Revisiting the Classics: The Tragedy of Macbeth

A favorite of filmmakers, Shakespeare’s Macbeth has been adapted for the screen many times, with some of these adaptations themselves achieving classic status. But no prior filmed version of the play quite prepares the viewer for Joel Coen’s bold and gorgeous re-imagining of the play in The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021). Featuring an extraordinary cast, including Frances McDormand and Denzel Washington as the leads, The Tragedy of Macbeth evokes both early cinema and stage history as it creates an abstract and atmospheric environment for Shakespeare’s bloody story of ambition and temptation.

Director Joel Coen and actor Frances McDormand will join moderator Jim Kearney (English, UCSB) for a post-screening discussion of The Tragedy of Macbeth.