William Shakespeare, the Bard himself, needs no introduction. Nor, arguably, does Joel Coen, who has been one of American cinema’s great voices for almost forty years with his brother Ethan. A Coen take on a Shakespeare play, though, especially one of his best, deserves to be unpacked.
After its highly successful world premiere at the New York Film Festival in September (read our review of it here), “The Tragedy Of Macbeth” makes its way to theaters later this month. Critics almost unanimously loved Coen’s black & white take on Shakespeare’s play, and their response makes it one of December’s most anticipated movies.
Here’s the film’s synopsis from A24:
Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand star in Joel Coen’s bold and fierce adaptation; a tale of murder, madness, ambition, and wrathful cunning.
Along with Washington and McDormand, the new film also stars Corey Hawkins, Brendan Gleeson, Harry Melling, Bertie Carvel, Alex Hassell, and Kathryn Hunter. Moses Ingram, Ralph Ineson, Sean Patrick Thomas, Brian Thompson, and Richard Short round out the main cast.
Joel Coen directs the film and adapts Shakespeare’s play for the big screen; he also co-edits under a pseudonym. He does so without his brother Ethan, reportedly taking a hiatus from filmmaking. However, many longtime Coen collaborators worked on the film: cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel, composer Carter Burwell, and costume designer Mary Zophres, among others.
“The Tragedy Of Macbeth” gets a limited theatrical release on Christmas Day before it streams exclusively on AppleTV+ on January 14, 2022. Check out the film’s new trailer(s) below.