By Angeliki Georgakopoulou,
With the 94th Academy Awards quickly approaching, it is time to have a closer look at some of the nominated films. In particular, Joel Coen’s The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021), one of the movies competing for the Best Actor Award, has intrigued a range of audiences with its clever reimagining of William Shakespeare’s tragic oeuvre Macbeth (1606).
As the film opens up, the aural resonances begin as well, with the voiceover of the witches reciting: “When shall we three meet again? There to meet with Macbeth”, creating a textual conversation with Shakespeare’s Macbeth, thus establishing an eerily familiar atmosphere, by foregrounding the tension and overtones of superstition. The introduction of characters creates a pastiche of Shakespearean literature as the mise-en-scène, capturing the knights against the foggy background, which aligns with the cosmos of Macbeth.
Coen’s witty recontextualization of the Elizabethan Macbeth through its cinematic translation allows the play to become more approachable to modern audiences. This, in turn, enables the responder to render greater appreciation of the canonical text, hence facilitating novel insight into the study of classical literature. Moreover, it is important to note the absence of color in the film. The action takes place against the contrasting colors of black and white, allowing not only for the multi-layered personalities to take center stage, but also alluding to the various dichotomies employed — such as that between honor and dishonor, virtue and vice, power, manipulation, and subjugation.
One character that superbly synthesizes the sternness of a King, the vulnerability of a husband, and the cold-heartedness of a usurper, is Macbeth, impersonated by Denzel Washington. Washington’s character moves along the cusp of insanity, sometimes in the shadow of his wife, Lady Macbeth (Frances McDormand), but always with the power and versatility of such a role. Denzel’s metatheatrical performance and exhibition of the complexity of the human psyche, dramatized through his aureate soliloquies, offers a gratification of the audience’s senses, allowing for their immersion into a world where fiction and history ultimately become one.
Such an opinion is reflected in the words of David Gonzalez, who claims that: “Joel Coen’s film is brilliant. Its minimalistic approach balanced with powerhouse performances, infectious production design, and enchanting cinematography leads to one of Shakespeare’s finest adaptations. A scorching epic that is ripe for today’s cinephile and the Awards season.”. On the antithesis, Brian Eggert states: “Conceptually, Coen’s production makes bold choices that one cannot fault except for their execution on a frequently digitized stage that detracts from the story and acting. For example, when the final frame throws a conspiracy of ravens at the viewer, it looks like CGI ink flowing outward, ending the film on a silly-looking note… With digitization being the modern stage, Coen’s film embraces the format. But this critic felt consumed by many of the visual choices and distanced by the storytelling, which is a shame, given the film’s monumental performances”. Nonetheless, the film’s ability to evoke in each viewer a differing response points to its value in catalyzing self-reflection.
Apart from the content and quality of the film, however, the questions that remain are the following: does this film deserve to win the Oscar Award for Best Actor? Does this Shakespearean adaptation enhance the value of the play, or does it degrade it through the use of modern media? And to what extent are we as an audience ready to come into contact with films such as these on the big screen?
It comes as no surprise that Joel Coen’s The Tragedy of Macbeth is a nominee for the Oscars 2022. From its construction to its cast and execution, the film constitutes a tour de force, friendly to viewers unacquainted with Shakespeare. Will this clever preservation of the English literary tradition be enough to win the Oscars?
References
- NYFF59: The Tragedy of Macbeth, reeltalkinc.com, Available here
- The Tragedy of Macbeth, deepfocusreview.com, Available here
- The Tragedy of Macbeth – Movie Reviews, rottentomatoes.com, Available here
- Awards Season Is Here and the 2022 Oscars Are Ready! Find Out All About This Year’s Nominees, Hosts, Presenters and More, parade.com, Available here
