# Joel Coen's "The Tragedy of Macbeth" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** apple\ **Created:** [December 12, 2021, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joel-coens-the-tragedy-of-macbeth/955946 "2021-12-12T18:36:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![teelabrown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teelabrown/32/8412_2.png) [@teelabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teelabrown)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2021, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joel-coens-the-tragedy-of-macbeth/955946/1 "2021-12-12T18:36:42Z")
This’ll be a limited release in theaters December 25, and on Apple TV+ on January 14, 2022. I love this play, and the [trailer for the film](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4QuYWz84Ck) looks terrific. They had me at Frances McDormand as Lady Macbeth. Denzel Washington looks great as the tragic general/king. Looking at the trailer, I see someone I recognize - at about :59, there’s a young man behind the king and to the left. He played the legless, armless boy in the segment called “Meal Ticket” in _The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs_. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2021, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joel-coens-the-tragedy-of-macbeth/955946/2 "2021-12-12T18:46:46Z")
You mean [Harry Melling](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0577982/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t27)? I think most people would recognize him from the Harry Potter films. ---
**Author:** ![teelabrown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teelabrown/32/8412_2.png) [@teelabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teelabrown)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2021, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joel-coens-the-tragedy-of-macbeth/955946/3 "2021-12-12T19:16:18Z")
Oh, yeah, I remember people saying he was in the Harry Potter films. I didn’t see him there as I didn’t see the films. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2021, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joel-coens-the-tragedy-of-macbeth/955946/4 "2021-12-12T20:46:13Z")
I’m just hoping the movie opens in theaters somewhere near me; the Mrs. and I want to see it ASAP. I have been unable to uncover a list of places that plan to show it as of yet. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2021, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joel-coens-the-tragedy-of-macbeth/955946/5 "2021-12-12T20:55:33Z")
> [@teelabrown](#): > > Oh, yeah, I remember people saying he was in the Harry Potter films. I didn’t see him there as I didn’t see the films. He was also in **The Queen’s Gambit**. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2021, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joel-coens-the-tragedy-of-macbeth/955946/6 "2021-12-12T23:25:30Z")
I’ll be watching. I love Shakespeare in general and Macbeth is my favorite. I once saw a Stuffed Puppet Theatre adaptation. The stage was taken by one man as Macbeth. He brought all the other roles to life through his (seriously) great skill and wonderful puppets. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joel-coens-the-tragedy-of-macbeth/955946/7 "2022-02-02T14:35:17Z")
Have you read “Joel Coen’s ‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’, reviewed by Ethan Coen”? Because you really should… > **[Joel Coen's "The Tragedy of Macbeth", Reviewed by Ethan Coen](https://imightbewrong.substack.com/p/joel-coens-the-tragedy-of-macbeth)** > > More like Macbleeeech! I mean… > [@](#): > > If the decision to take on _Macbeth_ suggests that Mr. Coen is a sad wannabe flailing for credibility, the choice to film in black-and-white proves the case beyond any reasonable doubt. In a move that would get you kicked out Film 101 at the DeVry Institute of Mediocrity, Mr. Coen renders the Bard’s tale in black-and-white using a 4:3 aspect ratio, as if that alone makes you Akira fucking Kurosawa. Or > [@](#): > > _The Tragedy of Macbeth_ is the work of a fraud and a narcissist, a man who deceives others to serve his own needs. These habits don’t emerge, fully formed, in adults; they can be found in childhood. Early childhood. For example: September 1963, when I happen to know that Mr. Coen borrowed a Lite Brite that a family member _just gotten for his birthday_ , and then fucking broke it, and blamed it on the dog. _And he didn’t even get in trouble for it!_ Although… > [@](#): > > _(For the lawyers: This was a bit. Ethan Coen had nothing to do with it.)_ Aww… Still pretty funny though. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joel-coens-the-tragedy-of-macbeth/955946/8 "2022-02-02T14:51:46Z")
I wanted to like it but couldn’t get through it. I have a theory having too many A-listers in one film renders it into crap. ---
**Author:** ![Uncle\_Jocko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uncle_jocko/32/2932_2.png) [@Uncle\_Jocko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Jocko)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2022, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joel-coens-the-tragedy-of-macbeth/955946/9 "2022-02-03T02:46:54Z")
I thought it was one of the best Shakespeare adaptations I’ve seen. The pacing was great (not always a given with Shakespeare), the visuals were striking, the performances were strong. Also as an actor myself - including a turn as Banquo - I appreciated that Denzel and Frances weren’t required to do dialects. I guess they just let everyone use their normal, personal accents, which (to me) is great. (There’s quite a push in our local community theatres to get accents historically and regionally precise, which is okay as a goal but hardly a requirement - especially until our Midwestern audiences can’t understand you.) I was particularly struck by what Coen edited out, to make it a streamlined, movie-friendly length. The Banquo’s ghost scene, for example, is about three times longer in the play - Coen got the point across with efficiency and style, I thought. The black-and-white stylized sets worked for me, the depiction of the witches was creative, and McDormand and Washington did a superb job with their character arcs (first Macbeth is hesitant to actually murder the king, as Lady Macbeth drives him to it; as he eventually takes to wiping out whole families without a tinge of guilt in his mania to hold on to power, she falls into madness over how far over the edge he’s gone), I felt the motivations were clear and the descents by both into a kind of insanity were played well. Anyway, everyone’s MMV, as they say - but I was really impressed. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2022, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joel-coens-the-tragedy-of-macbeth/955946/10 "2022-02-04T09:44:56Z")
What a fantastic production! I’ve enjoyed Shakespeare since my college days and generally love professional stage performances, but wasn’t sure I’d like a film adaptation. But hey, Joel Coen – how can you go wrong! I was blown away by everything – Frances McDormand and Denzel Washington’s performances, the cinematography, the music, everything! This film ought to have Oscars in its future. Archaic Shakespearean English is not something one is accustomed to in a movie, but for me it just added to the surreal nature of the whole thing. I found that turning on subtitles was very helpful. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2022, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joel-coens-the-tragedy-of-macbeth/955946/11 "2022-02-04T20:16:49Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > This film ought to have Oscars in its future. Aha! I was just browsing _Variety_ for their list of Oscar predictions, and _The Tragedy of Macbeth_ is in the running in several categories, though not as strongly as I would have expected. It’s in the running for Best Picture, but not a favourite. Looks like a strong contender for Denzel Washington for Best Actor, and the film itself for Best Cinematography. Frances McDormand IMO should be a strong contender for Best Actress; _Variety_ puts her in the top 10, but not the top 5. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2022, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joel-coens-the-tragedy-of-macbeth/955946/12 "2022-02-04T20:47:43Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Archaic Shakespearean English is not something one is accustomed to in a movie… Seriously? The list of Shakespeare movie adaptions is a mile long. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2022, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joel-coens-the-tragedy-of-macbeth/955946/13 "2022-02-04T20:57:11Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Seriously? The list of Shakespeare movie adaptions is a mile long. Oh, come on! You know I’m talking about the vast majority of general movies, not Shakespeare adaptations specifically.