Though Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s best-known plays, its last memorable film adaptation—Roman Polanski’s bloody take on the Scottish Play—was released in 1971. Fans of the tragedy will be relieved to know that the new adaptation from Australian director Justin Kurzel (who impressed critics worldwide with his debut Snowtown) is by some reports the strongest cinematic imagining yet, with stylish visuals and typically brilliant performances from Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard.
Reviews from Cannes credit Kurzel with making some effective additions to the play and praise Fassbender’s performance for both its nuance and virile brutality. But it’s Marion Cotillard who has received the most praise, with the actress portraying Lady Macbeth as a vulnerable outsider who manipulates her husband less out of ambition than because she feels threatened. The movie doesn’t yet have a U.S. release date (it comes out Oct. 2 in the U.K.), but expect it to hit theaters stateside this fall, just in time for Cotillard’s performance to try its charms on Oscar.
