Joel Coen's The Tragedy of Macbeth is a beautiful experiment in bringing German Expressionism to 21st-century digital cinema. I could wax rhapsodic about its minimalist set designs and symbolic costumes, the crystalline black-and-white cinematography and ominous soundscape. Hell, there's a book's worth of material to be written about Kathryn Hunter's merge of avant-garde physical theater and Elizabethan dramaturgy. All that being said, and that Scripter nomination aside, the movie's a rather lousy Shakespeare adaptation. Despite pronouncements about trying to reinvent the Macbeths as a middle-aged couple, going deep into the psychology of two creatures whose youth is long gone, Coen doesn't go deeper than the surface.
In the end, it's a standard reading of the play that serves as a foundation for all that style. The cinephile in me loved it, while the Shakespeare geek felt dispirited. However, there are enough Macbeth movies out there to please just about everyone. It all depends on what you're looking for…
If you want sex, look no further than Justin Kurzel's 2015 reimagining of Macbeth. Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard bring carnality to the text, breaking apart the two characters through the prism of modern psychology. It's visceral, sensual, a bold interpretation that finds new meanings within the centuries-old play. It's not a faithful adaptation, and it never tries to appear otherwise.
If you seek violence, Roman Polanski's The Tragedy of Macbeth, the first film he directed after Sharon Tate's death and one that is informed by the brutality with which she was taken from this world. It's a Shakespearean adaptation born out of grief and trauma, gritty and covered with dirt, rust-colored blood, sweat, and viscera. Come for the shocking realism. Stay for the hallucinatory quality of the weird sisters' prophecy.
If it's more formalism you want, then go the way of Welles and Tarr. In 1948, as his Hollywood years were drawing to an end, Orson Welles shot a low-budget take on the Scottish play amid recycled western sets. Look beyond the bad accents, and you'll find a strikingly photographed hellscape. Bela Tarr's Macbeth is even more squalid and sparse, staged as two long takes.
If you want the best adaptation of Shakespeare's story, Akira Kurosawa's your man. The first of his three Shakespearean films, Throne of Blood is a jidaigeki Macbeth, a miracle of blocking that reshapes the main characters according to the precepts of Noh theater. Played by Isuzu Yamada, this Lady Macbeth is a demon born out of the shadows, and Toshiro Mifune imbues the protagonist with a thirst for power verging on madness. The sanguinary ending alone would make this one of the greatest films ever made.
Finally, if you want the best performance of Shakespeare's text, ITV's 1979 taping of the RSC production is the one for you. While Trevor Nunn staged it for the theater, Philip Casson's direction blesses the material with filmic qualities, transcending the filmed play standards. Darkness rules over this Macbeth, the world eaten by the void of the black box, sets non-existing, costumes out of time. The framing is a masterclass in the power of blocking, while the cast is a masterclass in the art of performing Shakespeare. Ian McKellen and Judi Dench's takes on the leads remain unsurpassed, especially the latter. Her scream during Lady Macbeth's sleepwalking mania is the sort of thing one never forgets. It will haunt you until your dying day.
Beyond these many Macbeths, there are many more to enjoy. Scotland, PA rethinks the play as a tragedy set in 1970s Pennsylvania, while Shakespeare Re-Told sets Macbeth in a modern kitchen nightmare. Maqbool makes it into an Indian crime picture, and Joe Macbeth into a noir. There are those and more, Macbeths for every taste. What's your favorite of the lot?