So glad you all resurrected this thread. Turns out I missed it in the theater (it was very briefly in Denver at a tiny theater). But it is now on Amazon instant video, free for Amazon Prime members. So now I've no excuse not to check it out. Except that I'm almost never a fan of changes to the text, so I'm a bit wary from what Tall Guy says, as well as some reviews I've seen that have confirmed my fears of revisionism that I'm just not interested in.
I've just remembered that it was this BBC article on Macbeth having Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in this version that initially disturbed me. May not be a bad idea, but it's not the play.
So glad you all resurrected this thread. Turns out I missed it in the theater (it was very briefly in Denver at a tiny theater). But it is now on Amazon instant video, free for Amazon Prime members. So now I've no excuse not to check it out. Except that I'm almost never a fan of changes to the text, so I'm a bit wary from what Tall Guy says, as well as some reviews I've seen that have confirmed my fears of revisionism that I'm just not interested in.
Don't let me put you off, Sean. I'm not sure there are really any changes to the text, although it's a while since I saw it. I think it's more that they've slipped in some additional (wordless) scenes that allow a different interpretation. I actually want to see it again, just for the tone of the film and the music.
For full disclosure, I usually really enjoy revisionist Shakespeare, on film or on stage. McKellen's Richard III, Luhrman's R&J, Ralph Fiennes in Coriolanus etc etc. There was even a TV play a few years ago that had a highly ranked police detective called "Moor" who had a sergeant called "Jago" in his ear. I thought that was a really clever adaptation.
I'll definitely give it a chance, Tall Guy, though I'm not very sympathetic to the typical kind of revisionism that overlays a different concept on top of Shakespeare (or opera, for that matter) if it tends to obscure or alter the source material, though not saying this one does that. Certainly PTSD is a coherent idea to consider in this case.
I've no issues with updating settings for Shakespeare if it will help resonate with the current audience without distorting the text.... Luhrmann's R & J is a good example. And I love adaptations from West Side Story to John Turturro's mafia "Macbeth" Men of Respect.
But what I really love about Shakespeare is how it gives us a window into a different time and worldview while still resonating with our own lives. So I'm always rooting for versions that simply try to give us the work without undue addition.
Finally got to see this movie. As Tall Guy pointed out, due to accents viewers may want to use subtitles. I didn’t find the accents all that disconcerting; what bothered me at times was what I’d call the “whisperingish” delivers of some of the key speeches. Some of the dialogue was just too quiet. Lots of whispering. I wanted fuller, louder deliveries of some of the famous speeches.
This is the director’s vision, and I agreed with parts of his vision and didn’t care for other aspects. Scenery, cinematography, and acting were all excellent. Loved the way it started with Macbeth being a valiant warrior and yet war-torn. When he first hears from the three witches that he will be king, his countenance changes immediately into that of a hungry wolf. Amazing. He is good, but I felt that he was directed to become too looney almost too quickly. I did like the way that some of his soliloquies were done inside of his mind while we watched his face and actions. Cotillard was great as Lady Macbeth. Her “Out spot” speech is stunning feat. I really disliked Fassbender’s “Tomorrow” soliloquy and disagree with the director’s interpretation and staging of this famous soliloquy. Did not care for the music at all. It pulled me out of the narrative. I thought Banquo and MacDuff and other characters were wonderfully played, and I was fascinated by the sets and stark scenery.
On the bonus track the director and Fassbender talk about the PTSD syndrome that they felt was inherent in Macbeth’s actions, and they offered scenes for proof. I like that a lot.
It may not be everyone’s favorite interpretation and that’s okay. Overall I liked it and am glad I watched it.
Glad you finally caught up with it, Joan, and thanks for your notes. There's a lot to enjoy about this film, even if we don't necessarily agree on the exact parts! I do want to see it again - don't suppose it'll be too long before it appears on the box, or in discounted bluray form. The longer the time since I saw it, the more I think I enjoyed it.
Not much talk about the music in this thread, which I discovered after a cue was used to brilliant effect in the trailer for the upcoming Christian Bale/Scott Cooper Western HOSTILES.
I can see why it might not get much traction around here given that it relies heavily on the wall of sound approach, but I have to say I think it's extraordinary. He uses a small ensemble with some off-kilter chord progressions and the way the clusters modulate and move about one another are disquietingly gorgeous.
I'm pleased to see this thread ... I know nothing about this score or the composer but the CD has been sitting in my Amazon basket for several days: it's reasonably cheap and has good reviews.
Unlike others, I have no interest in seeing the film (I found studying the play in the early 1970s destroyed any desire to see anything Shakespearean beyond Shakespeare in Love (1998) ...) but I do have numerous scores/classical works which have Shakespearean routes.
Given [very limited] comments suggesting wall-to-wall / industrial music ... I've deleted the CD from my Amazon basket.
Thanks, Mike, that was good. Whilst I could easily live without it, that clip is enough to stir my interest to think again about the score. I have to push myself to try new composers as there's always so much from those I know which I want to buy.
I'm unknown to this composer too, I heard some clips a while ago, I liked it very nice sound not over powering, I bought it cheap £4.50, it was worth the blind buy. with Kurzel.
I'm unknown to this composer too, I heard some clips a while ago, I liked it very nice sound not over powering, I bought it cheap £4.50, it was worth the blind buy. with Kurzel.
), for what it's worth.