Hamlet Movie Comparison

Shakespeare’s Hamlet is not only one of the most widely read plays in modern society, it also serves as the basis for numerous film adaptations. Among the more famous adaptations are Laurence Olivier’s 1948 adaptation, Kenneth Brannagh’s uncut Hamlet which opened in 1996, and Franco Zefferelli’s 1990 version which featured Hollywood stars Mel Gibson and Glenn Close. Although Zefferelli’s film captured the hearts of audiences with his seductive, action-packed, star-studded cast, his creative liberties with the staging and cutting of scenes leads to a less sympathetic portrayal of Hamlet.

Though there are various scenes that haven’t been accurately depicted in Zefferelli’s film, a pivotal similarity between the play and the film comes in the

How stand I then,

That have a father killed, a mother stained,

Excitements of my reason and my blood,

And let all sleep—while, to my shame, I see

The imminent death of twenty thousand men,

That for a fantasy and trick of fame

Go to their graves like beds, fight for a plot

Whereon the numbers cannot try the cause,

Which is not tomb enough and continent

To hide the slain? Oh, from this time forth,

My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth!” (4.4,31-34)

By removing this scene from the screenplay, Hamlet’s actions appear to be born from madness, rashness, and immaturity, rather than a well-thought out play which he needed to execute to protect his family’s good name. This leaves the audience to judge the character rather than being able to understand and identify with Hamlet despite his seemingly extreme behaviour.

A fundamental difference in Zefferelli’s Hamlet is in his staging of Act 3 scene 4. Unlike the stage directions in the play, Zefferelli directs an intimate kiss where Hamlet is seen thrusting his pelvis towards his mother. This staging adds an incestous undertone to their relationship which leads viewers to question Hamlet’s motives for killing Claudius. Specifically, with this additional staging between Hamlet and Gertrude, the audience can easily assume that Hamlet wants to kill Claudius out of jealousy of his relationship with his mother. Hamlet’s motives are ambiguous which leads viewers to see him