Comparing Ghost Scenes Of Hamlet By Branagh And Mel Gibson

Almost everything is different when comparing the ghost scenes of Kenneth Branagh and Mel Gibson takes’ on Hamlet. Two similarities are Hamlet’s clothing and the characters’ names remain the same. While both films are good in their own lights, there is clearly a more appealing film for a shakespeare amature much like myself. The Mel Gibson version of Hamlet appeals to me the most as of now because of the setting, acting, and understanding.

The Branagh version is set in a more modern day setting, but still uses the same language as Medieval Times. This is confusing because the setting does not fit with the dialogue and the puzzle pieces do not go together in my head perfectly. Mel Gibson’s version is set in the Medieval Times, so the language fits a lot better in my perspective. The ghost scene was in a wooded area in the Branagh production. I did not like this because there was way too much going on and it was hard to focus on what was being said. Hamlet is shown running through the woods while speaking extremely fast. This also just seems unrealistic because I

can barely breathe and run at the same time, let alone speak in a fast manner. Gibson’s version had Hamlet inside of the castle which was more effective in my opinion because there was only the ghost, Hamlet, and stone to focus on.
The actor playing Hamlet in Gibson’s version seemed more genuine and realistic compared to Barnagh himself.

Barnagh changed his emotions way too quickly, but that could just go along with talking fast. Barnagh also just seemed way too angry the whole time he was talking to the ghost. Gibson’s Hamlet was great at showing the right emotion at the appropriate time. Branagh's ghost is not believable. Although Barnagh may be trying to influence the audience to believe Hamlet is simply mad, the ghost is too distant toward his own son during the scene. Gibson’s ghost showed so much emotion you could feel his heart shatter as tears flowed out of his sunken eyes. The last comparison of the ghosts is that Branagh's ghost is wearing armor, while Gibson’s ghost was in normal clothing for the time period. I think the clothing choice of Gibson was better because King Hamlet died while napping, not when he was

battling.
The last difference is how they are understood by the audience. Branagh's Hamlet includes almost all of the original lines from Shakespeare. This would be considered a good thing if you loved shakespeare and knew what all of the lines meant. However, I only understand very little Shakespearean, especially when they are talking so fast. Gibson’s version only includes important lines necessary for the plot, which I think is more effective for an audience that may not know that much about Shakespeare.
I believe that Mel Gibson’s production of Hamlet during the ghost scene is superior to Kenneth Branagh's’ version because of the setting, acting, and understanding. The two movies are similar in the way that Hamlet is in all black in both and the characters still have their original names. With my knowledge and opinions I favor Gibson’s version more than Branagh’s because of the acting and setting, but mostly because I understand it more than Branagh’s version.