The Scottish Play

My (usually) weekly trip to the cinema is something I cherish.  There is something exciting about seeing a film on the big screen.  I don't usually partake in eating it, but the smell of popcorn is atmospheric, conjuring up childhood memories of thrilling trips to see Indiana Jones, James Bond and Superman in their latest action filled adventures.  I still find the whole experience captivating.  The smell, the surround-sound, the big screen.  I love it. 

This week’s film of choice was the new Macbeth adaptation, starring Marion Cotillard and Michael Fassbender.  Myself and my colleagues (being English literature/Shakespeare loving geeks) decided a wee department trip to the cinema was in order to check out the quality of the new adaptation, primarily for enjoyment and secondly to see if it is in any way usable in the classroom (can take the teacher out the classroom and all that).  Having seen a trailer on a previous trip to see Everest (brilliant, sad, spectacular cinematography – go see) I had a brief taster of what to expect, but I was sceptical about whether I would be impressed or not. 

The film began with bleak scenery with the initial scene showing the funeral of a small child.  Unfortunately, the tone was set.  The film from then on was, quite simply, dreary.  I know the story of Macbeth isn’t all rainbows and unicorns.  The jealous nature and overwhelming ambition of the protagonists leads to pretty disturbing actions on both their parts, but c’mon, a little bit of cheer wouldn’t go amiss.  Shakespeare was only too aware that his audience were receptive to a wee bit of light humour.  I will say that his comedic interludes often do not come across well in written word, with most of my pupils not really getting the punchline, but that’s why I save these bits for when we view the play/film version as a class.  My kids often look at me in horror and shock when they realise from seeing the play in action that they have read out many innuendo filled jokes in class.  It is a little game of mine (yes, teachers have to find their fun somehow) to spot how many pupils “get” the joke once they’ve viewed it on screen.

Apparently Justin Kurzel (director) is not a happy fellow.  All of the humorous parts of the original play were snipped from the screenplay, resulting in 113 minutes of doom and gloom.  Yes, Fassbender was spectacular as Macbeth: powerful and brutal as a warrior, brooding and menacing as the descent into madness begins.  Cotilliard was convincing as his plotting counterpart, her decline into depression was superbly portrayed.  The film was visually spectacular, especially since the filming locations were mostly in Scotland which created an authentic setting. However, I felt a need for a bit of contrast, both visually and in the dialogue.  Every scene was tremendously serious and dark, which is of course true for the majority of the play, but I felt a desire for a bit of warmth (not only because the cinema itself was freezing). The beginning of the play traditionally depicts Macbeth returning from battle and his encounter with the weird sisters, followed by a celebration of their victory alongside being reunited with King Duncan who praises him for his bravery and loyalty.  Maybe I blinked and missed it, but I saw no sign of merriment following their resounding victory in battle (I was looking for the obvious: feasting, drinking, maybe a fire). Macbeth is a familiar play, having read it, studied it and taught it, but what about the people for whom the film will be their first experience of the play? It may sound simplistic to expect a visual signal of “we’re all happy to have won the battle”, but surely it would help Shakespeare beginners to establish that Macbeth was in fact praised and loved by Duncan, therefore making his actions to follow even more shocking? The development of characters throughout was lacking, especially Banquo. And more so there was a lack of development of relationships between Macbeth and his kinsman, perhaps because of the abridgement of the original text. 

So all in all I would describe the film as artistic in visual nature, authentic in landscape and setting and the cast dealt with the Shakespearean dialogue comfortably.  I was not blown away by this adaptation and felt that, albeit minor in length, the parts of the play that were missed out usually provide the degree of contrast needed to develop and highlight the protagonist’s descent into jealousy and brutality.  Go see it if you’re a Shakespeare-on-film addict or a Fassbender admirer, but otherwise I’d save it for a DVD.  And even then, it won’t be a purchase I make for the classroom any time soon.