Could it be or could it not be? That is the question. Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet was indeed the first uncut film version of Shakespeare’s masterpiece. It was set in a generic 19th century European setting that kept a modern and ancient look from distracting the content. The production design was eye-catching during each and every scene, which was a necessity to include, seeing as though it was a four-hour film. I felt as though Branagh accomplished the heavy task of making it a movie rather than a version of the play. Kenneth Branagh in his 1996 film Hamlet, uses mise-en-scene to characterize Hamlet’s sword, Yorick’s skull, and Hamlet’s dagger in order to carefully utilize and depict the tragedies that took place during Shakespeare’s play. …show more content…
Kenneth Branagh carefully thought out where and when actors were going to speak, move, and blink meanwhile he carefully thought out the props that were going to be included in each scene in order to make such an exhilarating film. From the costumes, to the actors themselves, to the lighting set for each and every scene, mise-en-scene is a very important part of the film. Without a carefully constructed setting, you may have yourself one confusing film! Directing a film that is depicting a play from the 16th century is difficult to do when the budget is limited however, Branagh nearly perfected it. Mise-en-scene also gives you a sense of Branagh’s perspective of Shakespeare’s play because although the content follows the original text, the film is directed based on his vision. For example, the colors of the costumes, the actors, and the decisions made as to when and where to include certain props, were all up to …show more content…
Once the word got around that Hamlet killed Polonius, people would start second guessing whom to trust and disasters would start to occur. A sword was very common to have and it was becoming more and more dangerous as it was being used to commit murder. I do not believe that it was a coincidence that the 'sword challenge ' at the end of the play, led to the death of Hamlet and Laertes. A sword that was poisoned by King Claudius killed them both. The sword also represented irony due to the fact that Hamlet 'tried ' to kill Claudius with his, yet Hamlet ended up dead because of a sword that Claudius poisoned. This scene was successfully filmed thanks to Kenneth Branagh and his use of
In conclusion, the mise-en-scene and its elements are very important decisions that are needed to make a good film. If a film was lacking figure expression and movement actors would be nothing more than stick people with blank expressions and very limited movement. The sets and props used in films would be boring or generic if no decisions were made regarding it and the same goes for costumes and makeup. Without these elements, without mise-en-scene, Chaplin’s film Modern Times, and every other film would be complete and total dud and little to none of the emotions the film would try to evoke would come
1. In this specific version of Hamlet there are various characters that demonstrate an exaggerative and dramatic persona; Brain Blessed chose to interpret the role of the ghost in the traditional eerie, spooky, and mysterious manner. He does this by being portrayed as a reoccurring pale figure that is only visible to certain people (the traditional characteristics for a ghost). Also he does this by deepening his voice to sound more frightening. In my opinion, I do not think that the performance of the apparition was believable in any scenes in which it appeared simply because I do not think that something that does not exist in reality can be displayed realistically. Moreover and in contrast, I believe
father's death, then Laertes, Polonius' son, arrives on the scene enraged. and ready to kill Hamlet for what he's done, and just when you thought. things couldn't get any worse, unbeknownst to Hamlet, Claudius has been. plotting to kill him. Talk about your bad days. & nbsp; A duel takes place between Hamlet and Laertes where Laertes, using a poison-tipped sword, cuts Hamlet, thus giving way to his impending. death. Hamlet eventually gets hold of the sword and kills Laertes, then.
Originally titled The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke, this tragedy has been reproduced more times than any other play written by William Shakespeare (en.wikipedia.org 1 of 9). Prince Hamlet also has the lengthiest appearance of any character in all of Shakespeare's plays (en.wikpedia.org 6 of 9). In the play, Prince Hamlet is caught between balancing his need to avenge his father's death, dealing with the disgust he felt for Gertrude and Claudius' love affair, and maintaining the relationship he has with Ophelia without exposing his plans to kill his uncle Claudius for the murder of King Hamlet.
Although each movie has its own identity, there are some specific elements of the mise-en-scene that are apparent throughout every film. Some movies are better able to represent there elements such as the wardrobe, imagery, camera work and casting. After going through the main parts of each Hamlet film in my opinion the Hamlet by Kenneth Branagh was the most successful and the least successful was Almereyda’s version with Ethan Hawke. It didn’t seem like it would appeal to most Hamlet viewers. The element of the mise-en-scene stack up for Branagh’s Hamlet and makes it the best one. Hamlet has come a long way since first being written and these movies have only pushed it in a forward direction for many generations to enjoy.
In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Hamlet the king of Denmark is murdered by his brother, Claudius, and as a ghost tells his son, Hamlet the prince of Denmark, to avenge him by killing his brother. The price Hamlet does agree to his late father’s wishes, and undertakes the responsibility of killing his uncle, Claudius. However even after swearing to his late father, and former king that he would avenge him; Hamlet for the bulk of the play takes almost no action against Claudius. Prince Hamlet in nature is a man of thought throughout the entirety of the play; even while playing mad that is obvious, and although this does seem to keep him alive, it is that same trait that also keeps him from fulfilling his father’s wish for vengeance
Different adaptations of William Shakespeare’s works have taken various forms. Through the creative license that artists, directors, and actors take, diverse incarnations of his classic works continue to arise. Gregory Doran’s Hamlet and Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet bring William Shakespeare’s work by the same title to the screen. These two film adaptations take different approaches in presenting the turmoil of Hamlet. From the diverging takes on atmosphere to the characterization of the characters themselves, the many possible readings of Hamlet create the ability for the modification of the presentation and the meaning of the play itself. Doran presents David Tenant as Hamlet in a dark, eerie, and minimal setting; his direction highlighting the
During class we have reviewed many versions of the play Hamlet. The two movie versions that I chose to compare on the play Hamlet are the David Tennant version and the Kenneth Branagh version. I chose these two versions because these were the two that most interested me. I believe that some scenes from each movie were better than the other, but overall I liked these two versions just as equally. The three main scenes that stood out to me that I will be comparing are ‘Ophelia’s Mad Scene’, the ‘Hamlet Kills Polonius’ scene, and Hamlet’s ‘To be or not to be’ scene.
Another similarity in the play is the fact that both Laertes and Hamlet died by the poisoned tip of the same sword. Laertes and Hamlet were the last two to die. This completed the circle of everyone that had been directly involved in the disgraceful scandal had died. [SS] The poison killed the King, Queen, Hamlet, and Laertes, Polonius was killed by Ha...
William Shakespeare was a very famous English poet, playwright, and actor. One of the famous plays that he wrote was “Hamlet”. Hamlet is a very famous play and many play writers or directors interpret Shakespeare’s play differently. A Great scene to compares is Act5 scene 2. The two films that will be compared are “Hamlet” from 1996 directed by Kenneth Branagh and “Hamlet” from 2009 directed by Gregory Doran. The two different directors took the same play and made it reflect their own interpretation. The films are very different, but similar in many ways. “Hamlet” from 1996 directed by Kenneth Branagh and “Hamlet” from 2009 directed by Gregory Doran both use the theme guilt. The theme of guilt will be explain through the comparison of how Gertrude
Hamlet the movie starts out differently. It starts out with the funeral for King Hamlet with Gertrude standing beside the coffin. Hamlet sprinkles dust over his father?s dead body. The coffin is then covered and Claudius, Old Hamlet?s brother, places his sword over the coffin and Gertrude cries. The second difference is the way the scene is with the player?s putting o...
Finally we arrive at the sword match between Hamlet and Laertes. Hamlet is unaware of Claudius’ poisoned goblet and the poisoned tip of Laertes’ sword. When Laertes cuts Hamlet, he makes the choice to stab Laertes, who would see him dead as well.
The king forbade Fortinbras to wage an attack against Denmark, and instead suggested he attack the Poles to vent his anger. Fortinbras agreed to the plan, but had no intentions of following it. Polonius was King Hamlet’s advisor and the father of Ophelia and Laertes, both of whom respected and loved him, despite his arrogant demeanour. Young Hamlet murdered Polonius accidentally, thinking him to be the king eves dropping on a conversation between Hamlet and his mother. "How now! A rat? Dead, for a ducat, dead!" Laertes returned home immediately after hearing of his father's death and confronted the King, accusing him of the murder of his father. Once Claudius told Laertes that Hamlet was responsible for his father's death, he and Claudius concoct a scheme to kill Hamlet using a poison tipped sword. "…Hamlet, thou art slain…The treacherous instrument is in thy, unbated and envenom'd…" Hamlet does indeed die as a result of wounds inflicted by Laertes, but it is the poisoned tipped sword that causes the demise of Laertes as well.
Throughout Shakespeare's play Hamlet, the main character; Hamlet displays his contemplative side and his sexual deviancy wrapped up in his enigmatic character that makes for a thought provoking play with many interesting twists and turns to keep the reader on their toes. Hamlet’s creative character allows for the viewer and the characters in the play alike to search deeper into the meaning of Hamlet’s words hoping find something more about Hamlet than meets the eye. As for Hamlet’s sexual deviancy, his dirty jokes and interest in his mother’s sex life are just another loop Shakespeare employs to get the reader engrossed and slightly disgusted in the story. Hamlet’s philosophical and contemplative side involves the reader in Hamlet's quest to find and accept the whole truth however hopeless it is, due to Hamlet’s love of questions that cannot be answered with certainty.
In writing Hamlet, William Shakespeare plumbed the depths of the mind of the protagonist, Prince Hamlet, to such an extent that this play can rightfully be considered a psychological drama.