I think that Hamlet’s monologue after the performance is
very important. Especially, the last moment when he hits that little miniature
figure of the king. It is an interesting way to show how Hamlet is very much in
control of the situation and he knows exactly what to do to revenge on
Claudius. Branagh did an excellent job expressing all the emotions and feelings
that the character has at this point, and that’s why it was very entertaining to
watch that scene. Hamlet starts to lose control, and he seems to be really
angry at himself because he is not doing enough to find out the truth about the
death of his father. When he starts to hit all the objects in the room, the
audience starts to wonder whether Hamlet is still in control or if he is going
crazy.
Another moment that I would focus on is when Hamlet talks to
all the actors in the room. There were
lots of tracking shots and the camera was rotating around and was following
Hamlet. This spinning makes people dizzy and sick, and the audience does not
understand what is going on. It was probably intentional, because the director
wanted to show how mentally unstable Hamlet is. Basically, the audience saw the
world through Hamlet’s eyes. I also noticed how fake and empty were all the
actors. They were just pretending to be amused and entertained, because of
Hamlet’s position. They looked like some robots that were programmed to smile,
laugh and clap when it was necessary. It is also an important moment when you
talk about the “Pretense & Performance” theme.
I did not like the performance that Hamlet was so inspired
by to plot against Claudius. It was way too long, and the flashbacks were not
even that interesting. It was just a poor woman crying the whole time. I counted
every single wrinkle on her face before the director finally decided to show
the audience something more entertaining. I would also cut a few a moments from
the conversation between Hamlet and his friends. I don’t think that it was
necessary to quote the whole play, even though it is very interesting because Hamlet
is literally performing.
In my opinion, Zeffirelli’s version is a lot more accurate and realistic. In Branagh’s adaptation there were lots of unnecessary parts and I appreciated that Zeffirelli was not afraid to cut lots of moments that were not that important to the story. Zeffirelli skipped this whole part about the people in the castle greeting the actors after their arrival. Instead of that, Zeffirelli decided to have Hamlet standing by the window and looking at the actors on the street. That’s the moment when the prince of Denmark thought about the plan to revenge on Claudius. Also, the costumes of the actors and their appearances in general were not how I was picturing them. It did change my mind, because I realized that, indeed, their jobs are not that profitable. In Branagh’s adaptation these people looked like Hollywood’s most profitable actors, which is not realistic.
ReplyDeleteI did not like that in both Branagh’s and Zeffirelli’s adaptation Polonius’s speech was way too long. He says silly jokes and makes unnecessary statements, and in my opinion, it would have been better if the director got rid of this part.
I liked how Zeffirelli cut those flashbacks from the Trojan War. Again, they were too long and they did not add much to the story. He also made a wise decision, by not making Hamlet recite the lines from the play in front of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. I also, did not like the way Zeffirelli portrayed the relationship between Hamlet and his friends. He hit them and was really angry at them. I portrayed it not that brutal and scary. But I changed my mind after I saw this moment, because Zeffirelli’s version of the conversation between friends was more realistic. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern finally remembered Hamlet after such a long time and that looks very suspicious. I can understand why Hamlet is so disappointed with their behavior.
You describe relevant details from each version of the film and explain what you would keep and cut well. Make connections to the play's meaning whenever possible. What theme did Zeffirelli's decision to show Hamlet watching the player's emphasize more effectively than Branagh's version? Why is a higher sense of realism better than more theatrical version of the film? You're on the cusp of having really strong entries.
DeleteYou have a good initial entry. Connect each element of it to the key themes of the play. You make such connections well in the first part of the entry but not as clearly in the second part. Be as specific as you can. Which lines from the Hamlet and the players' exchange would you keep?
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