Review of The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021) by Rdzwirn — 04 Feb 2022

The Tragedies of Macbeth.

A new adaption of Macbeth is going to have incredibly high expectations, especially one with Joel Coen as director and award-winning actors. Coen created an eerie new world of Macbeth through making a complete black and white film. Color in a film is helpful to differentiate between different characters, emotions and overall scenery. It can also highlight symbolism. I understand the idea of using black and white to further symbolize differences between light and darkness, but it made the film more confusing. Due to the lack of color in this film, I often felt overwhelmed and confused about what was happening, despite having read the play. This artistic choice makes me think that this film would be difficult for a newcomer to Macbeth to enjoy and understand fully. I think many people would be turned away from watching this film if they did not have prior experience with Macbeth. Does Coen not want future generations to experience the story of Macbeth? If I had not read the play recently, the language would be even more difficult to understand on screen. The actors tended to perform their lines with a very monotone delivery which made the language even more difficult to understand (I’m looking at you, Denzel Washington!) However, some performances stood out- particularly Kathryn Hunter as the witch. She contorts herself in one scene and becomes extremely creepy in another. I think her performance was the best in the film, even compared to Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand. Overall, I give this film a C due to the confusing artistic choices that made watching it difficult and unenjoyable.