The Weinstein Company
So about Shakespeare … do I really need to say anything? He’s been adapted more than any other author. Movies like Anonymous do a (terrible) job of commenting on the authorship question. And as for the play Macbeth, that has been adapted many, many times. Orson Welles took it on in 1948, director and felon Roman Polanski took a stab in 1971, and even Ian McKellen played the titular role in 1978. Weirdly, Kenneth Branagh never did. But most importantly, I performed a monologue from it in high school, so you might say I “know” the material.
Did we need another version?
Macbeth this time comes from director Justin Kurzel and is partially filmed on location in Scotland. We know we’re in for a change when the movie starts with the funeral of Macbeth (Michael Fassbender) and Lady Macbeth’s (Marion Cotillard) child, no words or dialogue, as the play didn’t have this scene. There is a reference later to a dead child, but this is a new take on it.
The story then shows Scotland in the middle of a civil war between King Duncan (David Thewlis) and other tribes (very loosely based on the historical King Duncan I in the year 1030 or so). An intense and bloody battle begins, shades of Braveheart in terms of violence, and Macbeth takes the day despite losing many men. He and his friend, fellow general Banquo (Paddy Considine) are bizarrely approached by three “witches” (named as such soon enough). In this version, they are shown in five ages, with the three witches, with dialogue accompanying a mute girl and an infant.
It’s an interesting choice, and not entirely unsupported by the text, although the legend Shakespeare used was based on an old Scottish legend that scholars believe was conflated with the Fates. I feel odd summarizing the play, because it’s been out for 400 years so can I really spoil it? Anyway, the witches tell Macbeth he will be Thane of Cawdor (a kind of high ranking noble) and then the King of Scotland. Banquo though won’t be as cool personally but will father kings. Thus we set up a conflict to come.
When Macbeth returns, he discovers that the old Thane of Cawdor was called a traitor and executed. Whoops! Now maybe Macbeth believes, but his wife Lady Macbeth really believes and encourages it. She and Macbeth soon plot to kill the king while he sleeps, and she keeps pushing him until he finally does it. Loyal general and Macbeth’s rival Macduff (Sean Harris) eventually becomes a thorn in Macbeth’s side. Hallucinations, wars, deaths, soliloquies, brutality, and prophecies (one of which is ripped off by J. R. R. Tolkien) soon show up.
I’m not going to tell you the whole play, the story is out there for those interested. I will say it was always one of my favorite Shakespeare tragedies, so I was curious when I heard about this version with two really great actors at the lead. Unsurprisingly, Michael Fassbender is just really, really good and Marion Cotillard is also fantastic. Fassbender clearly has internalized this character as we can see the complex emotions clearly on his face. Whether he’s cutting down foes or screaming in existential agony, you can’t look away. Similarly, Marion Cotillard just takes my breath away with her vicious, crazed, vulnerable take on Lady Macbeth. These two aren’t getting a lot of attention for these roles, which is a shame. They are great.
The other supporting actors are also good, although it’s not exactly fair to compare them to the leads. Everything was drenched in a kind of exaggerated “realness,” filmed in dusty castles and on bloody Scottish moors. The music is another great point, adding a feeling of tension and dread throughout the movie. Sometimes it gets a bit overwrought, but for the most part I found it successful at setting the mood.
So it’s hard to poke holes at the story, as it’s Shakespeare. They cut out a few things, but I didn’t really notice much. I’ve heard a few complains here and there, and it won’t be my favorite movie of the year, but that said, I really enjoyed it. A Braveheart take on Shakespeare, although not quite as over the top as that. Honestly, this is worth watching just for the two leads. Of course, considering the subject material and the unapologetic tone the movie takes, this ain’t for everyone. Perhaps though it’ll be good for jaded high schoolers interested in a more vicious take on the Bard. I know I would’ve dug it back in the day.
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