No Country for Old Men, an honor that was repeated two years later with A Serious Man.
The Coen Brothers established themselves as significant filmmakers within the American independent film industry in the 1980s with their film noir debut, Blood Simple. Since then, they have worked in a number of different genres, often celebrating the tradition of film history within their signature style. Raising Arizona implemented elements of slapstick, Miller’s Crossing celebrated the gangster film formula, and The Hudsucker Proxy was inspired by screwball comedies and Frank Capra. Joel and Ethan won multiple Academy Awards for their adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s No Country for Old Men, which remains one of the Coen Brothers' best movies. Joel took a more direct approach in his adaptation of Shakespeare’s iconic play, even retaining the traditional title.
The Tragedy of Macbeth stars Denzel Washington in the title role of the Scottish lord with aspirations of becoming the next King of Scotland, with Lady Macbeth played by Joel's wife and frequent collaborator, s McDormand. Shakespeare’s play was first brought to the screen as early as 1905 and has since been adapted over 25 times by some of cinema’s most respected filmmakers, and legendary filmmaker Akira Kurosawa transplanted the narrative into feudal Japan, with samurai soldiers. A darkly comedic adaptation aligns with the tone of most Coen Brothers films, though Joel Coen’s solo effort in The Tragedy of Macbeth is far more faithful to the original text.
With few exceptions, even the most dramatic of the Coen Brothers films, including crime films, contain elements of humor. Even the gangster drama Miller’s Crossing exaggerated the tropes of the genre for comedic effect. With The Tragedy of Macbeth, however, Joel Coen has created a humorless adaptation, aligning with the tone set by the title instead. In a recent interview discussing Ethan’s absence from the project (via The Guardian), Joel revealed that “this isn’t a movie that would have interested him. I had a personal interest in it and he didn’t.” While Joel did not clarify what specific aspect of the project was of no interest to Ethan, the signature Coen Brothers sense of humor is missing from his latest project. The Tragedy of Macbeth reveals a side of Joel never seen in the 35 years of the brothers’ collaborations and could also indicate that Ethan is the funny one of the pair.
It is possible that Ethan has simply lost interest in filmmaking, despite the wealth of unmade Coen Brother's movies. A regular Coen Brothers collaborator believes Ethan won’t make movies anymore, having moved on to other projects. On the other hand, if Ethan’s lack of interest in The Tragedy of Macbeth was behind the decision to break up a 35-year partnership, one can also assume that previous collaboration indicated the interest he did have. Given how often these collaborations relied upon humor, audiences may be left contemplating the possibility that Ethan is more comedically inclined than his brother. If Ethan truly is retired from filmmaking, future solo directing projects from Joel may reveal more information about the differences between the Coen Brothers.
