![]() ![]() In that same vein, Stephen Root my absolute favorite player from the Coen brothers stable, is an utter a misfire as the Porter, who ordinarily brings levity into a very tense moment in the play. a line that Lady Macbeth should hiss vehemently to her husband when he’s reluctant to kill the king: “Screw your courage to the sticking point”, sounds only as impassioned as someone ordering a latte). McDormand struggles with the language so much that she loses her character’s grounding, exhibiting little of the emotion for which this character is so known (e.g. So, taking on Lady Macbeth, a complex and difficult character to play, is probably not the first place a Shakespearean novice should start. Lucky her.īut Shakespeare has not often (if ever) been in the offing in her very busy career. ![]() Since then the Coens, who have a knack for writing characters tailored to actors they already have in mind, have cast her regularly in their films, making her a star and an Oscar winner. Lady Macbeth, Frances McDormand.įor the most part, her most celebrated performances have been in Coen Brothers films, having emerged from their first film, Blood Simple, a noteworthy newcomer. But McDormand has scant experience as a Shakespearian actor and here she’s taking on not only one of the play’s most important roles, but perhaps one of the most important roles in the history of theater. Married to Director Joel Coen, she is credited as one of the Producers on this film. The first component that goes awry in this Macbeth is Frances McDormand, who has had a remarkable career standing on the shoulders of greatness. What could possibly go wrong? Several things, as it turns out, and it only takes a couple wrong turns to taint an otherwise compelling production. But what got me even more pumped was the announcement that the legendary Denzel Washington would be taking the title role. Probably it doesn’t hurt that the last two years have been a virtual Shakespearean desert in NYC. But when I heard that Joel Coen-one half of the powerhouse Coen Brothers filmmaking team-would be directing a filmed version of The Tragedy of Macbeth, I must admit I was quite excited and eagerly awaited its release. Even a middling stage production is better than most made for the big screen. With a handful of exceptions over the years, most fall far short of a live theatrical version. Ordinarily I don’t review filmed versions of Shakespeare plays. ![]()
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