Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand in The Tragedy of Macbeth
Where to watch The Tragedy of Macbeth:
The Tragedy of Macbeth immediately justifies its existence by removing all markers of time and place. Director Joel Coen, tackling his first solo film after working with his brother Ethan as the Coen brothers, sets the play on minimalist sets of massive concrete walls, dresses the characters in abstract costumes, and captures the action in crisp black and white that makes it feel like the movie is taking place somewhere else entirely. Everything is impressionistic. We get just enough to give us the general time period but not enough to latch on to specifics. The effect is offputting but needed. This isn’t your grandma’s Shakespeare adaptation.
As much as we rolled our eyes at our English teachers as we analyzed nearly every Shakespeare play line by line, one has to admit that there’s a reason his work has endured and is still adapted today. There’s something so modern about his writing. His sardonic wit and peculiar surrealism fit in perfectly with A24’s singular brand of quirky but melancholic dramedies about the human condition — and that’s what Coen created here.
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Macbeth, whose borrowed robes are taken up by Denzel Washington, and Lady Macbeth (Frances McDormand) fit in nicely in the indie studio’s pantheon of complicated anti-heroes — Spring Breakers’ Alien, Ex Machina’s Ava, or most aptly Uncut Gems’ Howard. And stylistically the film fits in too. There’s a sort of rhythm to it all where one scene bleeds into the next, sometimes literally. It has the fluid motion of a play but takes advantage of the full scope that film provides. It at equal times feels epic and intimate, sometimes too intimate. Even claustrophobic.
The foggy landscapes and cavernous spaces add to the eerie dread-filled atmosphere while the haunting soundscape, aided by Carter Burwell’s menacing score, pushes The Tragedy of Macbeth closer to the psychological horror that it is meant to be. You could not understand a single thing that leaves the actors’ mouths, and sometimes I didn’t, and still be swept up in the emotion of it all. Some of which could be attributed to the performances.
While Washington and McDormand do fine work with some of the most iconic monologues ever written — the dagger and damn spot monologues are chilling — it’s the supporting characters that make the greatest impact and make the movie eminently rewatchable. Kathryn Hunter, who plays all three witches using some clever cinematic flourishes, is a dominating presence. Her shapeshifting role, sometimes literally, finds her contorting her body, face, and even her voice in unnatural ways. Her performance, like much of the film, toes the line between a real human monster and a devilish creature.
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Alex Hassell’s Ross, a side character with little impact in the text, finds a way to act as the chaotic neutral to Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s chaotic evil. His sleek silhouette cinched at the waist, which is the peak of the movie’s costume design by Mary Zophres, slips in and out of corners and shadows like he’s a harbinger, and catalyst, for the dread that is to come.
There’s mysticism in all of Shakespeare’s works, even the ones based in history. Whereas other adaptations place magic in the real world, Coen lets magic set the tone for The Tragedy of Macbeth. The way it moves, the way it looks, and the way it feels is otherworldly. Like you’re dropped into the Twilight Zone in the 17th Century.
Hey! I’m Karl. You can find me on Twitter here. I’m also a Tomatometer-approved critic.
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