SCOTLAND, PA
by Paulette Reynolds * June 7, 2022
by Paulette Reynolds * June 7, 2022
Scotland, PA
2001
Director: Billy Morrissette
Screenplay: Billy Morrissette
Based on the Shakespearean tragedy, Macbeth
Cinematography: Wally Pfister
Music: Anton Sanko
Starring James Le Gros/Joe Macbeth, Maura Tierney/Pat Macbeth, Christopher Walken/Lt. MacDuff, Kevin Corrigan/Anthony ‘Banko’ (Banquo) Banconi, James Rebhorn/Norm Duncan, Tom Guidry/Malcolm Duncan, Geoff Dunsworth/Donald Duncan, John Cariani/Ed, Nicola Lipman/Mrs. Lennox; Three Witches/Hippies: Amy Smart, Andy Dick, Timothy Levitch.
2001
Director: Billy Morrissette
Screenplay: Billy Morrissette
Based on the Shakespearean tragedy, Macbeth
Cinematography: Wally Pfister
Music: Anton Sanko
Starring James Le Gros/Joe Macbeth, Maura Tierney/Pat Macbeth, Christopher Walken/Lt. MacDuff, Kevin Corrigan/Anthony ‘Banko’ (Banquo) Banconi, James Rebhorn/Norm Duncan, Tom Guidry/Malcolm Duncan, Geoff Dunsworth/Donald Duncan, John Cariani/Ed, Nicola Lipman/Mrs. Lennox; Three Witches/Hippies: Amy Smart, Andy Dick, Timothy Levitch.
“We’re not bad people, we’re just underachievers who have to make up for lost time.” Pat Mcbeth
Attention Shakespeare Fans > Which would you most likely watch:
#1 > A pure retelling of a Shakespearean tale, completely faithful to plot, language and setting?
Or
#2 > A reimaging, with only the plot left intact?
Attention Shakespeare Fans > Which would you most likely watch:
#1 > A pure retelling of a Shakespearean tale, completely faithful to plot, language and setting?
Or
#2 > A reimaging, with only the plot left intact?
I always choose #1 myself - being the snob that I am - because most indie productions seem hell-bent on distorting the original classic until there’s nothing left to appreciate.
But that was before I saw Scotland, PA! This retelling of McBeth gleefully tosses the traditional elements aside, leaving us with a story so skillfully constructed that they’re not even missed.
But that was before I saw Scotland, PA! This retelling of McBeth gleefully tosses the traditional elements aside, leaving us with a story so skillfully constructed that they’re not even missed.
Instead of murky moors or gloomy castles, the setting for this 2001 indie film takes place in Duncan’s Diner, where we’re instantly connected to Joe and Pat Mcbeth’s world, via Dennis Weaver battling the bad guys on tv’s McCloud. But if that didn’t clue us into the 1975 period, a look around the diner gives it away as garish shades of mustard yellow, dull greens, and eyesore orange clash with angry red tones, amid the striking geometric patterns so popular during that time.
A dark comedy of errors, Scotland, PA features Pat Mcbeth, a swap meet princess who longs to be queen of the backwoods with her prince, Joe Mcbeth (played by James Le Gros). Usually kept discreetly in the background, director/screenwriter Billy Morrissette puts Maura Tierney’s Lady Macbeth front and center; aggressively snapping and snarling at her mopey husband, while he waits around for her to push him into another plan for control of Duncan’s realm.
At first glance Joe doesn’t seem to have what it takes to be boss of the diner, save for a few half-hearted ideas that he tries to sell to Duncan, but his employer remains focused on son Malcolm taking over their cooking empire. After visiting a trio of carnival workers, Macbeth latches onto the idea of adding a drive-through feature, and with Pat’s sarcasm and plenty of sex goading him along, our future burger king thirst after the fast-food throne.
Meanwhile, rock n’ roller Malcolm and his brother Donald (who dreams of a life in the dramatic arts) lash out at each other, frustrated at their father’s ambitions to constrain them behind the cash register. Malcolm gets the promotion that he doesn’t want, while Joe seethes at getting the token title of Assistant Manager. This leads our homicidal lovers on their killing spree, but not before Christopher Walken (as Detective McDuff) begins an investigation into Duncan’s death by frying.
Along the way Joe - now ruler of a very successful Mcbeth’s Drive-Thru - manages to muster up the courage to increase Scotland’s body count; becoming a little bit more unhinged, a little bit more desperate, and a little bit more unpleasant as each body drops.
While it’s played for very broad comic relief Scotland PA never lets you forget that this is a tragedy. Moving the story from the lofty climbs of a Scottish castle to a Podunk small town humanizes Mcbeth‘s inhumanity, making it easier for us to connect with the story. This common folk touch brings home the essential message of Mcbeth in a way that the “royal” tale lacks, because it’s always more tragic when average people with a dream become cold-blooded killers.
The contemporary soundtrack allows us to embrace the 1970s sensibilities, and at the same time says something about the McDonald’s culture, so soon to descend upon the nation’s unsuspecting masses.
So if the big screen productions of Macbeth tend to leave you wanting more - well, just stop by Mcbeth’s Drive-Thru…
So if the big screen productions of Macbeth tend to leave you wanting more - well, just stop by Mcbeth’s Drive-Thru…
COPYRIGHT 2012/2022. Paulette Reynolds. All CineMata Movie Madness blog articles, reviews, faux interviews, commentary, and the Cine Mata character are under the sole ownership of Paulette Reynolds. All intellectual and creative rights reserved.
