Three witches tell the Scottish lord Macbeth that he will be king. His wife pushes him to murder the king, and every killing leads to another. Joel Coen's version is shot in black and white on sound stages, with sets that feel more like a dream than Scotland.
At a glance
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a 2021 drama, thriller and history film directed by Joel Coen. This breakdown covers 5 techniques (3 cinematography, 1 psychology and 1 narrative), each with the scene where you can see it. If you like how it is made, Blade Runner uses several of the same techniques.
Choosing to shoot in black and white to take away the comfort and pleasure of color. The film feels more serious, and you watch as a witness.
How this film uses it
The film is black and white and uses a boxy 1.37:1 frame. Without color, the story feels like a fable about guilt. You look at faces and shapes with nothing to soften them.
Where to see it
The banquet: Macbeth is tormented at the banquet by Banquo's apparition.
Lighting a scene with strong contrast between bright light and deep shadow, a style borrowed from old paintings called chiaroscuro. How lit a character is hints at their moral or mental state.
How this film uses it
Cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel and the production drew on German Expressionist films, so light and deep shadow shape every scene. Characters step in and out of darkness as their choices get worse. The lighting shows who they are becoming.
Where to see it
The murder of Duncan: Lady Macbeth pushes Macbeth to kill King Duncan, and Macbeth then has the servants killed.
Designing the sets to reflect what is going on inside a character. The place they live in tells you things about them that the dialogue doesn't.
How this film uses it
The film was shot entirely on sound stages, and the castle looks like an abstract set. It feels cut off from any real place. The space is Macbeth's mind getting darker.
Where to see it
The sound-stage castle: the film plays out in a set made to look "untethered from reality."
Keeping it unclear what is real and what is imagined in the film's world. You end up as unsure as the main character.
How this film uses it
Banquo's ghost and the witches' visions blur what is real and what is in Macbeth's head. The film never marks which is which. You are as unsure as he is.
Where to see it
The visions: the witches show Macbeth visions, and he orders the slaughter of Macduff's household.
Letting chance, luck or a prophecy steer the plot, so outcomes feel governed by forces beyond character intention and moral desert.
How this film uses it
The witches tell Macbeth he will be king and that Banquo's line will rule. Macbeth kills to stop that, and his plan falls apart. Birnam Wood coming to the castle and Macduff's unusual birth close the trap.
Where to see it
Birnam Wood and the duel: Malcolm's army advances with branches from the wood, and Macduff, not born in the usual way, kills Macbeth.
Questions
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