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Movie Review
Shakespeare's Hamlet is a drama which derives from a legendary story of 1th century. Hamlet is a Danish prince who seeks revenge for his father's death. Hamlet is a play of questions reflecting the issues of love, revenge, friendship and trust. Hamlet delivers unpredictable story which is fairly common in many of Shakespeare's plays.
After reading and viewing different adaptations of Hamlet we can deduce the different interpretations of the play. Every adaptation is different and unique from the other adaptations. After reading Hamlet, edited by A.R. Braunmuller and viewing two adoptions directed by Richardson (16) and Almereyda (000), the most challenging character to analyze seems to be Hamlet himself.
It is always interesting to watch a film adaptation of something that you previously read and you just visualized in your head. As every writer pictures his character differently while writing, every actor performs differently according this his qualities. The same it appears to be with Hamlet. As Shakespeare did not leave any directions how Hamlet should be dressed or acted, it gives a free hand to directors and actors to perform and interpret the play at their will. Upon seeing the two adaptations you can notice the gradual decrease of dramatization in Almereyda's Hamlet, particularly looking at characters. Richardson Hamlet (Nicol Williamson) is more mature and corresponds better with Braunmuller's Hamlet who is 0 years old 16th century upper-class man who is more melancholic. On the other hand Almereyda's Hamlet (Ethan Hawke) is young around -5 years old uptown college student living in New York who seemed to lose all the nobility of Braunmuller's or Richardson's Hamlet.
The age difference plays a major role in credibility of the character as well as the quality of acting which is in example of Almereyda's Hamlet quite disappointing comparing to Richardson's Hamlet.
In the Act 1, Scenewe can see that Almereyda's Hamlet is more loner than melancholic. The first good contact with Hamlet gets audience at the beginning of the movie where Hamlet returns home from college and goes to his father's funeral and his mother's wedding. Hamlet is portraying an image of young cool, modern independent man equipped with numerous modern gadgets which accompany him throughout the whole movie. You can find this image disturbing rather than supporting the Hamlet's character. Hamlet in this case lost the nobility with which he was predisposed from Shakespeare's original version. In Richardson's Hamlet we get quite different feeling where the character of Hamlet seems to be more settled and solid which leaves us with very united feelings about Hamlet. The film set in this case is darker and does not employ establishing shots. The video technique is simpler, using primarily close-ups and medium shots which allow us to concentrate better on the text than on the visuals. Also the acting is persuasive and helps us to feel the graduate dramatization of the story.
Almereyda's Hamlet left out his first two lines where Hamlet talks to king
"Little more than kin, and less than kind!"
Hamlet's sarcasm establishes the attitude towards the King Claudius, his uncle. In contrast when Hamlet at the end of the Actis left alone on the stage and contemplates his father's death and his mother's wedding in Almereyda's version he is watching his recordings on the TV which helps the current scene to develop visually and makes it more melancholic. In Richardson version Hamlet is left alone on the stage walking around and quoting the lines
"O that this too too sullied flesh would melt …"
Even though Richardson's Hamlet seems to be more "simple", his facial expressions help the viewer imagine what he feels at that particular moment.
One of the interesting modernizations of Hamlet in Almereyda's movie is repositioning of the Scene 1 Act 1 where Horatio, Marcelus and Bernardo see the ghost. This big change might at first seem to be confusing but as the movie progresses you find this scene as series of flashbacks while Hamlet meets Horatio, Marcelus and Bernardo who tell him about ghost (Scene ). This becomes very nicely incorporated in the context and gives you a feel of watching one of the recent movies.
Richardson's Hamlet is more conservative and follows the original play script, which again lays importance on acting.
One of the main differences you might encounter while watching different adaptations of Hamlet is the Scene 4 and that is the encounter of Hamlet and Ghost. In Richardson's Hamlet this is done quite dramatically where Hamlet accompanied by Horatio, Bernardo and Marcelus go to show Hamlet the ghost. Hamlet opposes Horatio about the idea of following the ghost
"It will not speak. Then I will follow it."
As the scene's tension graduates Hamlet makes an attempt with sword to push away Horatio, saying
"Hold off your hands"
This scene in Almereyda's Hamlet is left out and the movie progresses quite peacefully without any disturbance. Hamlet is in his apartment sleeping when all sudden he is woken up by a ringing phone and as he gets up he sees his father's ghost standing on the balcony. While watching this scene you do not get the horrifying impression of this encounter because the ghost is very human-like. Richardson decided that this scene will take place in the catacombs where Hamlet follows the bright light of the ghost. And we get the feeling that this ghost is something unnatural and extraterrestrial.
Almereyda's Hamlet acting is again questionable, where he appears to have the same expression throughout the whole scene. In both Braunmuller's Hamlet, Almereyda's Hamlet it is mentioned that Hamlet has doubts about the ghost (Act , Scene )
"… Observe my uncle. If his occulted guilt
Do not itself unkennel in one speech,
It is a damned ghost we have seen …"
Almereyda's Hamlet first hugs the ghost and appears to fully trust him, but then he questions the ghost's credibility. This shift from the original script can create a level of controversy and confusion for the viewer.
On the other hand in Richardson's Hamlet you do not see this kind of personalization of between ghost and Hamlet. Ghost is portrayed as a bright light in Hamlet's face and the viewer is left only with the ghost's voice. Richardson's Hamlet acting seemed more appropriate than Almereyda's Hamlet.
What is most important about this scene that in Richardson's Hamlet we see the development of Hamlet's madness after the ghost's speech when hamlet leans on the wall and with his knife he writes on the wall
"So, uncle, there you are. Now to my word
It is 'Audieu, audieu, remember me.'
I have sworn't."
Hamlet is saying these lines while writing and stabbing the wall as a symbol of his revenge and uncle's death. This part is left out in Almereyda's Hamlet and does not even give a hint about Hamlet's madness
Hamlet's most famous soliloquy
"To be or not to bethat is the question;" (Act , Scene 1)
In Richardson's Hamlet it is delivered in bed. Hamlet is laying down contemplating his death while citing famous lines. Richardson did not use any background music to emphasize the current Hamlet's emotions, which works very good and it allows us to focus on Hamlet's speech. Bed in this case symbolizes a grave where he will or will not want to see himself. Cuts are primarily slow with main focus on Hamlet's face which gives it a nice flow.
In Almereyda's Hamlet the situation is quite different. Establishing shot of a tall building colored in red and covered in dawn sets the mood for something mysterious and miserable. Then it switches to shot of Hamlet in Blockbuster video store, where Hamlet walks between the aisles while images from "The Crow" are flashing on the TV in the back. This quite unusual setup gives a feeling of a cemetery or could be seen as a metaphor for coffins, which gives the viewer the option of free interpretation.
Remarkable difference viewer can encounter is in ActScene 5 where Hamlet violently comes to his mother's room. Hamlet is rude to her and mentions her incestuous marriage to Claudius and tells her that she offended his father and kills hiding Polonius
"Mother you have my father much offended."
In Almereyda's version Hamlet is violent and better shows the drama of this particular scene by using lot of gestures which gives us an idea that Hamlet is mad and looks down at his mother for what she did. As a latest adaption of Hamlet in this version Polonius is killed by gun does not really differ from Richardson's version except the scene setup. The major difference is the way Polonius was killed. Richardson's Hamlet stabbed in stomach and in Almereyda's Hamlet shot in the head. Almereyda's Hamlet is more bloody and violent which helps to graduate the dramatization of this particular scene.
Richardson Hamlet on the other hand is more emotional and melancholic. He shows his emotions through the tears while crying in the arms of his mother. This sudden changes in Hamlet's behavior reflect his madness and makes it easier for the viewer to see.
Another great scene from Hamlet is Act 5 Scene 1 where two gravediggers (clowns) are digging out Ophelia's grave and discussing the fact that Ophelia's drowned herself and therefore should not receive a Christina burial.
This scene is left out in Almereyda's Hamlet which does not have any significant impact on the story. Richardson's Hamlet on the other hand employs only one gravedigger so the discussion is left out again. Hamlet accompanied by Horatio approach gravedigger with a line
"Whose grave's this, sirrah?"
The scene is set up at night in a foggy environment which adds to the morbidity dusk of the cemetery.One of the most interesting shots in the whole play is profile shot of Hamlet holding the skull in one hand and talking to it. Black background and deep focus add to the gravity of the scene.
On the hand this whole part is left out in Almereyda's Hamlet and it begins with Hamlet and Horatio arrive at the cemetery while the funeral is already in process. The coffin with Ophelia's body in it is already put in the grave while Leartes is standing by her grave. This scene is set during the day, which lightens the mood of the scene. A deep profound music in the background helps the scene to develop more dramatic slope.
A moment in Almereyda version is very surprising, when Hamlet sees Leartes kneeling in the grave he walks up to him a gives him a hand. But what becomes even more striking is the fact, which after Leartes gets out of the grave he simply walks away seemingly ignoring the fact that the murder of his father and reason of Ophelia's death is standing right in front of him. While walking away Hamlet seems to be more assertive this time and verbally attacks Leartes with his passage
"I loved Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers
Could not with all their quantities of love
Make up my sum. What wilt thou do for her?"
"'Swounds, show me what thou't do.
Woo't weep? Woo't fight? Woo't fast? Woo't tear thyself?
Woo't drink up easel? Eat a crocodile?
I'll do't. Dost come here to whine?"
Only after this, Leartes cannot resist anymore and pushes Hamlet down the hill which supplements for the fight, which in Braunmuller's and Richardson's Hamlet occurred in the grave. Although this was not a major shift from the original script it still had an affect on both characters. The switch of these two events had an impact on Leartes character where he no longer had the picture of strong solid man who is willing to do anything in a name of justice and to revenge his father's and sister's death. He became a coward who broke down and is not able to take an immediate action against his enemy anymore.
In Richardson's Hamlet the situation is different. Upon arriving on the scene Hamlet jumps in the grave together with Leartes. Hamlet is the first one who starts the fight. Shortly after they are separated after King's request
"Pluck them asunder."
In this case it made Hamlet and Leartes look, that they fight for what they truly believe in. They did not lack impulsiveness in their actions, which on the other hand made it even more interesting to watch.
Final scene of Act 5 Scenein Almereyda's Hamlet was done fairly good. This part takes place on the top of a tall building which sets a nice scenario for the match to happen. Here it begins with a fencing match .You can hear a repetitive tune in the background which suits this moment accordingly creating a pleasant scene setup. After second hit, King approaches Hamlet with a glass of wine when suddenly Gertrude gets in his way to wipe Hamlet's face with a napkin. She suspects the poison in the glass and drinks it to save Hamlet. This doesn't last too long before Leartes pulls a gun on Hamlet a shoots him. After a short fight another shot is fired and Leartes is dying. There are only few comments that one could make about the color of the blood which is more orange then red which affects the credibility of the situation. Another thing is a moment when Hamlet shoots King several times while the King has no bullet marks on this suit which makes one question" From where is King bleeding?"
In Richardson's version Hamlet is little comedian during the fencing match which makes it appear more as a match then a fight for life. The situation does not seem to be too dense. In this version the queen does not suspect the poison in the wine which makes her look littler more naïve then in Almereyda's Hamlet. Everybody around is having good time and except king and Leartes nobody suspects anything. An odd moment comes when queen is poisoned and the ladies who are right next to her hold her while laughing and smiling which you might find very strange and inappropriate. Hamlet after being him stabs the King and forces him to drink the poisoned drink. King falls on the table dead. This final fight between Hamlet and King leaves the viewer persuaded that Hamlet was really willing to fight for his father's death and ends with a shot of dead Hamlet laying on the floor, while the pictures fades out.
Both adaptation of Hamlet had stronger and weaker points which were analyzed throughout different scenes and instances. There are always going to be differences in adaptations because that is what makes the Shakespeare's play Hamlet so unique. No specific directions and instructions how to perform this play, restrict the imagination of a director who decides for such a secret theme as Hamlet to come alive in a film. Hamlet we you can see can be acting and explained in numerous ways for which the actor can decide. It is an open character which allows for modification and development of the beauty of the character. Nonetheless both movies can be very strongly suggested for viewing because both of them have a story to tell.
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