Thursday 6 January 2022

The Tragedy of Macbeth

At long last, my PC has its SSD drive installed. Louis assisted with the install via video chats and we got it all done pretty quick, rest of the day was spent re-installing everything since I flushed the whole system at the same time. Basically feels like I've got a new computer now which is lovely.

A trip to the superb Watershed cinema is always a pleasure, especially if we're en route to see the next Coen Brother (singular) film, The Tragedy of Macbeth. Louis and I left the film with near identical thoughts on it - while it was possibly the best version of itself, an expertly realized Shakespeare play performed by some fine actors for the silver screen, it left us feeling simply 'whelmed'. It might be fair to say that the core themes if Macbeth, namely guilt and power thirst have been better explored in other stories - the classic narrative doesn't have a timeless quality. That said, the enduring and the iconic lines and moments were done terrific justice, thanks to how the film commits to its stagey art direction. It looks like a play in the best possible way and many of the special effects look like they could have been accomplished by creative stage technicians in any real life venue. 'Is this a dagger I see before me' and the rhyming witches couplets are the film's (and arguably the play's) best moments. If you're a massive fan of Shakespeare and his works this is an easy recommend, but to the average Coen fan it's a harder sell.

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