The Tragedy of Macbeth

Grade: B+

If you have an opportunity to read a Shakespeare play before seeing its corresponding movie, I recommend it. They say his plays are meant to be seen, not just read – but you’ll have a leg up on things, and the text fresh in your mind if you read it right before. I re-read MacBeth before taking in Joel Coen’s The Tragedy of Macbeth on Apple TV. There’s a funny bit where a servant comes in to inform Macbeth there are a bunch of soldiers coming, and in the course of 3 lines, Macbeth makes at least 6 references (depending on how you count) to how pale-faced the servant is. It’s exactly the kind of random, off-beat, irreverent humor I enjoy – and when humor emerges in a piece that is not billed as a comedy, somehow, it lands much funnier.

I have always had a soft spot for Shakespeare’s Scottish play. With October being my favorite month of the year, this takes me right into all things fall and Halloweeny. I love the darkness of the plot, and the moral ambiguity. I am sometimes not sure who to root for – the “good guys” can come off as villainous and vice versa. While there are some Shakespeare plays that I can’t wait to be over, this is the only one of his where I’m disappointed when it’s over. The 2015 film with Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard only served to reinforce the notion that Shakespeare is boring and “too hard,” and I hope schoolchildren won’t have to watch that version.

Now we have The Tragedy of Macbeth. Director Joel Coen (Barton Fink, Fargo, The Big Lebowski, No Country For Old Men), who usually works with his brother Ethan, is flying solo here. Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand are the Macbeths, and bring a lot to their roles. Much of the film is spoken quietly, especially at the beginning, but as the action ramps up, so does the volume. But unlike the 2015 Macbeth with Fassbender and Cotillard, any whisper-acting doesn’t come off as a crutch or something from an actor’s bag of tricks, but lands effectively. There may be a lack of sound and fury, but it signifies something. The whole movie, even the outdoor scenes, was filmed on a soundstage. Everything is a set, and that was obvious, but I loved it. It gives it all an otherworldly, timeless feeling. Kathryn Hunter steals the show as all three witches, and one other character which I won’t spoil, but several cast lists do. Avoid them if you can. Sometimes she does all 3 characters “by herself,” sometimes they are all present, and in one scene, the other two are shown as a physically impossible reflection in a large puddle. Alex Hassell as Ross doubles as murderer #3. They’ve done that before in other film adaptations. I’m not completely sold on those two being the same character, but maybe someone more studied up on it than I can shed some light and tell me how it makes sense.

I had quibbles throughout, but they were “I like the way so-and-so said the line better when I saw it in such-and-such year” – and that just makes it fun. The Tragedy of Macbeth is fascinating. No other word for it. I was captivated, absorbed, and devoured the whole thing in one sitting. If they are allowed to show it in high schools, this will be a great one for teens to see. When the hurlyburly’s done, when the battle’s lost and won, is this the end-all be-all for movie versions of this play? I don’t know, but it’s the best one I’ve seen.

Grade: B+