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Hey Guy's,
I am new to this forum and this is my first post, so be gentle. My first review is for the astonishing accomplishment that is Macbeth. The film is a visual masterpiece and although it is not a strictly accurate adaptation it is extremely well put together and executed.
What were your thoughts? Did you think Lady Macbeth should have been more prominent? Would you have done anything differently?
Here is my full review
Shakespeare has been the topic of any number of films. Whether it is an adaptation of a play such as Kenneth Brannaghs 1996 version of hamlet or a modern take on one of his works such as 10 Things I Hate About You which is based on The Taming of the Shrew or Baz Luhrmanns Romeo and Juliet. And this month sees one that has the potential to rival them all.
Macbeth is a Thane of Scotland. He is a strong warrior and a brave soul who fights with a passion in his heart. During a vicious and bloody battle Macbeth and Banquo, a fellow general, defeat an opposing army led by traitorous Macdonwald, the Thane of Cowdor. Macbeth and Banquor are subsequently approached by three witches on the misty, damp moors and a prophecy is laid upon them: Macbeth shall be Thane of Cowdor and be King hereafter. Banquor shall receive nothing as grand, but he shall be happy and sire a line of Kings. The witches vanish and as was foretold the title of Thane of Cowdor is bestowed upon Macbeth in recognition of his victory and his bravery. This then fills Macbeth with belief in the witches’ words and he begins to harbour ambitions to win the throne.
When his wife, Lady Macbeth, learns of the news and of the prophecy she has none of her husband’s scepticism and successfully convinces her husband to kill the King that very night as he visits Macbeths camp. Lady Macbeth and Macbeth become overcome with the desire for power. Macbeth then assumes the throne as King of Scotland, with the Kings son having fled to England in fear of his life. Macbeths paranoia grows, and we watch him sink slowly into madness as he orders the murder of those around him. Not only does his own mind disintegrate but so does that of his wife. Macbeth becomes convinced of his own invincibility due to another prophecy from the three witches and he goes into battle against Macduff, however he learns he has misinterpreted the words of the witches.
Relative newcomer Justin Kurzel directs this film adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth does indeed focus on the tragedy of the tale. Kurzel, and cinematographer Adam Arkapaw have produced a film that manages to turn something as brutal and violent as war, and something as manic and self-destructive as mental decline and turn into something with absolute melancholic beauty.
In the opening scene we see Macbeth and Lady Macbeth as they lay rest to their young offspring. The desolate and openly empty moors mirror the despair and the emptiness the couple feel. This sets up the film well for the use of imagery. In the first war scene, and in many subsequent scenes, there is a focus on individual acts rather than the entire fight. Use of smoke and slow motion focus the audience on these individual acts, for are these individual acts not what make up the sum of war? These individual acts highlight each person’s individual experience and in this instance, Macbeths, and to a lesser extent, Banquo’s. All of the scenes are delivered with this intensity and with this atmospheric milieu.
The only thing that is close to rivalling the encompassing and profound mise-en-scenè is the performances by the cast. Having recently seen Paddy Considine perform a more comedic role in a very different tale of tragedy in the form of Miss You Already, the role of Banquor and his troubled tale display Considines diversity. Marion Cotillard is devastating as the desperate and ultimately conflicted Lady Macbeth. Displaying a control and yet a complete lack of control in equal measure as she leads us along an initially stable but later rocky road. Michael Fassenbender steals the limelight in this adaptation. He is completely mesmerising and utterly heart wrenching as the power hungry Macbeth. He consumes the role of the King with relish and displays such an intense emotion within the role that it becomes exhausting to watch as an audience. It is rare to see an actor absorb a role and portray it with such brutal honesty and unrelenting emotion. Fassenbender is a wonder to behold.
Whilst the film is not a strict scene by scene adaptation this is easily forgiven. Originally the King visits Macbeth in his castle in Inverness, in this film the scene is a muddy, wet, hutted site. Artistic license such as this matters little in the sight of such cinematic beauty, both in terms of the imagery and in terms of delivery. The film holds on to the spirit of the original play and that is what counts. Macbeth is one of 2015’s proudest cinema moments, it is a work of art.
I am new to this forum and this is my first post, so be gentle. My first review is for the astonishing accomplishment that is Macbeth. The film is a visual masterpiece and although it is not a strictly accurate adaptation it is extremely well put together and executed.
What were your thoughts? Did you think Lady Macbeth should have been more prominent? Would you have done anything differently?
Here is my full review
Shakespeare has been the topic of any number of films. Whether it is an adaptation of a play such as Kenneth Brannaghs 1996 version of hamlet or a modern take on one of his works such as 10 Things I Hate About You which is based on The Taming of the Shrew or Baz Luhrmanns Romeo and Juliet. And this month sees one that has the potential to rival them all.
Macbeth is a Thane of Scotland. He is a strong warrior and a brave soul who fights with a passion in his heart. During a vicious and bloody battle Macbeth and Banquo, a fellow general, defeat an opposing army led by traitorous Macdonwald, the Thane of Cowdor. Macbeth and Banquor are subsequently approached by three witches on the misty, damp moors and a prophecy is laid upon them: Macbeth shall be Thane of Cowdor and be King hereafter. Banquor shall receive nothing as grand, but he shall be happy and sire a line of Kings. The witches vanish and as was foretold the title of Thane of Cowdor is bestowed upon Macbeth in recognition of his victory and his bravery. This then fills Macbeth with belief in the witches’ words and he begins to harbour ambitions to win the throne.
When his wife, Lady Macbeth, learns of the news and of the prophecy she has none of her husband’s scepticism and successfully convinces her husband to kill the King that very night as he visits Macbeths camp. Lady Macbeth and Macbeth become overcome with the desire for power. Macbeth then assumes the throne as King of Scotland, with the Kings son having fled to England in fear of his life. Macbeths paranoia grows, and we watch him sink slowly into madness as he orders the murder of those around him. Not only does his own mind disintegrate but so does that of his wife. Macbeth becomes convinced of his own invincibility due to another prophecy from the three witches and he goes into battle against Macduff, however he learns he has misinterpreted the words of the witches.
Relative newcomer Justin Kurzel directs this film adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth does indeed focus on the tragedy of the tale. Kurzel, and cinematographer Adam Arkapaw have produced a film that manages to turn something as brutal and violent as war, and something as manic and self-destructive as mental decline and turn into something with absolute melancholic beauty.
In the opening scene we see Macbeth and Lady Macbeth as they lay rest to their young offspring. The desolate and openly empty moors mirror the despair and the emptiness the couple feel. This sets up the film well for the use of imagery. In the first war scene, and in many subsequent scenes, there is a focus on individual acts rather than the entire fight. Use of smoke and slow motion focus the audience on these individual acts, for are these individual acts not what make up the sum of war? These individual acts highlight each person’s individual experience and in this instance, Macbeths, and to a lesser extent, Banquo’s. All of the scenes are delivered with this intensity and with this atmospheric milieu.
The only thing that is close to rivalling the encompassing and profound mise-en-scenè is the performances by the cast. Having recently seen Paddy Considine perform a more comedic role in a very different tale of tragedy in the form of Miss You Already, the role of Banquor and his troubled tale display Considines diversity. Marion Cotillard is devastating as the desperate and ultimately conflicted Lady Macbeth. Displaying a control and yet a complete lack of control in equal measure as she leads us along an initially stable but later rocky road. Michael Fassenbender steals the limelight in this adaptation. He is completely mesmerising and utterly heart wrenching as the power hungry Macbeth. He consumes the role of the King with relish and displays such an intense emotion within the role that it becomes exhausting to watch as an audience. It is rare to see an actor absorb a role and portray it with such brutal honesty and unrelenting emotion. Fassenbender is a wonder to behold.
Whilst the film is not a strict scene by scene adaptation this is easily forgiven. Originally the King visits Macbeth in his castle in Inverness, in this film the scene is a muddy, wet, hutted site. Artistic license such as this matters little in the sight of such cinematic beauty, both in terms of the imagery and in terms of delivery. The film holds on to the spirit of the original play and that is what counts. Macbeth is one of 2015’s proudest cinema moments, it is a work of art.
Last edited by Stuieg2009; 10-11-15 at 07:18 AM.
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