The latest
film adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, directed by the Australian Justin
Kurzel, turned out to be revolutionary. Actually shot in Scotland, the audience
can enjoy the beautiful, however haunting, landscape throughout the whole
movie. I believe it is safe to say that the actors selected for the main roles
cannot be outdone. The amazing and outstanding performance of French actress,
Marion Cotillard, brought a Lady Macbeth to life who haunts us in our dreams.
The role of the title character was performed by the one and only Michael
Fassbender, who delivered a powerful performance, and whose Scottish accent
make us question his German-Irish origins. I was curious about how this
masterpiece was received, so I decided to look up different reviews concerning
this adaptation.
I was not
exaggerating when I called Kurzel’s movie a masterpiece, and the generally
appreciating reviews support my argument. Leslie Felperin in Hollywood
Reporter’s Cannes Review mentions how the director was able to place
Shakespeare’s tragic story in “a resolutely modern sensibility” (Felperin, ’Macbeth': Cannes
Review, www.hollywoodreporter.com). He praised
its “horror-movie spookiness” and “use of brutal violence,” which certainly
helped to raise interest in the audience (Felperin, ’Macbeth': Cannes Review, www.hollywoodreporter.com). However, as
the review mentions, the lot of mumbling going on in the movie did not impress
the theatre-goers, who are accustomed to comprehensible and audible speeches (Felperin, ’Macbeth': Cannes Review, www.hollywoodreporter.com).
Michael O’Sullivan
certainly agrees with the Cannes Review about the brilliance of the
performance delivered by the main character. Michael Fassbender is “at the top
of his game,” and his “Macbeth is unhinged, in ways that are at once
terrifying, deeply moving and all too recognizable to modern audiences” (O'Sullivan, Fassbender's 'Macbeth' Is Ferocious, Unhinged, www.washingtonpost.com). In
addition, those traditional who insist on keeping the original text do not have
to worry. The movie kept the original text, only shifted it in ways to enhance
the action and the emotions (O'Sullivan, Fassbender's 'Macbeth'
Is Ferocious, Unhinged, www.washingtonpost.com). To use the
powers of movie making, scenes that are only described in the original play and
stage productions, actually happen in the movie, including the opening battle
scene or the death of Macduff’s wife and children (O'Sullivan, Fassbender's 'Macbeth' Is Ferocious, Unhinged, www.washingtonpost.com).
Even though
finding criticism in the reviews is rather difficult, the main ‘issue’ with the
movie for some is the brutal violence, darkness and bloodbath. Geoffry Macnab
even says that “it becomes increasingly oppressive to watch” (Macnab, Michael Fassbender Is
Scowling and Mercurial, www.independent.co.uk). Peter
Bradshaw, who wrote a review for The Guardian also points out that the director
and Fassbender should have worked more on the “contours of his speeches,”
saying that it would have been better if they worked closer together (Bradshaw,
Fassbender and Cotillard Full Of
Sound and Fury in Significant Shakespeare Adaptation, www.theguardian.com).
Putting aside
all the criticisms, this movie definitely became the favourite Macbeth film adaptation for many
worldwide. The different approach that Justin Kurzel used attracted even those
to the cinema who are not big Shakespeare fans.
Secondary
sources
Macbeth
Review: Fassbender and Cotillard Full Of Sound and Fury in Significant
Shakespeare Adaptation. Peter Bradshaw - https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/may/23/macbeth-review-fassbender-and-cotillard-full-of-sound-and-fury-in-significant-shakespeare-adaptation.
Movie
Review: Fassbender's 'Macbeth' Is Ferocious, Unhinged
Michael
O'Sullivan - https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/movie-review-fassbenders-macbeth-is-ferocious-unhinged/2015/12/09/f33b1d9e-9d3b-11e5-bce4-708fe33e3288_story.html?utm_term=.2cb9c817bdb9
Macbeth,
Film Review: Michael Fassbender Is Scowling and Mercurial
Geoffrey
Macnab - https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/macbeth-film-review-michael-fassbender-is-scowling-and-mercurial-a6676271.html
’Macbeth':
Cannes Review. Leslie Felperin -
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/macbeth-cannes-review-797690
Images
2. https://m.imdb.com/title/tt2884018/mediaviewer/rm2449272064
