Review: The Tragedy Of Macbeth

I wonder if Denzel got his Shakespeare voice from a Fordham Education?

Joel Coen’s single directorial debut has a lot of stylistic choices, which I long for in Shakespeare adaptations. This film has a nonzero amount of little lad haircuts in it, but the aesthetic was effective at adding new dimension to the Tragedy of Macbeth. The effect is concise (the film is less than two hours).

The aspect ratio is a 1:33 (almost square) and actors take up most of the frame. Coen makes the frame feel cramped, like he has to maneuver angles in order to make the characters fit entirely. The audience can only look at the action, the choice to look elsewhere is removed. This parallels our protagonist, expertly handled by Denzel Washington as he struggles along the path the fates set for him. Macbeth could be read as a hubris story, similar to most Greek myths, as the man morally skitters around what the witches have predicted. As he ponders and acts along his track, he eventually must embrace his destiny. There’s no point in looking elsewhere.

Shadows add to the spooky, surreal forces at play in Macbeth. The stark black and white presentation calls back to Orson Welles’ adaptation, complete with simple, fake-looking sets that seem to be in two dimensions. The castle architecture is brutalist, all lines pointing inward, inescapable. The boxy frame and high contrast filming turn the film into a shadow puppet show, ostensibly controlled by supernatural puppeteers.

Frances McDormand serves Frances McDormand and we love it; her Lady M is a chastising mother, bullying her husband into sticking by their plans. Her and Denzel reach their highs and lows in a way only those actors can. You will go into this movie saying “they’re gonna be really good,” and of course they will. Denzel’s New York accent has never been more apparent to me than when he says “thayne of cawwrdor.” Dudley Dursley is there too, looking cute in a slightly British way as he does, as well as Fuches from Barry, serving Shakespeare clown. No spoilers, but the first face you see is The Green Knight’s, so obviously I was going to love this adaptation.

It will probably be a while until you watch this, but I hope my little voice pops up in your head when you do. If you have the opportunity to see this film, I recommend it in a theater! It’s really satisfying to be immersed in the claustrophobia of it. That’s fate, baby!