Review of The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021) by Aperez307 — 05 Feb 2022

“The Tragedy of Macbeth” is a stunning adaptation of the play and is carried out wonderfully with a cast that delivers, for the most part, satisfactory performances. My favorite part of the whole thing was the cinematography.

First and most obvious, the film is in black and white. As one critic said, “Because color didn’t exist during Shakespeare’s time right?” In all seriousness, making the film in black and white was a smart choice.

I was hesitant about it at first because I don’t usually gravitate towards black and white films since I find them dull and boring. But with this movie, it worked really well and was able to capture the gloomy and ominous mood that I felt while reading the play.

With the movie being in black and white the lighting was superb. In the film we often see Macbeth lurking in the shadows and emerging from them. This use of dark shadows and light seems to be a way of showcasing Macbeth’s character all throughout the film.

He commits some of the most gruesome actions yet he lies and continues to present himself as this noble king. The dressing of the set, or more so the lack thereof, made for an incredibly barren castle.

This was an excellent way of representing the future of Macbeth’s reign as he has no children and therefore bears a fruitless crown. While I loved what I saw, I was not the biggest fan of what I was hearing.

The dialogue in the film was at times hard to digest. Unless you had previously read the play, the movie would be confusing. In my opinion, it’s just incredibly difficult to translate this play onto a movie screen without making it awkward or hard to understand.

Some of the performances that I did enjoy were Kathryn Hunter’s and Frances McDormand’s. Hunter’s portrayal of the three witches blew my mind. The raspiness of her voice, making her a contortionist, and her dreary appearance all tied for a really cool draw-up of the play’s most foul and fascinating characters.

McDormand as Lady Macbeth was also pleasant to watch. Her facial expressions were top-notch, especially in the scene where Macbeth is professing his love for Duncan and that being the reason he killed the guards.

I also noticed her using hand gestures while she spoke, which I think added to her performance. All in all, this film had a beautiful look to it and that really carried it. I give it a 7.