The solo hate of one of the most important directors of contemporary American cinema: “Macbeth”, recently released on Apple TV +, is the first feature film signed solely by Joel Coen, the author who together with his brother Ethan gave birth to some of the films more significant in recent decades, from “Fargo” to “A Serious Man”, passing through “The Man Who Wasn’t There” and many others.
It is a new adaptation of Shakespeare’s immortal masterpiece, already brought to the big screen by names of the caliber of Orson Welles (in 1948), Akira Kurosawa (“The Blood Throne” of 1957) and Roman Polanski (in 1971), but we know that Coen is not lacking ambition and courage. It takes a few images to notice how the director’s approach differs from many contemporary Shakespearean transpositions (including another mediocre «Macbeth», signed Justin Kurzel from 2015): the film, proposed directly on the well-known platform without going through our theaters, immediately identifies with its high-definition black and white, chilling and refined at the same time, perfect for making the most of the many plays of light and shadow that seem to postpone even to the German expressionism of the 1920s.
An effective aesthetic and two great interpretations
Coen is not interested in updating “Macbeth”, but in crystallizing its narrative power, within a claustrophobic visual structure capable of transmitting the torments of the characters on stage. a certain cunning is lacking in the construction of the image (as often happens in the films produced by the A24), but the aesthetics are still effective on the whole and gives different shots of goosebumps, fascinating and ready to remain impressed for a long time after the term of vision. Also noteworthy is the great attention paid to the management of the sound track, as evocative as the images: it is no coincidence that the director of photography is the excellent Bruno Delbonnel, while the composer is the equally talented Carter Burwell, a regular collaborator of the Coen brothers. proof of Frances McDormand in the role of Lady Macbeth, but even more memorable is the carnal and rare intensity performance of a Denzel Washington simply in form and perfectly in part.
Aline – The voice of love
A less evocative film in the visual apparatus, but equally interesting, is «Aline – The voice of love», a feature film inspired by the life of Céline Dion. At the center is the story of a girl with an extraordinary voice. When music producer Guy-Claude first hears her, he has one goal: to make Aline the greatest singer in the world. Supported by her family and guided by Guy-Claude’s experience and then growing love, Aline will embark on an extraordinary career. Written, directed and starring Valérie Lemercier, well-known French actress here in her sixth round behind the camera, ” Aline – La voce dell’amore “is a deeply fictionalized film and this is, somewhat paradoxically, its greatest point of interest. shows us only a hypothetical version of Céline Dion, starting with the change of the name of the main character. In this way, despite a rather traditional staging, the screenplay manages to work with greater freedom and to allow itself several unconventional and, deliberately, implausible passages. It is a curious experiment, especially for this reason, and particularly felt by its author, although there are some too few drops in the central part and at the some truly rhetorical sequences.
The time left
Among the novelties in the room there is also the new documentary by Daniele Gaglianone, “The remaining time”, a film that puts time at the center of the narration, talking about the past life, old age and what remains to be lived. history are several elderly people who, with their stories, go back and have the impression of being back there, where they once were. More than interviews, they are real listening to the director, giving life to a touching reflection on old age and on what can arise when you think back to the past, making a comparison between the time that remains and what one has lived. in its form, «Il tempo remained» has profound contents capable of moving: a film to see.