How far is too far for a promotion? Coming from someone working for barely minimum wage at a dead-end weekend job, I know that nothing's out of the picture in the desire for such. However, Macbeth's grandiose plan to 1. Murder his boss and 2. Takeover his acclaimed Glaswegian restaurant appears melodramatic - even to me. This is the problem with Mark Brozel's modern adaptation of Macbeth, reinvented in the second instalment of the critically acclaimed television series: ShakespeaRe-Told. While I can appreciate Brozel's affluent use of motifs and their importance in honouring the primary text, much of the significant depth of the play is lost through power imbalances and a setting that trivialises Macbeth's motives.
Brozel attempts to appeal to a modern audience with contemporary language, and a stellar cast (including the oh-so-dreamy James McAvoy and talented Keeley Hawes as the Macbeths), along with a post-modern (accompanying the familiar setting of a) Michelin Star restaurant. Yet the adaptation fails to capture some of the key relationships developed throughout the play, and I found his contextual choices vacuous.
The setting was where Brozel fell the furthest in developing a realistic adaptation of the play, opting to transport the Macbeths into a 2000's kitchen; far from their Jacobean origins. This change, clearly aimed to rejuvenate the ageing play, simply trivialised everything about the original that was enticing: the moral imbalances of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth (referred to as "Joe" and "Ella" in the film) and their desire for power. Shakespeare's Macbeths toy with the concept of regicide for the reward of being royalty themselves - an idea that, while blatantly immoral, is almost understandable. However, the Brozel's choice to change the setting means that this almost excusable act becomes unwarranted, and this tug of war between right and wrong becomes simply overruled by what is wrong far too easily.
The switch from striving to be the King of Scotland to owner of a restaurant is plainly confusing - and creates a disjointed context that fails to fall in step with the essence of the plot. This discordant patchwork trivialises the legacy of Macbeth - unlike the absolute power of the 16th century, and in this retelling he his status of head chef means he is already in a place of power.
The realistic context created an expectation of realistic action which was nowhere to be seen - ultimately disappointing viewers longing for a refreshing remodelling of their beloved Shakespeare.
There is merit in the obvious attempt to reinvent the tale through the change in backdrop - the action packed; fast placed climate of a restaurant isn't the most absurd place for Macbeth to end up. Shakespeare's Macbeth is notoriously violent - his love for a good knife is not dissimilar to the butchery requirements of the kitchen. Also, the hierarchy within the kitchen could be compared to that of the Great Chain of Being (the natural order of life - an established hierarchy supposedly employed by God) prominent in the Elizabethan Era. What's more, the lack of power from Lady Macbeth was frankly disappointing in the 2005 edition. The manipulative and empowered Lady Macbeth didn't exist in the recreation, albeit for her moment where she chastises that Joe is "too full of the milk of human kindness" iii as in the text, inferring her boyfriend to be weak in his compassion. But this glance of dominance is abruptly extinguished with Joe pushing her down and choking her, instantly making audiences say goodbye to the possibility of the strong character that Ella Macbeth could have been.
Even though her persuasive monologue is appreciable in isolation, her lack of villainous and dominating characterisation prior to this moment made this scene appear out of place for her in a greater perspective.
Consequently, the lack of Lady Macbeth's iconic dominance led to her film character appearing one-dimensional, and to me, simply boring.
Despite the other poor directorial choices and characterisation of Ella Macbeth, the motif of the washing of hands and the desire to be cleaned from sin throughout the movie - a theme in Shakespeare's play that gave a dimension of morality to the Macbeths - was successful in conveying the pair's guilt.
Throughout the film, the sanity of the two visibly dwindles as they move through cycles of repeated cleaning. Quotes such as "Out, damned spot!"v or "will all great Neptune's ocean was this blood clean from my hand?"vi from the initial text weren't required to be said, with flashes of bloody water flushing down white bathroom sinks sending the obsessive motif to viewers clearer than words could.
At the conclusion of the film, Ella submits herself to her guilt and immorality, breaking the cycle of cleansing and instead smearing her lipstick over her hands and face. This moment shows her abandonment of her efforts to maintain innocence for both Joe and she in a captivating image immediately before her death.
This moment at the conclusion of a well-developed motif almost makes up for her previous characterisation. Key word: almost. Brozel's remake of Shakespeare's Macbeth was frankly, 86 wasted minutes of film. His sledgehammer attempts to modernise the film missed the mark greatly, with an ill-chosen setting and a power-imbalance that left me - as a fan of Lady Macbeth - disappointed to say the least.
However, credit should be provided where due, and Brozel must be awarded for his superb use of the motif of wanted innocence through sequences of obsessive cleansing. Regardless, such a motif would be evident in almost any other adaptation of the script, so it's certainly not wasting one's time over.
A remake of any text should aim to bring new light to possibly outdated themes. Yet, the 2005 remake added nothing interesting to the original, instead detracting from many significant themes such as power imbalance and justifiable desire.
In the end, the modern adaptation of Macbeth "signified nothing." vii
Brozel attempts to appeal to a modern audience with contemporary language, and a stellar cast (including the oh-so-dreamy James McAvoy and talented Keeley Hawes as the Macbeths), along with a post-modern (accompanying the familiar setting of a) Michelin Star restaurant. Yet the adaptation fails to capture some of the key relationships developed throughout the play, and I found his contextual choices vacuous.
The setting was where Brozel fell the furthest in developing a realistic adaptation of the play, opting to transport the Macbeths into a 2000's kitchen; far from their Jacobean origins. This change, clearly aimed to rejuvenate the ageing play, simply trivialised everything about the original that was enticing: the moral imbalances of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth (referred to as "Joe" and "Ella" in the film) and their desire for power. Shakespeare's Macbeths toy with the concept of regicide for the reward of being royalty themselves - an idea that, while blatantly immoral, is almost understandable. However, the Brozel's choice to change the setting means that this almost excusable act becomes unwarranted, and this tug of war between right and wrong becomes simply overruled by what is wrong far too easily.
The switch from striving to be the King of Scotland to owner of a restaurant is plainly confusing - and creates a disjointed context that fails to fall in step with the essence of the plot. This discordant patchwork trivialises the legacy of Macbeth - unlike the absolute power of the 16th century, and in this retelling he his status of head chef means he is already in a place of power.
The realistic context created an expectation of realistic action which was nowhere to be seen - ultimately disappointing viewers longing for a refreshing remodelling of their beloved Shakespeare.
There is merit in the obvious attempt to reinvent the tale through the change in backdrop - the action packed; fast placed climate of a restaurant isn't the most absurd place for Macbeth to end up. Shakespeare's Macbeth is notoriously violent - his love for a good knife is not dissimilar to the butchery requirements of the kitchen. Also, the hierarchy within the kitchen could be compared to that of the Great Chain of Being (the natural order of life - an established hierarchy supposedly employed by God) prominent in the Elizabethan Era. What's more, the lack of power from Lady Macbeth was frankly disappointing in the 2005 edition. The manipulative and empowered Lady Macbeth didn't exist in the recreation, albeit for her moment where she chastises that Joe is "too full of the milk of human kindness" iii as in the text, inferring her boyfriend to be weak in his compassion. But this glance of dominance is abruptly extinguished with Joe pushing her down and choking her, instantly making audiences say goodbye to the possibility of the strong character that Ella Macbeth could have been.
Even though her persuasive monologue is appreciable in isolation, her lack of villainous and dominating characterisation prior to this moment made this scene appear out of place for her in a greater perspective.
Consequently, the lack of Lady Macbeth's iconic dominance led to her film character appearing one-dimensional, and to me, simply boring.
Despite the other poor directorial choices and characterisation of Ella Macbeth, the motif of the washing of hands and the desire to be cleaned from sin throughout the movie - a theme in Shakespeare's play that gave a dimension of morality to the Macbeths - was successful in conveying the pair's guilt.
Throughout the film, the sanity of the two visibly dwindles as they move through cycles of repeated cleaning. Quotes such as "Out, damned spot!"v or "will all great Neptune's ocean was this blood clean from my hand?"vi from the initial text weren't required to be said, with flashes of bloody water flushing down white bathroom sinks sending the obsessive motif to viewers clearer than words could.
At the conclusion of the film, Ella submits herself to her guilt and immorality, breaking the cycle of cleansing and instead smearing her lipstick over her hands and face. This moment shows her abandonment of her efforts to maintain innocence for both Joe and she in a captivating image immediately before her death.
This moment at the conclusion of a well-developed motif almost makes up for her previous characterisation. Key word: almost. Brozel's remake of Shakespeare's Macbeth was frankly, 86 wasted minutes of film. His sledgehammer attempts to modernise the film missed the mark greatly, with an ill-chosen setting and a power-imbalance that left me - as a fan of Lady Macbeth - disappointed to say the least.
However, credit should be provided where due, and Brozel must be awarded for his superb use of the motif of wanted innocence through sequences of obsessive cleansing. Regardless, such a motif would be evident in almost any other adaptation of the script, so it's certainly not wasting one's time over.
A remake of any text should aim to bring new light to possibly outdated themes. Yet, the 2005 remake added nothing interesting to the original, instead detracting from many significant themes such as power imbalance and justifiable desire.
In the end, the modern adaptation of Macbeth "signified nothing." vii