[rating=9.00]
Macbeth is, quite simply, a stunningly beautiful cinematic adaptation of William Shakespeare’s classic story of deception and remorse. Were The Bard to have envisioned such a thing as movies, or if he were working today, then there can be little doubt that director Justin Kurzel’s portrayal of Macbeth’s ascendency would have been exactly what Shakespeare himself had pictured while writing it. And given that history has shown that we, the movie going public, can generally expect to see a new adaptation about once a decade, it’s safe to say that a new bar by which to judge filmic versions of Macbeth has been set, and set high.
Michael Fassbender portrays the once proud and honorable general who ascends to king through an act of betrayal, inspired largely by the Machiavellian tendencies of his wife, played here by Marion Cotillard, and the prophecies of a coven of witches (traditionally portrayed a trio, but here as a quartet, played by Kaylon Fallon, Lynn Kennedy, Seylan Baxter, and child actress Amber Rissmann). Once ascended, the new king is driven to madness over the guilt and remorse of his dishonorable actions, placing both he and all of Scotland in danger from the treachery of his enemies.
While the story of Macbeth is familiar to almost anyone with a high school diploma, this is not your mama’s Macbeth. Though, yes, the film uses much of Shakespeare’s original text, iambic pentameter and all, Kurzel has done a remarkable job at updating the story to suit modern sensibilities without resorting to that crass tradition of modernizing the work. Storywise, this is Shakespeare in the raw, distilling the core elements of Macbeth into a film that never flinches in the face of brutality.
And lest you forget, Macbeth, like most of Shakespeare’s plays, is formidably brutal. To match the oppressively bleak tone of the text, an aura of darkness hangs over the film—a creeping fog to symbolize Macbeth’s insanity, subdued hues to match his hopeless successes. This is juxtaposed with beautifully composed shots of the Scottish highlands, catapulting the viewer directly into the times of the story and bringing you closer to the action than you’ve ever been before.
This is all handled well by Fassbender and Cotillard, who arguably make the best Macbeth and Lady Macbeth that have ever been presented on screen. Cotillard, specifically, knocks her role out of the park, bringing more nuance to the role than has ever been seen. While it’s traditional, at least in modern times, to portray Lady Macbeth as a manipulative schemer, cunning in her strategy, Cotillard brings depth to the role. Lady Macbeth is no mere power hungry puppet master; no, she’s a woman out for vengeance, driven mad with rage after the death of her son. This goes a long way towards humanizing the poor, misunderstood Lady, and Cotillard’s performance is not just laudable, it’s applause worthy.
So, too, with Fassbender. While he seems to be rather subdued through much of Act 1, by the time his insanity begins creeping in, Fassbender finds his legs, embodying the role fully and wholly, and losing himself completely. By the time the film’s tragic climax commences—presented as a world on fire to match the rage of Macbeth and his enemies—Fassbender has ceased to exist, leaving naught but Macbeth in his place.
While Macbeth has a few issues with pacing, this isn’t something that’s terribly uncommon for cinematic depictions of Shakespeare. It’s a tricky balance to find, to be sure, and for the most part it’s handled well. Though you probably don’t need to be familiar with Macbeth to appreciate the movie, it might help. Not too much has been cut, but there were times where having read the play came in handy in understanding the movie. Still, it’s probably not requisite and praises must be given to screenwriters Jacob Koskoff, Michael Leslie, and Todd Luiso for so deftly adapting Shakespeare’s original text.
As a word of warning, I will note that Macbeth has definitely earned its R rating. The violence is brutal and the atmosphere foreboding. While this matches the stylistic intent of The Bard, it would behoove any parents intent on taking their children to be cultured by a work of Shakespeare to pay a bit of caution before laying down admission costs. Macbeth is certainly a violent work, but there’s a huge difference between reading it, seeing it on stage, and seeing what they’ve done here.
Overall, however, what they’ve done here is turn cinematic Shakespeare back into art. Many modern productions of Shakespeare are riddled with either pomposity or crassness, and you’ll find none of that in Macbeth. No, this is a perfect mix of classic Shakespeare and modern technique that proves, if nothing else, that Shakespeare is still relevant today. The achievement is most remarkable, and it would be hard not to be caught inside its spell.
Macbeth is now playing in theaters everywhere.
