Kevin K.
Location: MN
“Macbeth”
Directed by:
Denzel Washington
Written by:
John Logan, based on the play by William Shakespeare and a stage production by Orson Welles
Executive Producer:
Spike Lee
Produced by:
Denzel Washington and Peter Bogdanovich
Music:
John Williams
Director of Photography:
Philippe Rousselot
Editor:
Steven Rosenblum
Production Designer:
Dante Ferretti
Art Director:
Francesca Lo Schiavo
Costume Designer:
Francine Jamison-Tanchuck
Cast:
Macbeth: Denzel Washington
Lady Macbeth: Naomi Harris
Duncan: James Earl Jones
Malcom: Chiwetel Ejiofor
Macduff: Djimon Honsou
Banquo: Don Cheadle
Hecate: Samuel L. Jackson
The Porter: David Oyelowo
Tagline:
The charm’s wound up
Synopsis:
In this dynamic retelling of one of William Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies and based on the famed stage interpretation by the equally legendary Orson Welles, the action is relocated to early 19th-century Haiti. In broad strokes, the story, involving the great warrior Macbeth (Denzel Washington) usurping the throne of King Duncan (James Earl Jones) under the temptation of a clan of witches and his endlessly ambitious and seductive wife (Naomi Harris) remains largely the same. However, director Washington and his screenwriter John Logan retain much of the Haitian flavor that made the stage production such a success, particularly involving the character of the Witch leader Hecate. In many modern stage productions, the roles of Hecate and the witches are cut down or even (in the case of Hecate) removed completely. Like Welles before him, Denzel Washington uses the Haitian setting to his advantage, turning the three Weird Sisters into a clan of witch doctors (played by real voodoo practitioners) and transforming Hecate (played with a savage ferocity by Samuel L. Jackson) from a mysterious background character into the main antagonist, joining in the manipulation of Macbeth and allowing his Witch Doctors to push Lady Macbeth into madness. In this way, Hecate becomes almost an entirely different and unique character--the equal in this production of such classic Shakespeare villains as Iago and Edmund. The fact that no lines were added to Shakespeare’s text to do this (though many were rearranged) speaks to the flexibility of the Bard’s work.
Despite the increased presence of Hecate, this film remains Macbeth’s story, and Washington continues to surprise us with a performance unlike any we’ve seen before. His Macbeth starts out a proud, strong soldier until his encounter with Hecate and the Witch Doctors, which shakes him to his core. To a brave soldier like Macbeth, the feeling of fear seems almost alien to him, and at the prodding of Lady Macbeth and Hecate, the fear is channeled into panic, then anger, and then, finally, madness. It’s an incredibly intense piece of acting that you won’t soon forget.
Washington, Harris and Jackson are balanced by powerful performances by James Earl Jones as King Duncan, Don Cheadle as Macbeth’s friend Banquo who finds himself a target of the new King’s wrath, and Don Cheadle as Macduff, bringing a powerful physicality and a moral fury to his role as the tool of Macbeth’s defeat.
No matter how much you think you know about Macbeth, Denzel Washington’s new movie will surprise, shock and thrill you. He makes Shakespeare’s tragedy into a film the likes of which we haven’t seen before… watching it is an experience you won’t soon forget.
Awards Campaign:
In 1936 the 20-year-old Orson Welles was assigned the task of making a stage production for the unemployed actors of Harlem. The resulting Shakespeare production, often nicknamed “Voodoo Macbeth”, was an acclaimed success and a breakthrough in African-American theatre. 75 years later, Denzel Washington, with Spike Lee and Welles’s long-time confidant Peter Bogdanovich as Producers, has embarked on a quest to bring this acclaimed production to the screen, and the result is an unqualified success.
Like many before him, including Laurence Olivier, Kenneth Branagh, and indeed Welles himself, Denzel Washington decided to direct himself, but has wisely not let his ego get the better of him, amassing a large and distinguished cast, almost all of whom have previous experience performing Shakespeare, either on stage, on screen, or both. Naomi Harris is fantastic as Lady Macbeth, inching her husband closer to murder, not knowing what the price will be for both of them. James Earl Jones makes the most of his limited screen time as Duncan, playing him not as an aging and naïve ruler, but as a wise, imposing man who makes his decisions because they’re the smartest thing to do. You truly understand why Macbeth hesitates so much before killing him. Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Duncan’s son and heir, Malcolm, on a similar note, bringing considerable wit and wisdom to his part, particularly in the scene were he tests Macduff (Djimon Honsou, in another powerful performance to match his work in Amistad and Blood Diamond) to see if his intentions of overthrowing Macbeth are genuine. Samuel L. Jackson is a revelation in the role of Hecate, playing him both as a charismatic leader of Witch Doctors and as a near-invisible manipulator of Macbeth.
The technical aspects of the film are just as good as the acting, with Washington the director using locations in the Haitian jungle and also on the coast, including a fantastic fortress (designed by the great Dante Ferretti) on a windswept cliff that is somehow able invoke medieval Scotland and fit in perfectly with the Haitian setting update at the same time. John Williams’ score uses heavy percussion to invoke a Caribbean setting ruled by a voodoo priest, and gradually increases in intensity and depth to reflect how the world Macbeth has set up for himself begins to crumble around him.
Shakespeare is often unfairly stereotyped as stuffy, pretentious, and boring. Denzel Washington’s film is anything but. A powerful combination of outstanding performances, tight direction, and period-perfect settings makes this a film not to be missed.
For Your Consideration
Best Picture
Best Director - Denzel Washington
Best Actor - Denzel Washington
Best Actress - Naomi Harris
Best Supporting Actor - Samuel L. Jackson
Best Supporting Actor - Don Cheadle
Best Supporting Actor - James Earl Jones
Best Adapted Screenplay - John Logan
Best Crew
Location: MN
“Macbeth”
Directed by:
Denzel Washington
Written by:
John Logan, based on the play by William Shakespeare and a stage production by Orson Welles
Executive Producer:
Spike Lee
Produced by:
Denzel Washington and Peter Bogdanovich
Music:
John Williams
Director of Photography:
Philippe Rousselot
Editor:
Steven Rosenblum
Production Designer:
Dante Ferretti
Art Director:
Francesca Lo Schiavo
Costume Designer:
Francine Jamison-Tanchuck
Cast:
Macbeth: Denzel Washington
Lady Macbeth: Naomi Harris
Duncan: James Earl Jones
Malcom: Chiwetel Ejiofor
Macduff: Djimon Honsou
Banquo: Don Cheadle
Hecate: Samuel L. Jackson
The Porter: David Oyelowo
Tagline:
The charm’s wound up
Synopsis:
In this dynamic retelling of one of William Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies and based on the famed stage interpretation by the equally legendary Orson Welles, the action is relocated to early 19th-century Haiti. In broad strokes, the story, involving the great warrior Macbeth (Denzel Washington) usurping the throne of King Duncan (James Earl Jones) under the temptation of a clan of witches and his endlessly ambitious and seductive wife (Naomi Harris) remains largely the same. However, director Washington and his screenwriter John Logan retain much of the Haitian flavor that made the stage production such a success, particularly involving the character of the Witch leader Hecate. In many modern stage productions, the roles of Hecate and the witches are cut down or even (in the case of Hecate) removed completely. Like Welles before him, Denzel Washington uses the Haitian setting to his advantage, turning the three Weird Sisters into a clan of witch doctors (played by real voodoo practitioners) and transforming Hecate (played with a savage ferocity by Samuel L. Jackson) from a mysterious background character into the main antagonist, joining in the manipulation of Macbeth and allowing his Witch Doctors to push Lady Macbeth into madness. In this way, Hecate becomes almost an entirely different and unique character--the equal in this production of such classic Shakespeare villains as Iago and Edmund. The fact that no lines were added to Shakespeare’s text to do this (though many were rearranged) speaks to the flexibility of the Bard’s work.
Despite the increased presence of Hecate, this film remains Macbeth’s story, and Washington continues to surprise us with a performance unlike any we’ve seen before. His Macbeth starts out a proud, strong soldier until his encounter with Hecate and the Witch Doctors, which shakes him to his core. To a brave soldier like Macbeth, the feeling of fear seems almost alien to him, and at the prodding of Lady Macbeth and Hecate, the fear is channeled into panic, then anger, and then, finally, madness. It’s an incredibly intense piece of acting that you won’t soon forget.
Washington, Harris and Jackson are balanced by powerful performances by James Earl Jones as King Duncan, Don Cheadle as Macbeth’s friend Banquo who finds himself a target of the new King’s wrath, and Don Cheadle as Macduff, bringing a powerful physicality and a moral fury to his role as the tool of Macbeth’s defeat.
No matter how much you think you know about Macbeth, Denzel Washington’s new movie will surprise, shock and thrill you. He makes Shakespeare’s tragedy into a film the likes of which we haven’t seen before… watching it is an experience you won’t soon forget.
Awards Campaign:
In 1936 the 20-year-old Orson Welles was assigned the task of making a stage production for the unemployed actors of Harlem. The resulting Shakespeare production, often nicknamed “Voodoo Macbeth”, was an acclaimed success and a breakthrough in African-American theatre. 75 years later, Denzel Washington, with Spike Lee and Welles’s long-time confidant Peter Bogdanovich as Producers, has embarked on a quest to bring this acclaimed production to the screen, and the result is an unqualified success.
Like many before him, including Laurence Olivier, Kenneth Branagh, and indeed Welles himself, Denzel Washington decided to direct himself, but has wisely not let his ego get the better of him, amassing a large and distinguished cast, almost all of whom have previous experience performing Shakespeare, either on stage, on screen, or both. Naomi Harris is fantastic as Lady Macbeth, inching her husband closer to murder, not knowing what the price will be for both of them. James Earl Jones makes the most of his limited screen time as Duncan, playing him not as an aging and naïve ruler, but as a wise, imposing man who makes his decisions because they’re the smartest thing to do. You truly understand why Macbeth hesitates so much before killing him. Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Duncan’s son and heir, Malcolm, on a similar note, bringing considerable wit and wisdom to his part, particularly in the scene were he tests Macduff (Djimon Honsou, in another powerful performance to match his work in Amistad and Blood Diamond) to see if his intentions of overthrowing Macbeth are genuine. Samuel L. Jackson is a revelation in the role of Hecate, playing him both as a charismatic leader of Witch Doctors and as a near-invisible manipulator of Macbeth.
The technical aspects of the film are just as good as the acting, with Washington the director using locations in the Haitian jungle and also on the coast, including a fantastic fortress (designed by the great Dante Ferretti) on a windswept cliff that is somehow able invoke medieval Scotland and fit in perfectly with the Haitian setting update at the same time. John Williams’ score uses heavy percussion to invoke a Caribbean setting ruled by a voodoo priest, and gradually increases in intensity and depth to reflect how the world Macbeth has set up for himself begins to crumble around him.
Shakespeare is often unfairly stereotyped as stuffy, pretentious, and boring. Denzel Washington’s film is anything but. A powerful combination of outstanding performances, tight direction, and period-perfect settings makes this a film not to be missed.
For Your Consideration
Best Picture
Best Director - Denzel Washington
Best Actor - Denzel Washington
Best Actress - Naomi Harris
Best Supporting Actor - Samuel L. Jackson
Best Supporting Actor - Don Cheadle
Best Supporting Actor - James Earl Jones
Best Adapted Screenplay - John Logan
Best Crew