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where faith and film are intertwined

Shakespeare

SF Radio 8.16: Current History in THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH

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Written almost 400 years ago, Shakespeare’s Macbeth remains one of history’s most well-regarded dramatic stories. Featuring murder, betrayal, and bawdy humour, Macbeth has been studied in classrooms for centuries yet still somehow feels current. Now, with Joel Coen’s THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH, we once again find ourselves ‘stepped in blood’ with Denzel Washington taking on the crown with a vengeance. This week, Victor Stiff (VictorStiff.com) and Dave Voigt (InTheSeats.ca) drop by to talk about Shakespeare’s low-brow/high-brow entertainment, what the ‘Coen lens’ brings to the play and what we believe the true tragedy of Macbeth may be.

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The Tragedy of Macbeth – What’s done cannot be undone

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“Unnatural deeds do breed unnatural troubles.”

Shakespeare may seem daunting to many. The language and vocabulary are strange to our ears. We may have been force fed bits of it in high school, and we resent it. Don’t let that be a deterrent to seeing The Tragedy of Macbeth. This new adaptation and vision of the play was written for the screen and directed by Joel Coen. It is a way of experiencing one of the Bard’s better known plays in a richly satisfying production.

To briefly state the plot (for those who haven’t seen Macbeth), after winning a major battle Macbeth (Denzel Washington) is returning with his comrade Banquo (Bertie Carvel) when they encounter a trio of witches (Katheryn Hunter as all three Weird Sisters). The witches tell Macbeth that he is to be the next king of Scotland. Banquo, it is said, is to be the father of a line of kings, although not king himself. Lady Macbeth (Frances McDormand) supports this ambition and they plot the assassination of the king. The blood begins to run even more freely as Macbeth must shore up his power against the king’s son who has fled to England. The ambition leads to paranoia and tyranny, which will, in time, lead to destruction.

This is an exceptionally moody production, in part because of the black and white cinematography and its use of shadows and fog, but also because of some wonderfully blocked shots that heighten the sense of a crescendo of madness in Macbeth and his wife.

The performances are all extraordinary. First among them is Hunter as the Weird Sisters, but also Washington and McDormand shine as the original power couple. They allow the characters to evolve along with their ambitions and madness. They are people who have set aside their morality to chase after a vision they have of destiny. And we watch as these characters become darker and darker as the story progresses. I especially liked the scene in which Lady Macbeth asks the spirits to take away her feminine nature and fill her with cruelty.

There is a reason Shakespeare continues to be taught centuries after his death. It’s not the iambic pentameter or what we now think of as flowery language (or amusing insults). It is because the things he wrote about are at the very core of our experience. Macbeth is one of the best examples of that. Today’s world continues to be filled with those who grasp for power without regard for right. There have been bloodbaths in every corner of the world to gain or maintain control of nations and peoples. This story also demonstrates the way such ambition without morality can eventually corrode the souls and the very humanity of those who act in such ways. We often think that the guilt of their actions drove Macbeth and his wife to madness. Perhaps those deeds were the true madness that was their undoing.

The Tragedy of Macbeth in in theaters and comes to Apple TV+ on January 14th, 2022.

Photos courtesy of Apple Original Films.

The Sounding – Transformed Mind

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What do we make of someone who refuses to live conventionally? Is there something wrong with them that needs to be fixed? Or should we find a way into their world to see things in new ways? The Sounding (the first feature film by Catherine Eaton) presents viewers with these kinds of questions.

Liv (played by Eaton) has lived her life on a secluded island off the coast of Maine. She has been raised by her grandfather Lionel (Harris Yulin), a retired neurologist. At some point when Liv was young child, she ceased talking. There were no physical or evident psychological reasons. She just didn’t talk anymore. Lionel has read her everything from P.G. Wodehouse to Michel Foucault, but her favorite is Shakespeare.

When Lionel discovers he is dying, he recruits Michael (Teddy Sears), a former student and the son of a friend, to come to the island to protect Liv, along with Lionel’s attorney (Frankie Faison), so she can continue to live the life she has created. One evening when Lionel’s voice fails during the reading, Liv takes the book and begins to read. The words of Shakespeare become the words by which she speaks to the world.

But Michael ignores Lionel’s wishes and seeks to cure Liv of her “communication disorder”. He ends up having her committed to a psychiatric hospital. There, she rebels. She will only speak lines of Shakespeare. In time, Michael will realize his attempt to “cure” her only brought harm.

Language is very much at the heart of this story. When Liv ceased talking, it might have been interpreted as leaving the world. Yet, she had friends and people who loved her on the island. When she chooses Shakespeare as her new language, that is not just convenient language, but it invokes a different world—one that other people may not value as she does.

To use a line from Hamlet, “Aye, there’s the rub.” For those who want Liv to fit the patterns of their own world, she seems to be pathological. That is a category they understand. But perhaps their insistence of conformity is a pathology in itself. Michael discovers that Liv does not need to become like others; he needs to find the truth of her understanding of the world. She does not need to be cured. She needs to be accepted and encouraged in her life.

The Apostle Paul wrote, “Do not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds ….” The medical staff in the hospital represent the forces that want to conform all things to the world. But we should realize that many parts of the life of faith require a different understanding of the world. And sometimes even our language manifests that difference. For example, we call the day in which Jesus was executed “Good Friday”. Where the world sees failure, we see triumph.

That different attitude also leads us to see the world differently than others. We see other people as children of God, and thus our family. We see God’s creation as a great gift, so we have a great responsibility to care for it. We believe that weakness can be more powerful than strength. There may be a certain amount of pathology to faith.

Liv’s world was something that Michael needed to appreciate for his own happiness. Perhaps that is how our faith will bring transformation not just to ourselves, but to the world that has conformed to its own pathology.

The Sounding is available on Apple TV.

Photos courtesy of Giant Pictures.

Measure for Measure: Rising Sin, Falling Virtue

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Over 500 years later, we still rely on William Shakespeare to tell us who we are.

Though adaptations of Shakespeare’s works have been hit (Baz Luhrman’s Romeo and Juliet) and miss (Michael Almareda’s Hamlet) over the years, the lasting influence of his works continues to endure and challenge our understanding of human nature. With the release of Paul Ireland’s Measure for Measure, we once again find ourselves face with another attempt to bring the Bard’s work into our modern society. Thankfully, though first published in 1604, the heart of Measure translates well into the 21st Century by speaking to the battle for man’s soul when pressured by the evils that surround him.

Set in Melbourne, Australia, Measure for Measure tells the story of Claudio (Harrison Gilbertson), a local musician who lives in Melbourne’s most notorious housing estate. Controlled by the drug kingpin Duke (Hugo Weaving), the area is filled with substance abuse and violence yet Claudio has no interest in such drama. When he falls in love with Jaiwara (Megan Smart), a modern Muslim girl, he finds himself embroiled in a gang conflict with deep racial ties that threatens to tear his life—and his love—asunder.

Directed by Ireland (who also co-wrote the screenplay with Damian Hill, Measure adapts well into today’s context and, as a result, proves to be one of the more memorable recent reimagining’s of Shakespeare’s works. While the chemistry between Gilbertson and Smart is enjoyable, it’s Weaving’s performance that carries the film. Weaving is simply wonderful to watch as drug kingpin Duke, carrying every scene that he’s in with gravitas and humility. 

While Measure for Measure may not be as well-known as another pair of star-crossed pair of lovers from Shakespeare’s canon, the story somehow seems more effective in a modern context. Though the ‘star-crossed lovers’ theme is common amongst the Bard’s works, Ireland’s emphasis on modern racial divides adds another layer to the story that speaks to the moment. At a time when conversations about ethnicity dominate the headlines, Measure’s conversation around the flawed perceptions and stereotypes that we cling to seems especially appropriate.

As with the original work, Measure tells a story of what it means to keep your virtue in a world where darkness rises all around you. Despite his innocence, Claudio’s imprisonment takes a toll on his soul as he faces increasing pressure to succumb to the evil that surrounds him. Facing both mental and physical abuse, Claudio is pushed to deny his love for Jaiwara and give up that which he holds closest to his heart. Even so, while he walks gingerly along the line of virtue and vice, he refuses to let go of the love that drives him.

In many ways, Measure holds Claudio in juxtaposition with Angelo (Mark Leonard Winter) who also is also pulled toward his more base instincts after he’s left in power. Having grown up with Duke as his mentor, Angelo also maintains a certain sense of innocence (despite his involvement in the drug industry). Young and impetuous, Angelo still seeks to honour Duke when he receives the opportunity to lead. However, whereas Claudio fights to cling to his purity, Angelo is more willing to compromise in the face of temptation, gradually allowing darkness to infect his character. As such, Angelo’s fall demonstrates the destruction that can happen to a soul who values power over love for others.

Engaging and passionate, the latest incarnation of Measure for Measure thankfully falls on the positive side of the ledger of modern Shakespearean tales. Featuring an effective adaptation of the story for today’s culture and an engaging cast, the film proves that Shakespeare’s works still resonate thematically with audiences today and have much to teach us still about the brokenness of the human soul.

Measure for Measure premieres on VOD on Friday, September 4th, 2020.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Shakespeare in Modern L.A.

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“Are you sure that we are awake? It seems to me that yet we sleep, we dream.”

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of the most performed of Shakespeare’s plays. I’ve certainly seen it frequently both on stage and on film. Each production has its own unique vision of how to bring together the world of real life and fantasy as well as bridging the gap between the fifteenth century and the modern world.

The latest film, adapted and directed by Casey Wilder Mott, sets the play in current day Los Angeles (although rather than a “Hollywood” the hillside sign reads “Athens”). The language is still the iambic pentameter from the play, which often seems a bit disjointed when spoken, say, at a café in Echo Park. But that disjointedness is intentional, seeking to remind us that this is a story that takes place between worlds.

For those unfamiliar with the story, it involves three intersecting stories. The first is a four-way love story. Lysander (Hamish Linklater) and Hermia (Rachael Leigh Cook) are in love. However, Demetrius (Finn Wittrock) also seeks to marry Hermia, and has her father’s favor. When Lysander and Hermia decide to leave Athens so they can be together, Helena (Lily Rabe), who is in love with Demetrius, passes word to him, hoping to win his love. When Demetrius chases after them and Helena chases after Demetrius, they four end up in a forest at night. (Hold that thought.)

The second group is the woodland faeries (here, more beach bums). The first we meet is the mischievous Robin Goodfellow, aka Puck (Avan Jogia), who serves the faerie king Oberon (Saul Williams). Oberon’s wife Titania (Mia Doi Todd) is being contrary. So Oberon dispatches Puck to bring a magical flower that causes people to fall in love with the first person they see. (You see where this is going, don’t you?). Oberon plans on punishing Titania by having her fall in love with someone strange.

That brings us to the third group, a troupe of inept actors led by Quince (Charity Wakefield) making a film about a tragic story. The lead actor, Bottom (Fran Kranz), believes himself the greatest actor ever and should perform all the parts. Seeing the actors rehearsing in the forest, Puck transforms Bottom, giving him the head of an ass. (Although, in this version, we aren’t talking about a donkey.)

Puck ends up putting the drops in both Demetrius and Lysander’s eyes, making them both fall in love with Helena. Now no one wants Hermia.  Helena spurns them all, thinking they are making fun of her. Meanwhile, Titania spends an amorous night with Bottom. In time all is set right and everyone ends up with who they should be with.

This is a decent adaptation and abridgment of the play. (Bear in mind that purists will rarely be happy with adapting the Bard.) Early on, there are several little quotes from other Shakespearean plays around the edges, to provide Easter eggs for Shakespeare fans. As the play moves on, it stays more with the original story. The juxtaposition of modern L.A. for ancient Athens works most of the time, but there are some anachronisms that crop up. For example, Hermia’s father’s claim that she is his property to dispose of as he likes—hardly fitting for a #MeToo world. Overall, for those familiar with the play it’s a nice way to revisit it. For those who haven’t seen it before, it can serve as an introduction.

Photos courtesy of Greg Smith

Origins Ep. 4 – Making Sense Of It All

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(photo credit: National Geographic/Gavin Hodge)

One of the neatest things about human beings is their ability to communicate with each other.  Over time, we’ve moved on from drawings painted on the sides of caves to texting in the form on digital 0s and 1s. In fact, communication is the lifeblood of today’s society, helping to make sense of life—yet many of us don’t know the history of how it came to be.  In the fourth part of Origins (NatGeo, 9 PM/8 CT Mondays), host Jason Silva seeks to provide illumination on the subject.  In my opinion, it’s not the best episode in the series (the second one holds that title thus far), but it makes a strong statement about the importance of symbols, drawings, and their comprehension in regards to the global society we’re a part of.

Silva begins the discussion of communication in the caves of France and Spain, where hunter-gatherers would tell stories in the form of pictographs scrawled (and drawn) on the rock walls. Strangely, the Egyptian use of cuneiform is only given a passing mention, as the focus quickly turns to rhythm and rhyme and their power in African customs—and in fact, society in general. All you need to do to experience this is think of your favorite song and sing/tap along to the beat.

The story turns to 16th century Europe and a discussion about books written in one’s own language.  There’s a reason why the ruling class wanted tomes of this nature out of the hands of commoners—knowledge is power, and keeping people in the dark prolonged the length of their rule. People who didn’t comply faced punishment including death. But, over time, the masses learned to read and communicate in forms we still access today (Shakespeare, anyone?).

(photo credit: National Geographic)

Of course, everything these days revolves around the internet and the use of binary switches. It just happens so fast that we rarely consider how things got the way they are.  Silva brings the viewer back to the Civil War and the invention of the telegraph to explain.  It was not only a quick way to find out what was going on the front lines, but it became a real-time way for President Lincoln to direct battles, such as the second Battle of Bull Run.  Eventually, Alan Turing pushed us to computing while Arthur C. Clarke helped to bring about the idea of satellite communication. The end result?  Humanity in the 21st century drinks daily from the firehose of data disseminated through their smartphones, tablets, computers, or television sets.

(photo credit: National Geographic)

Rudyard Kipling once wrote, “Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.” Words matter.  Sure, there are numerous forms of communication available, but it’s words that help bring about lasting change in societies—and people’s lives, for that matter. One surprising example mentioned in this episode of Origins involved a Christian by the name of William Tyndale. His goal was to create a translation of the Bible people could read and understand. In doing so, he helped decode a language of Greek and Hebrew, adding about 30,000 words to the English language and giving rise to the King James Version of the Bible (still the bestselling book of all time). He paid a hefty price for his vision, but we should be thankful each time we open a book—including the Bible—and learn a little bit more about life, who we are, and where we fit in the grand scheme of things.

Toppling the HOUSE OF CARDS

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“Look like the innocent flower; but be the serpent under’t” – Lady Macbeth

If you’re late to the game, House of Cards follows the political scandals of Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey), a presidential WHIP with an incredible lust for power. Dissatisfied with his place in the government structure, Frank and his ferocious wife, Claire (Robin Wright) begin to unravel their elaborate plans to secure their legacy in American history. As each season unfolds, we watch as they willingly manipulate the law (and law makers) and usurp global powers as they attempt to grow and maintain their grip on the US presidency.

In many ways, House of Cards sets itself apart from other White House dramas in it’s tone. Rather than establishing itself as merely sensationalistic or a morality play, Cards usually takes its time to position its players on the chessboard before making their big move. Many have made comparisons to the show feeling more like Shakespeare than Shonda Rhimes, an appraisal that makes the showrunners proud. In many ways, Frank Underwood feels like a modern embodiment of Richard III with Claire often stealing scenes as his Lady Macbeth.

Herein lies the magic of the show. While following the career of a morally corrupt politician is hardly a new concept, there is something unique about Frank that makes him not only likeable but, arguably, even sympathetic (at times). Watching Frank and Claire orchestrate the judicial system as puppet masters becomes almost hypnotic as we are mesmerized by their cunning yet, somehow, even root for their success. (To be honest, I haven’t been so morally conflicted on a series since Breaking Bad as, in both cases, I found myself cheering for the main characters to perform actions that I’d otherwise find reprehensible in reality.)

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This, to me, is the most interesting tension about the show. Like other recent hits like Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones, Cards glorifies the actions of those who do evil and even punishes those who seek to bring them to justice. We want the Underwoods to succeed. The appeal of the darkness is undeniable, because the deeds are evil. It’s the ultimate demonstration of the idea that the ends justify the means (although the ends usually only benefit Frank and Claire). Oh, there is definitely “something rotten in the state of [Washington]” but, every time Frank addresses the audience (a staple of the show), we become more like his accomplices than judges.

Meanwhile, however, there is also a very clear real sense of inevitability within Cards that suggests the question isn’t ‘Can Frank be stopped?’ but rather, ‘When will it happen?’ We have no doubt that Frank’s ‘sins will find [him] out’—and that the fall will be spectacular.

We revel in their rise to power—but anxiously await their destruction.

Watching the Underwoods, I find myself confronted with the resolve of my own moral compass. While we clearly know the right actions to do, how often do we allow ourselves the freedom to bend the rules, simply because it benefits us. No, we’re not Frank or Claire… but somehow, their actions expose something deeply rooted within ourselves. Despite our public façades, we all battle our own darkness and self-interest as we seek to cement our own legacies.

And I’m sure that Shakespeare would agree that that is the greatest tragedy of all.

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Season 4 of House of Cards was released on Netflix on March 4th.

Macbeth: Sound and Fury

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“Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more: it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”

Macbeth is one of several plays by Shakespeare that could easily remind modern audiences of Game of Thrones. It is a story of scheming, betrayal, brutality, ambition, revenge, and murder. There is also an element of fate that propels the characters into the actions that bring both glory and destruction. For those who may not be familiar with the story, Macbeth, a Scottish warrior gains glory on the battlefield. After a group of witches inform him that he is to become king, his wife goads him to kill King Duncan who has come to honor Macbeth. Once he assumes the throne, opponents must be silenced. More prophecies are brought forth. In time everyone turns against him.

MICHAEL FASSBENDER stars in MACBETH.
MICHAEL FASSBENDER stars in MACBETH.

The latest film adaptation of the Scottish Play is directed by Justin Kurzel and stars Michael Fassbender as Macbeth and Marion Cotillard as Lady Macbeth. They have kept the story in the original historical period, rather than giving it a more modern spin. (I don’t object to modern renderings, but I think this story works best set in the feudal period.) That setting allows for a very dark and sullen atmosphere. When the Weird Sisters make their appearances there is an eerie aspect as well. Visually the film does a great deal to set the mood for the film.

MARION COTILLARD stars in MACBETH.
MARION COTILLARD stars in MACBETH.

Shakespeare can be off-putting for some because of the language. Sometimes it may help to read at least part of the play to have the language in mind before seeing it performed. The advantage the filmed version of Shakespeare has over stage versions is the intimacy the camera and editing can provide. And Kurzel does not let us stay at a distance from this story of woe and destruction.

Like many of Shakespeare’s plays, there is a timelessness to the story. That is why adapting those plays to other time periods often works well. In Macbeth we may easily see very modern ideas of ambition and the way tyrants are willing to do despicable acts to seize and hold power. Like Macbeth, they may believe it is their destiny to rule.

This story also brings forward the idea of morality and how death may or may not bring meaning to life. The quote above is part of Macbeth’s thoughts when being told of his wife’s death. We are left to consider if life is merely our “hour upon the stage . . . full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” Perhaps the kinds of ambitions and greed that drive Macbeth in this story by their nature cut him off from any kind of meaning for life other than what he can grab for himself. Then the idea that we all must die means that it was all for nothing. Do we find more meaning in the hope that what we do may live on in the lives of others? Do we find more meaning in faith that teaches of a God who loves us?

Photos courtesy The Weinstein Company