The Tragedy of Macbeth - 3 nominations

 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role Denzel Washington

Best Achievement in Production Design Stefan Dechant (production design) Nancy Haigh (set decoration)

Best Achievement in Cinematography Bruno Delbonnel

The Tragedy of Macbeth is a staging of the classic Shakespearean Scottish play whose name should never be spoken in the theater unless staging that show.  It's a classic, so I'll not recount the full story except to say that Macbeth believes himself to be the next King of Scotland, and behind him he has Lady Macbeth who is equally ambitious and eager to see her husband on the throne at any and all costs.  The film is beautifully shot in black and white, and Joel Coen has done a magnificent job writing the script for the screen.  This is not the first attempt to make Macbeth into a film, but it is surely the best.  Denzel Washington was born to play this role - there is something about his voice and his demeanor that is made for Shakespearean dialogue, and with Frances McDormand at his side, the film was outstanding.

Of course, the staging is dark, it is a dark play with dark themes, and while one could argue that too many movies went with black and white this year, this is one where the choice was spot on.  The cinematography and the production design proved worthy of the material, and I thought it was a very well done film.  Worth watching.