The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021 film)

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The Tragedy of Macbeth
A king's head lies on top of a bloody sword.
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Joel Coen
Produced by <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Screenplay by Joel Coen
Based on Macbeth
by William Shakespeare
Starring <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Music by Carter Burwell
Cinematography Bruno Delbonnel
Edited by <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Production
company
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Distributed by <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Release dates
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  • September 24, 2021 (2021-09-24) (NYFF)
  • December 25, 2021 (2021-12-25) (United States)
Running time
 105 minutes[1]
Country United States
Language English
Box office $524,771[2]

The Tragedy of Macbeth is a 2021 American historical thriller film written and directed by Joel Coen and based on the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare. It is the first film directed by one of the Coen brothers without the other's involvement. The film stars Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand (who also produced the film), Bertie Carvel, Alex Hassell, Corey Hawkins, Harry Melling, Kathryn Hunter, and Brendan Gleeson. [3]

The Tragedy of Macbeth had its world premiere at the 2021 New York Film Festival on September 24, 2021.[4] It had a limited theatrical release on December 25, 2021, by A24, and is streaming on Apple TV+ as of January 14, 2022. The film received critical acclaim for its direction, cinematography, and the performances of Washington, McDormand, and Hunter. For his performance in the titular role, Washington was nominated for the Academy Award, Golden Globe, Critics' Choice Award and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor. In addition, the film also received nominations for Best Cinematography and Best Production Design at the 94th Academy Awards.

Plot

Macbeth and Banquo, having led King Duncan's army to victory over the traitorous Thane of Cawdor, are approached by three witches on the battlefield. The witches hail Macbeth will be made the Thane of Cawdor (he is already Thane of Glamis); they proclaim that he shall be King hereafter before stating that Banquo shall father a line of kings. King Duncan orders the Thane of Ross to execute Cawdor and reinvest the title upon Macbeth.

Macbeth becomes alarmed after Duncan names his son Malcolm as the prince of Cumberland, seeing the appointment as an encumbrance in his path to the throne. Macbeth writes to Lady Macbeth, informing her of the prophecies.

When Duncan decides to spend a night at Macbeth's castle, Lady Macbeth convinces her husband to commit regicide. She drugs the King's servants, and a hesitant Macbeth carries out the killing. Early next morning, Macduff, the Thane of Fife, discovers the body, while Macbeth murders the servants to tie up loose ends. Fearing for his own life, Duncan's heir Malcolm flees to England, and Macbeth assumes the throne as the new King. Uneasy over the prophecy concerning Banquo, Macbeth arranges to have him and his son Fleance murdered. Macbeth's assassins, accompanied by Ross as the Third Murderer, kill Banquo. Ross then pursues Fleance through a field.[5]

An increasingly paranoid Macbeth becomes a feared tyrant. At a royal banquet, he hallucinates and begins raving at Banquo's ghost. Lady Macbeth has the guests dismissed before drugging him to calm him down. During his trance, Macbeth is again visited by the witches. They conjure a vision of Fleance, who tells him to beware of Macduff, that he shall be King until Great Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane Hill, and that he shall be harmed by no man born of a woman. Macbeth orders the whole Macduff household be put to death, but Macduff himself survives, having earlier fled to England.

A guilt-ridden Lady Macbeth begins sleepwalking and gradually descends into madness. Ross secretly visits England and informs Macduff of his family's demise. A grief-stricken Macduff vows revenge, while Malcolm raises an army with English help. The troops cut down branches from Birnam Wood, using them as camouflage, and march on Macbeth's castle at Dunsinane, fulfilling one of the prophecies. Lady Macbeth dies, plunging Macbeth into further despair. Still convinced of his invincibility, he is ultimately challenged by Macduff to a duel. Macduff declares he is not born of a woman but instead "untimely ripped". Macbeth initially refuses but ultimately accepts Macduff’s challenge. Macduff bests Macbeth and beheads him, fulfilling the final prophecy. Malcolm is crowned the new King of Scotland. Meanwhile, Fleance is revealed to be alive, and Ross spirits him away from Scotland. A flock of crows emerges in the foreground clearing the path and to signal the fulfillment of the witches' prophecy regarding Banquo's progeny. [5]

Cast

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Production

File:Joel Coen - Berlin Berlinale 66 (24950127406) (cropped).jpg
The Tragedy of Macbeth is the first film created by Joel Coen without any involvement from his brother Ethan.

It was announced in March 2019 that Joel Coen, in a rare solo effort, was set to write and direct a new take on the William Shakespeare play. Scott Rudin was originally set to produce, and A24 would distribute.[7] Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand were set to star in the film.[when?][7] In November, Brendan Gleeson and Corey Hawkins entered negotiations to join the cast.[8] Both were confirmed in January 2020, along with the addition of Moses Ingram, Harry Melling and Ralph Ineson to the cast.[9]

Filming began in Los Angeles with cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel on February 7, 2020.[10][11][12] To give the film a look "untethered from reality", it was shot entirely on sound stages.[13] In April, Coen announced that the film would officially be titled The Tragedy of Macbeth.[14] It was announced on March 26, 2020, that filming had been halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[15] Production resumed on July 23, 2020,[16] and concluded on July 31, 2020.[17] The film was shot in black-and-white.[18] In April 2021, Rudin stepped down as producer following allegations of abuse.[19]

The film's score was composed by Carter Burwell, the Coen brothers' longtime collaborator.[13] The score’s ominous tone is punctuated by moments of solo violin described by Burwell as “taking flight out of the darkness.” Helping the composer to channel the idea of a folk-style sound from unknown lands was award-winning violinist Tim Fain.[20] Regarding Joel directing alone without Ethan, Burwell stated, "Ethan didn't want to make movies anymore. He seems to be happy with what he's just doing. They both have tons of unproduced scripts sitting on shelves, but I don't know what Joel will do without him."[21]

Release

The film was theatrically released by A24 followed by global launch on Apple TV+.[22] It had its world premiere at the 2021 New York Film Festival on September 24, 2021.[23] It was released in a limited release on December 25, 2021, prior to streaming on Apple TV+ on January 14, 2022.[24] It also closed the London Film Festival.

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 93% of 261 reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.2/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Led by a stellar Denzel Washington, The Tragedy of Macbeth strips the classic story down to its visual and narrative essentials."[25] 87 was met with 49 reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of {{{3}}}, based on {{{4}}} reviews.[26]

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian wrote: "The movie hits its stride immediately with a taut, athletic urgency and it contains some superb images – particularly the eerie miracle of Birnam Wood coming to Dunsinane, with Malcolm’s soldiers holding tree-branches over their heads in a restricted forest path and turning themselves into a spectacular river of boughs."[27] Alison Willmore of Vulture wrote: "While The Tragedy of Macbeth is Joel Coen’s first solo directing effort … that aspect of their long collaboration remains steady. Macbeth becomes, like so many of the Coens’ protagonists, a character trapped in his own fixations and failings, the concave world onscreen a reflection of the self he can't escape."[28] Dave Calhoun of Time Out wrote that it was "stage-bound in all the right ways, reminiscent of a much earlier cinema, when filmmakers barely stepped outdoors and wielded magic with shadow and light on soundstages. It’s short, sharp and savage."[29] Robbie Collin of The Daily Telegraph wrote that it "has simmered its source text long and low, leeching every last drop of pungency and savour from the carcass", and added that it "resonates with the ancient power of a ritual."[30] Clarisse Loughrey of The Independent found Coen's symbolism to be "a literal manifestation of the avian imagery Shakespeare summons in his play... a hallmark of the films he made with his brother Ethan – each of them rich, puzzle box films that use every element of composition and mood to whisper their true meaning to their audience."[31] Richard Roeper from the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3​1⁄2-stars-out-of-4, calling it "one of the most visually striking and leanest versions of 'the Scottish play' ever put on film, with blockbuster performances from Oscar winners Frances McDormand and Denzel Washington as Lady and Lord Macbeth, and a brilliant supporting cast".[32]

Richard Brody of The New Yorker gave the film a generally negative review, stating that "Coen’s straining for seriousness and yearning for importance breaks through to the other side with the howlers of unintentional comedy ... Coen’s stripped-down adaptation sets out to normalize Shakespearean language, but he ends up going too far".[33]

Accolades

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Main article: List of accolades received by The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021 film)

References

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  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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