The Tragedy of Macbeth – A Beautiful Shakespeare Adaptation

The story of Macbeth has been adapted countless times over countless plays and other film and television properties while many have likely had to cover it at one point or another during high school therefore most more or less know the story. But what if one half of the Coen Brothers as well as Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand took a swing at it with the help of A24 and Apple? As far as The Tragedy of Macbeth is concerned, all of those elements have made for plenty of hype which will inevitably draw plenty of more audiences in theaters and viewers once it hits Apple’s Apple TV+ streaming platform. In the end, will that hype pay off? The answer to that question is that fans of Shakespeare will surely find plenty to enjoy here though non-fans may have a harder time with this one thanks to its Shakespearean dialog. Meanwhile, employing a minimalistic approach for its telling will also inevitably create a divide with audiences. However, Washington and McDormand undoubtedly deliver a pair of scenery-chewing performances that rise above some of its divisive elements.

The Tragedy of Macbeth, as mentioned, is more or less the same story as Shakespeare’s Macbeth but for those who don’t know or need to be reminded, the film tells the story of a Scottish lord named Macbeth (Washington) for whom an encounter with a trio of witches (Kathryn Hunter) left him convinced that he would become the next King of Scotland. His ambitious wife, Lady Macbeth (McDormand) would support her husband’s pursuit for power. A low-key approach to the characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth made for a slow start and may lose some early but contrasted with the age of both lead actors made for an interesting perspective. As the characters evolved over the course of the film as their lust for power grew, things certainly became more interesting to watch as they fought to maintain that power.

Being a well-known story, most probably know how The Tragedy of Macbeth ends and while the dialog will create a divide with audiences, it remains compelling to watch because of the aforementioned Washington and McDormand and their stellar chemistry as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. The former took a longer time to get going but when they both get there (Washington being in a Shakespeare setting was admittedly weird at first until he got comfortable), it is a delight to watch with McDormand in particular being a scene-stealer throughout with Hunter also impressing as the trio of witches and another minor character later on. Where the film truly excelled was arguably on a technical level. It’s impressive what the film achieved being shot on a soundstage. Shot in black and white, the costumes were good and the cinematography was absolutely beautiful as scenes were one great shot after another in spite of the minimal production design. The film’s impressive score also gave it a bigger feel.

At the end of the day, when it comes to The Tragedy of Macbeth, maybe Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand are enough.

*still courtesy of Apple

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.