Film Analysis Of Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet

Kenneth Branagh encountered an extremely difficult challenge when he began to refashion one of the greatest plays of all time, Hamlet, into film. Despite this challenge, Branagh was hugely successful in bringing his vision for Hamlet to life. It is obvious that Branagh greatly respects and admires Hamlet, so much so that he created an unabridged film of the play. This translated to the film having an uncut running time of four hours and two minutes (IMDb, n.d.). In addition to directing the film, Branagh skillfully portrays the role of Hamlet himself. Branagh brings a true sense of reality to the story of Hamlet with his superb use of visual effects, his dedication to the story of Hamlet, and his clear understanding of who and what Hamlet is.

Though it is unclear whether or not Ophelia and Hamlet had sex in the play, it is decided in the movie they did. Through this, Branagh places more of an emphasis on Hamlet and Ophelia’s relationship than the play does. Ophelia seems to be, in general, more of a sexual creature in the film than she does in the play. Even Ophelia’s brother and father seem to have a borderline peculiar attachment to Ophelia and her virginity. Ophelia’s madness is also emphasized as she is locked away and put in a straightjacket. Indeed, Ophelia’s character as a whole seems to be emphasized more in the film than in the play. This is a contrast to Gertrude, whose character, though small even in the play, seems to be deemphasized further. Throughout the film Gertrude is there, but is not really a presence in the room until she speaks. Perhaps this is the way Shakespeare meant her to be, though she is clearly a key character to the

Branagh embodies the mad Hamlet with strange laughs, quick quips, and grand gestures. Branagh portrays Hamlet as violent in his feigned madness, especially towards Gertrude and Ophelia, whom he throws about like rag dolls. This reaches a peak when Hamlet releases a chandelier on Claudius before poisoning him. While there are some small discrepancies between the play and the film, overall the film follows the play extremely closely, and these discrepancies are easily overlooked as the film as a whole is so well executed. This not only showcases Branagh’s dedication and respect for Hamlet but also his understanding of