The Tragedy Of Macbeth (2021)

The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021) opens on a disorienting, bleak, and foggy landscape, tracing in the footsteps of a weary soldier. The first lines of dialogue anchor the audience in a Shakespearean context, but from there, the interpretation takes off on its own.

The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)

On a certain level, Coen's "Macbeth" adds little insight into the problematic character. We don't really understand why the heroic Macbeth is so easily turned to murder by his ambitious wife. In this version, we just accept that Macbeth is driven by some sort of destiny to his tragic end. Although I am in love with Coen's "Macbeth" for finding such a rapturous way to bring Shakespeare to life on screen, Roman Polanski's 1971 adaptation with a young Jon Finch (making the character young adds to the tragedy) is my favorite interpretation of the play. Polanski's film gets to the soul of the character; Coen gives us a Shakespearean supernatural tale.

Stark and severe, with a level of artistry rarely achieved in movies, this black-and-white tragedy may be the best Macbeth ever made, and it's certainly one of the best-ever Shakespeare adaptations. Director Joel Coen -- working for the first time without his brother Ethan -- covers ground formerly trod by Orson Welles, Akira Kurosawa, and Roman Polanski and surpasses them all with his expressionistic, intensely vivid The Tragedy of Macbeth. The angles and lines and blades of light displayed on-screen by Coen and cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel slash the play down to its most elemental, primal levels. All staginess is gone. It's exhilarating. It's as if the play were always meant to be a movie -- this movie. 041b061a72