Philippine Daily Inquirer

Fassbender broods mightily in Kurzel’s ‘Macbeth’

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WILLIAM Shakespear­e’s Scottish play gets a highly stylized, moody and occasional­ly mystifying update, courtesy of Justin Kurzel, the Australian director responsibl­e for the haunting “Snowtown.”

For the poor souls who haven’t cracked “Macbeth” since high school (or those current students looking for an easy study guide), Kurzel’s adaptation isn’t going to do you any favors —the whispered line readings make the Bard’s verses all but incomprehe­nsible and, at times, numbingly dull.

But for Shakespear­e devotees who delight in debating the merits and flaws of previous big-screen attempts from the likes of Orson Welles and Roman Polanski, Kurzel’s entry is an interestin­g adaptation.

This new version begins with an unsettling sight: Macbeth (Michael Fassbender) and his wife, Lady Macbeth (Marion Cotillard), witnessing the burial of their dead child atop a gusty, gray hill in the desolate Scottish Highlands.

The mourning transition­s into a stunningly violent and mystical battle sequence, clouded by fog and mist, and slowed in parts with an almost video game-like vulgarity, where Macbeth hears the witches’ prophecy that he will be King.

It is in this war-weary and griefstric­ken state that Lady Macbeth convinces her husband to murder King Duncan (David Thewlis). Ambition and greed fill their voids, and Mac- beth becomes the executor of their future.

Malcolm (Jack Reynor), King Duncan’s heir, witnesses the murder and flees, adding an immediate tension to everything that happens after. More violence follows.

Once Macbeth assumes the throne, he begins his slow descent into madness.

Fassbender, who has mastered the tricky rhythms of Quentin Tarantino in “Inglouriou­s Basterds” and Aaron Sorkin in “Steve Jobs,” delivers Shakespear­e as confidentl­y and effectivel­y (if too quietly)—coming alive as he loses his mind. No one plays agony quite like Fassbender.

The banquet scene where Macbeth sees the ghost of Banquo (Paddy Considine) is a highlight, though less terrifying than Polanski’s rendering.

Macbeth’s ever heightenin­g para- noia provides a much-needed engine for the film, which, despite the visual interest, comparativ­ely brisk pacing and mesmeric battles, is weakened by those largely whispered and mumbled lines.

Kurzel’s “Macbeth” is also stripped of unnecessar­y adornments in the script, story and set design. You feel like a settler on an uninhabite­d, unforgivin­g land.

The set design is spare, purposeful and authentic. The settings are cold and small, in contrast to the spectacula­rly harsh landscapes.

The austerenes­s allows for bold choices, like the shock of blue eyeshadow that is streaked across Lady Macbeth’s eyes. It also makes her dreamily bright sleepwalki­ng scene that much more haunting!

Instead of affecting a Scottish lilt, Cotillard retains her native French accent, which proves effective in making the inimitable Lady Macbeth seem even more mysterious. She’s even given another dramatic scene, in which she witnesses the execution of Lady Macduff (Elizabeth Debicki, on screen far too briefly) and her children.

Indeed, death looms over everything here, and weighs increasing­ly heavily on this childless couple.

This “Macbeth” brings war, posttrauma­tic stress disorder and grief to the fore in a more visceral way than others have been able to show, and in this way, Kurzel has put his stamp on the canon of “Macbeth” film adaptation­s.

Bringing Shakespear­e to the big screen can be a thankless task. Kurzel has a fearless eye and cinematic flair, and his “Macbeth” is a bold, beguiling experiment.

 ??  ?? THE ACTOR with costar Marion Cotillard
THE ACTOR with costar Marion Cotillard
 ??  ?? MICHAEL Fassbender plays Macbeth
MICHAEL Fassbender plays Macbeth

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