Shakespeare En Plein Air

Rating: 10/10 (11 March 2016)

Australian director Justin Kurzel directs Shakespeare's magnificent drama (as adapted for the screen by Jacob Koskoff, Michael Lesslie, and Todd Louiso), moves the action outside of the claustrophobia of a stage castle and into the breathtaking majesty of the land of Scotland and the result is an epic film populated with some of our finest actors of the day who are able to deliver Shakespearean poetry with the finest seasoned Shakespeare actors of the day. The result is a dark look at a story we all know and the changes in scenery create a dramatic turn of stance in the way we interpret Shakespeare's brilliant drama.
Brief synopsis: 'Macbeth, the Thane of Glamis, receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders his king and takes the throne for himself.' What this quick dollop of a plot synopsis fails to render is the extraordinary altered viewpoint that Macbeth is not simply a ruthless power hungry man driven by his equally power obsessed wife, but instead is a man whose battle time and the mass killings for which he is responsible have created a PTSD personality change that is gripping and very moving to watch his descent into his fate.
Michael Fassbender continues to grow and impress as one of our finest actors of the time and he delivers the poetry of Shakespeare with eloquent and raw dignity. Likewise, Marion Cotillard as Lady Macbeth is inordinately impressive â€“ a very fine portrayal by an exceptionally gifted actress. The cast is uniformly fine â€“ Paddy Considine as Banquo, Brian Nickels as the Thane of Cawdor, Malcolm as portrayed by Jack Reynor, David Thwelis as Duncan, Sean Harris as Macduff, et al. The glorious cinematography is by Adam Arkapaw and the eerie musical score is by the director's brother, Jed Kurzel. The only criticism this viewer has is the need for subtitles in order to hear and understand the perfection of Shakespeare's words. This likely is the reason this film did not do well in theaters. It should have been considered in almost every category for Oscars and it's omission points out the sad state of all award consideration. Perhaps 'Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow...' A wholly brilliant film.