Sound and Fury
I don't mind modern cinematic takes on Shakespeare pruning the language - witness the brilliant Ethan Hawke version of Hamlet made a few years back - but when the director decides to hack off the play's crucial couple of lines? I sat through Geoffrey Wright's new Melbourne ganglands version of Macbeth (starring Sam Worthington and Victoria Hill) waiting to see what he'd do to the "tomorrow" soliquoy, my favourite speech in all of Shakespeare. Cleverly, he transposes it so that it becomes a kind of eulogy, spoken in a voice over by a dead Macbeth. However, the lines that sum up Macbeth's view of the world ("It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing") were hacked off. Okay, I know that would have made a pretty nihilistic end to the film but it's indicative of how Wright has drained much of the poetry out of the play - and the film is all the less for it. Cutting most of the text is not so much the problem as the mangled delivery of those few lines that are still there. I quite like Shakespeare spoken in flat Australian accents but it's a major irritant here, especially when Wright has kept the "go thee hithers" and "forsooth my lords" (or whatever) and taken out the redeeming poetry, much of it, I should say, which is crucial to character development. I think Sam Worthington is one of the best young actors around and he's rivetting - but he doesn't have control of the few words he is given. It's a major problem, as is Victoria Hill's poor performance as Lady Macbeth. The idea of a rock star Macbeth and his Posh-like wife is a good one and I found the settings and transposing of Shakespeare to contemporary Melbourne thrilling but Hill just doesn't have the skills to make us understand this complex character. It's a pity as Wright's visual language is mostly sensational and the supporting cast is strong. (Mick Malloy's hit man is a revelation.)
By the way "a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing" - doesn't this remind you of the Bush administration?
By the way "a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing" - doesn't this remind you of the Bush administration?
posted by Lee Tulloch at 6:40 am
1 Comments:
You know, I am a HUGE fan of your work, but I must throw in a criticism of this blog. In light of way the nation is polarized today, mentioning your political viewpoint (regardless of what that viewpoint is) can only do one thing: estrange half of your audience. I happen to be in the 1/2 you just estranged. Furthermore, as a mildly interested observer of modern trends, I must say that throwing a "bash Bush" comment into a blog about a play written by someone who's claim to fame is fashion knowledge is a trend being put forth by every actor, model, and singer out there. Unfortunately, is has been so over used that it says much more about the author than the administration. Which is a huge letdown, because I am/was such a big fan.
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