Comments on: The Tragedy of Macbeth, Joel Cohen: Review https://nosweatshakespeare.com/blog/the-tragedy-of-macbeth-joel-cohen-review/ <strong><a href="/">Modern Shakespeare</a></strong> resources, <strong><a href="/sonnets/">sonnet translations</a></strong> & lots more! Fri, 04 Feb 2022 14:38:08 +0000 hourly 1 By: Cash Tilton https://nosweatshakespeare.com/blog/the-tragedy-of-macbeth-joel-cohen-review/comment-page-1/#comment-2966264 Wed, 19 Jan 2022 03:59:49 +0000 https://nosweatshakespeare.com/?p=1031534#comment-2966264 Although director Joel Coen makes some inventive choices in the introductory scenes, he asks the actors for performances that are so flat in the first act and a half as to make the story incomprehensible. Yes, the original material starts at a low energy level and finishes with one of the great swordfights in the history of showbiz, but this is extreme.

However, gathering his actorly powers as he ramps up to the murder of Duncan, Washington at last achieves epic (anti-)heroic energy. From then on, we can enjoy one story-telling innovation after another. The fight with Young Siward is as character-defining as it has ever been, and becomes a magnificent prologue to the final showdown with Macduff.

One more thing: I happen to believe that Mr. W.S. would approve of how Coen uses Ross to tie up a few loose ends.

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