the most iconic works from one of the most revered writers in history, triumphantly taking on a truly mighty task—bringing a fresh perspective and breathing new life into the ‘The Bard’s’ timeless unmentionable and much-adapted power-play warning story.

Denzel Washington stars as the Thane of Glamis himself ‘Lord Macbeth’, fresh from victoriously serving ‘King Duncan’ (Brendan Gleeson) during the Scottish civil war alongside his noble loyal lieutenant ‘Banquo’ (Bertie Carvel), when he receives a prophecy of power from a ‘Witch’ (Kathryn Hunter) and her two equally weird sisters on the field of battle, putting him on a bloody path to the throne of the country. Fuelled by the matching ambition of his fierce wife ‘Lady Macbeth’ (Frances McDormand), the new king fulfils the first part of his prophecy but is plunged into the foreboding inevitability of the second, as mistrust and madness put him on a collision course with his court and allies like ‘Macduff’ (Corey Hawkins) and ‘Ross’ (Alex Hassell), breaking down a once great man and placing his house on the path to tragedy . . . and consequence.

At first glance there is a clear element which makes this adaptation of ‘Macbeth’ stand out from most screen and stage versions of the play, and that’s of course the diverse and multi-cultural nature of the cast, reflected not only in the choice of the titular lead and other African American stars, but indeed other American actors as well as Brits and Irish, all playing medieval Scottish characters and delivering a faithful version of Shakespeare’s text in their own natural accents. But far from being somehow distracting or feeling like forced inclusion, it quickly becomes quite unnoticeable and comes off as natural, honest, and unadorned, in keeping with the ethos of Coen’s adaptation.

Indeed that very ethos of minimalism, form and function is most evident in the film’s style, putting it somewhere between a filmed version of a stage production and Justin Kurzel’s striking and atmospherically stylised 2015 adaptation of the play. Shot entirely in studio with a deliberately gloomy and disorientating atmosphere befitting the text, French cinematographer and regular Coen and Tim Burton collaborator Bruno Delbonnel (Dark Shadows, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs) captures everything in vivid monochromatic style, including costumes and production designs which sit between medieval and stripped down neo-gothic, casting stylistic shades of Fritz Lang, early Ingmar Bergman or even Tim Burton, only without the quirkiness or whimsy. And Coen‘s creative camera work plus an extensive repertoire of shots and set-ups really stands out when applied to Macbeth’s visions and moments of prophetic delirium involving the three weird sisters, while the ominous atmosphere in those scenes and indeed the whole film is both established and driven by yet another sumptuous moody string score from composer and long-time Coen collaborator Carter Burwell (Fargo, No Country for Old Men).

Despite his distinctly cinematic perspective and a general lack of first-hand experience in the theatre, Coen manages to inject a traditional and theatrical quality into his adaptation (albeit with modernist flourishes), underlined by the choice of a monochromatic look and an old-school (almost) academy ratio of 1.33:1. Plus of course wrangling together an eclectic theatrical cast worthy of any stage, breathing new life into legendary figures of literature from a Jacobean era play whose drama is largely fictional, but based on real figures of medieval Scottish history.

The film boasts a strong supporting cast and splendid performances with Alex Hassell as the scheming malleable right-hand of power ‘Ross’, Bertie Carvel as witness to prophecy and betrayed loyal lieutenant of Macbeth ‘Banquo’, and Corey Hawkins as ‘Macduff’ the noble harbinger of his reckoning all proving standouts, while Kathryn Hunter steals every scene with her brief appearances as the weirdest of the three weird witch sisters, using her extensive experience in physical theatre to marvellously creepy effect. But the film ultimately stands on the shoulders of its two mature master thespians Washington and McDormand, as it should, who unsurprisingly excel and prove that age is nothing but a number when it comes to playing literature’s most iconic power-hungry power couple—reminding us that ambition, betrayal, delusions of grandeur, and lust for power are not just a young man’s game. Although a quick glance at world history or the day’s headlines would prove that.

Ultimately despite Coen’s fresh flourishes and the perspectives he brings to the piece, this is still Shakespeare, and as such it can only work for an audience who buys into the now anachronistic language and distinct poeticism which can prove a daunting hurdle for many. But if you’re all-in and indeed curious to see how Coen tackles the Bard, then you’re in for quite possibly the most faithful yet inventive and creative, and certainly one of the most memorable screen adaptations of the ‘Scottish Play’ in living memory. And while it may be AppleTV+ distributed and an ‘Apple Original Film’, it’s also an A24 production, making it a pretty safe bet for a certain quality.

The Bottom Line…

Joel Coen triumphantly goes solo to add his distinct touch to the tradition of the iconic warning tale tragedy on the big screen, faithfully bringing Shakespeare into the 21^st century while staying true to its Jacobean roots and medieval setting, combining his cinematic mastery and stylistic flourishes to a revered text, and wrangling together an eclectic supporting cast and two masterful leads to bring it all to life with ‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’.

‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’ is out briefly in selected cinemas on the 25th of December, and is available on AppleTV+ from the 14th of January 2022.

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Macbeth (2015)

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Directed by Justin Kurzel and starring Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard and Sean Harris among others.

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