LADY MACBETH: MCBORING

LADY MACBETH is not to be confused with the Shakespeare play MACBETH. Instead this film is based on the 1865 novel “Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District” written by Nikolai Leskov. The film itself judging by reviews is either one you love or hate. Place me somewhere in between in that confused and bored category.

The story revolves around Katherine (Florence Pugh), a young woman sold into marriage to a man twice her age named Alexander (Paul Hilton). From their wedding night forward he may sleep with her but never attempts to consummate their marriage. Instead he is a controlling tyrant who insists that she disrobe for him each night before bed and constantly tells her to stay indoors.

When an accident at one of the businesses his father owns calls him away, Katherine immediately begins to disobey his wishes, walking the grounds as she chooses. Her only companion is Anna (Naomi Ackie), a servant who obeys her master but answers to Katherine.

One day Katherine catches the farm hands have hoisted Anna up in a canvas saying they are trying to weigh her. Katherine forces them to let her down but is intrigued by what she saw. She tells the ringleader, a new groomsman named Sebastian (Cosmo Jarvis) to guess her weight upon which he lifts her in his arms.

Apparently this is all it takes as the two begin a shameful affair spending most of their nights in bed together. When her father-in-law returns he attempts to set her straight on how to behave. The end result is his being poisoned with mushrooms and then Katherine and Sebastian return to the carnal encounters. As a result of the master’s death Anna loses her ability to speak.

At some point the inevitable return of Alexander is bound to happen. What transpires from there is something best left for those who make the choice to watch the film. If you are not among that group then my suggestion would be to seek out other reviews as someone is bound to make it common knowledge.

For me the film was as detached from emotions as Katherine was when the film began. Taking place in 1865 it has that feel of a gothic romance novel without the gothic castle location or the actual romance. Instead that is replaced with lust and physical contact. Imagine Heathcliff and Catherine romping around in bed, remove the romance and you’ll get the idea of what I’m talking about here.

While watching it was easy to note the style being used with little or no music to interfere with the story. The dialogue is kept to short sentences when used. The décor is true to the time period with little extras to be found in the house and the costuming is the same. This might lend itself to realism but it also tends to add to the boredom as well.

The performances are there with little that is exceptional. Of the characters it is Pugh as Katherine that has the most to offer here but her outlook and behavior is so dour that the changes in her personality are unexceptional. The change from purchased wife with a frigid husband to full on adulterous tramp is hard to believe. Those that love the film view this as an attempt at combating the patriarchal system of the time, a liberation of the female character from her surroundings. I say if you view it that way then you’re more pretentious than you should be.

I’ve never been fond of movies that attempt to create deep “art”, normally finding that if the attempt is being made then the odds are the results will be a grandiose attempt to create something that doesn’t actually exist. A recent blurb describing another film said something to the effect if you have to explain what you just watched then the movie wasn’t very good. Movies like this, where the goal is to make a film with supposed deeper roots than are on display, fail miserably at what they set out to do. True art in film more often comes without the intent of it being so.

Perhaps there are other out there who will enjoy the film and I say good for you. As for me it was difficult to stay awake and watch. Compound that with the early scenes of Katherine being told to disrobe by her husband, watching an actress in a role that requires her to do so and then considering the furor over Harvey Weinstein and his behavior and it just leaves you with a bad feeling.

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