In 2016, William Oldroyd's film "Lady Macbeth" was released. Reviews of Western critics about the film are mostly positive. The budget of the film is relatively small - 500 thousand euros. Cash collection totaled $ 2.8 million. There are very few rave reviews about Lady Macbeth in Russia.
Screen adaptation of Russian classics
In reviews of the movie Lady Macbeth , viewers primarily mention the work that Oldroyd addressed. True, sadly, among authors of reviews there are also those who did not read the essay by Nikolai Leskov. They do not compare Katherine with Katerina Izmaylova and do not draw parallels between the ending of the picture and the denouement in Leskov’s book.
However, the audience, who are unfamiliar with the plot of the work of the Russian writer, left negative reviews on thematic sites. The film " Lady Macbeth " belongs to the genre of arthouse drama. This movie is not for mass viewing. Perhaps the main reason for the indignant responses lies in the artistic features of the picture.
Reviews and reviews of the movie " Lady Macbeth " we will certainly consider. But first, remember the plot of the original source. Indeed, in Russia many viewers were disappointed with the denouement of the sensational film.
"Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk"
In reviews of the film, viewers express disappointment. This often happens when it comes to the Western film adaptation of Russian classics. At the same time, neither spectators nor critics could not pay attention to the film in our country. Earlier, foreign directors filmed the works of Tolstoy, Chekhov, Dostoevsky. It turned out they were familiar with the name of Nikolai Leskov. But the plot of the British film surprised everyone. What is the work of the Russian classic about?
The main character - Katerina Izmaylova - marries an unloved person. Her life is boring, colorless. Once, the husband and father-in-law leave, and Katerina meets a young and handsome worker, Sergei. An affair begins.
The father-in-law suddenly returns, learns about the adventures of the daughter-in-law. Lovers kill him, then get rid of Katerina’s husband. The final and most terrible crime is the murder of a minor heir. Katerina and Sergey are sent to hard labor, but there the man loses interest in his beloved and starts a new one.
The actions of the main character Leskov are led by passion - blinding, animal, not knowing the barriers. Sergei takes part in crimes initiated by Izmailova, but he is driven by the calculation. Katerina is not afraid of hard labor, she wants only one thing - to be near him. When he learns about treason, he kills his rival and commits suicide.
This is the plot of the book on which the film "Lady Macbeth." In reviews, critics note an unusual directorial approach, a bold interpretation of a classic work. Ordinary viewers did not like the main female image. It has little in common with the heroine of Leskov. Katerina Izmailova, oddly enough, can cause sympathy. Katherine from the British film - not at all.
Russian history against the background of the English landscape
The British director filmed a work written more than 150 years ago by Leskov about the fictional inhabitants of the Oryol province. In Russia , there would be much more negative reviews from viewers and critics about the movie " Lady Macbeth " if he tried to recreate the realities of the life of the Russian merchants. Everyone knows what comes out of foreign filmmakers when they take on Russian classics. In most cases , nothing good. The William Oldroyd movie takes place in the 19th century Great Britain.
There is mystery, gloom, dullness - all that is on the pages of Wuthering Heights and other novels. But Oldroyd exaggerated. It seems that the house of the English landowner is out of the way, and within a radius of several kilometers - not a soul.
Artistic features
In the film, frames change quickly. Heroes are laconic. The loneliness of the main character is emphasized rather peculiarly: from time to time she appears in the frame sitting on the same couch, in the same dress, with an expression on her face, devoid of all sorts of emotions.
After the crime is committed, her appearance changes a little. She gets rid of the blue dress, under which lies an uncomfortable corset, as if being released from the captivity of the landowner, who " bought it for his son along with a piece of land. " There are characters in the film who do not utter cues at all, but serve as a kind of background.
main character
So, the film was created based on the book by Leskov. It is logical that Russian viewers expected to see a famous story about a woman who lost her mind because of passion. Expectations did not come true.
After the murder of the boy, Katerina Izmailova goes to hard labor, where she dies. The young merchant woman is a victim of a spiritless society. At least, this is what the critics of the nineteenth century claimed, comparing her to Katerina from the play The Thunderstorm. But what kind of heroine did Russian viewers see in the British film? In the first frames, Katherine is sympathetic. She is married to Alexander, who has contempt for her. Upon careful viewing, the viewer understands that she could and, perhaps, wanted to love her husband. But that already in the first wedding night behaved more than strange.
If Izmaylova suffers from boredom, then Katherine - from unlimited anguish. In the house, her father-in-law is perceived as an expensive thing that should be beneficial, and first of all give birth to an heir. Her husband's father firmly and bluntly reproaches Katherine for not fulfilling marital obligations. But she does not shy away from them - Alexander avoids intimate relationships.
Revenge and composure
The heroine meets Sebastian. Further events unfold on the plot of Leskov. But at some point, the viewer realizes that the heroine is not a woman at all embraced by passion, much less a victim of a cruel society. The film quite frankly shows intimate scenes. But in her criminal actions, Katherine is guided not only by the desire to be loved, but also by a thirst for revenge. And most importantly - at the end of the whole story he avoids punishment.
Other characters
The characters in Lady Macbeth are pretty unpleasant. Both Alexander and his father Boris, as already mentioned, are laconic, but each of their cues is filled with hatred, contempt for Katherine. As for Sebastian, he, according to the authors of the reviews, is rather unconvincing. This character does not at all look like the villain who destroyed the female soul. Sebastian is following Katherine, at some point even incites her to another murder. At the same time, he suffers from remorse.
In the story told in Lady Macbeth, justice did not triumph. In the plot, social and racial inequality is of considerable importance. Both the black maid and the hired worker Sebastian are constantly humiliated. In the finale, which many viewers did not like, the filmmakers probably wanted to emphasize the injustice that was present in 19th-century English society. Katherine comes dry from the water . People of the third grade — Sebastian and the maid, who has nothing to do with crimes — go to hard labor.
Actors
The leading woman is known in Russia only to those who closely follow the news of foreign cinema. The same can be said of other actors . Reviews of the film mixed. There are both positive and negative. The latter belong, as a rule, to ordinary viewers who do not perceive specific techniques of arthouse art.
The acting of Florence Pugh, played by Katherine, was appreciated by everyone. She began filming not so long ago - in 2014, but at " Lady Macbeth " she demonstrated high skill. Florence Pugh managed to create on the screen the image of a cynical, cruel, selfish, vengeful woman. Cosmo Jarvis , Christopher Fairbank , Naomi Eki , Paul Hilton also played in the film.