Wow,
I came across this review in Aleteia of
an upcoming filming of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The reviewer, Matthew Becklo, tackles
the nature of many new film adaptations of Shakespeare’s works, the question of
original setting or modernizing it.
When it comes to
Shakespeare’s plays, some people remain convinced that the only way to make
that great archivist of the human condition come alive for modern audiences is
to transplant his stories in a modern setting or rewrite his language in modern
style. But Justin Kurzel’s new adaptation of one of Shakespeare’s darkest plays
chooses the wiser path: letting the genius of Shakespeare stand on its own two
feet.
I
agree completely. I have never
understood why changing the play to a contemporary setting makes it any
better. At best it gives it some additional
interest, but at worst it distorts the play’s themes. Well, this new movie of Macbeth will stay true to its setting, so true that the whole dark,
Scottish medieval world is recreated.
Kurzel does leave his
creative mark on Macbeth, opting for a sparser script (with a few memorable
lines, like “Double, double toil and trouble” not making the cut) and adding
new elements around Macbeth and Banquo’s sons at the bookends of the film. The
cinematography is also more daring, especially the opening war scene split
between elegant, slow-motion frames evocative of a still-life painting and
total bone-crushing chaos.
But the gritty, foggy,
bloody world of Macbeth takes its place among the great Shakespeare adaptations
by never losing sight of the soul of the story.
I
don’t understand why a director would take out lines out of Macbeth, especially
great and famous lines—I believe it’s the shortest of Shakespeare’s plays—but the
sparseness is definitely congruent with the play’s identity. It really is a sparse play in the sense that
there are absolutely no digressions or even much amplification in Shakespeare’s
work. Shakespeare certainly intended it
to be sparse. As to the grittiness, well
get a look at the trailer.
Wow,
I want to see that! I can’t imagine any lover
of Shakespeare not wanting to see it. Read
the rest of Becklo’s review. He’s got a
solid understanding of the play.
According to IMDb, the play was released to the public on December 11th and it has received a 7.4 out of ten review.
According to IMDb, the play was released to the public on December 11th and it has received a 7.4 out of ten review.
