Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet 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 the direction accomplished the heavy task of making it a movie rather than a version of the play. The majority of Hamlet is based on interior monologue and lacks intense battles, which makes it a tad more challenging for the director, however Branagh seemed to put the nail in the coffin with each and every decision he made for this film. Branagh’s Hamlet was the first uncut film version of Shakespeare’s masterpiece. In my opinion, his dedication to the original text was greatly appreciated. It helped the play tremendously by coming to life on the screen, making it easier for the viewers that were holding the text while watching. This enabled them to analyze the text without any confusion. This film gave a unique feel to the story in general. Branagh’s performance of Act IV scene iv soliloquy is filled with suspense as the camera slowly pulls back as the intensity grows. It is one of those scenes that makes it hard for you to sit still with a blank expression on your face. All in all, this version of Hamlet contains some brilliant performances by …show more content…
In return, the viewers had to put in a little effort themselves, in order to benefit from the play, which was enough to keep them interested throughout the entire play. Overall, the quality of the film was very impressive based on the context and I was surprised that it didn’t look too old! I believe that Shakespeare himself would have been extremely proud of Branagh and the way he chose to interpret the play within his
What can we say about Hamlet that has not being said before? Almost nothing and we do not consider ourselves worthy of even commenting on such an incredible play. What we can say for sure is that its tragic tones still serve as a referent for the modern theater. The play has approximately 4,000 lines, and since the story is tightly knit, it is hard to choose parts to cull, as it has to be done carefully in order to the play keep its original meaning. In the same way, it will depend on which format we are planning on presenting the play, if it will be presented at a theater, we might keep closer to the original. On the other hand, if the cuts would have to be done for a movie, we would have to cull it severely, so it fits the timeframe.
Modern day directors use a variety of methods to hold ones interest. Ethan Hawke and Kenneth Branagh’s created versions of Hamlet that shared some similarities, but ultimately had many differences in respects to an audience’s appeal. An appealing movie is one that has an alluring ambiance and an intellectual stimulus. With these two movie versions, a setting and a mood forced an audience to acquire specific emotions, but Ethan Hawke’s version generated emotions more strongly and effectively. Also, these movies had extremely different uses of music and visuals, but both movie versions incorporated them well for the ambiance it tried to obtain. Finally, both movie versions drew characters to captivate the audience; however in Ethan Hawke’s version, the characters were used so effectively that it was easy to feel involved with them. While both these versions of Hamlet had a captivating ambiance, Ethan Hawke’s version was more appealing due to the intellectual incentive that it offered.
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.
The difference between the setting shows how modern the Kenneth Branagh version of Hamlet is compared to the Mel Gibson version of Hamlet. One of the difference between the two films is the setting and time period. Mel Gibson version of Hamlet is set in a dark and medieval time castle during the 19th century. Kenneth Branagh's movie of Hamlet was set in 19th century making the setting of the castle more of a luxurious modern palace. For instance, In Act 4 Scene 4 during Hamlet’s soliloquy, Hamlet is seen in a setting full of snow in which he emphasize his anger towards the world and Claudius, “How all occasions do inform against me, And spur my dull revenge! What is a man if his chief good and market of his time be but to sleep and feed? A beast, no more.”(4.4. 31-34). The lighting of the movie plays a major role in the production of the film because it demonstrates emotions and feelings from the characters. For instance, in Hamlet starring Mel Gibson the lighting was adjusted to make the scenes darker to show sadness and grief. However in the Branagh version of hamlet the lighting was fairly bri...
Hamlet the Play and the Movie Hamlet by William Shakespeare is a story about a king that was murdered by his brother and the prince has been asked by his father?s ghost to avenge his murder. The original story line has been altered a few times since it has been written. The original Hamlet the play and the altered Hamlet the movie are shown differently in many different ways. Hamlet the movie with Mel Gibson shows different things than the play, but there are three major differences between the two. The three major differences are in the way both of the productions start out, differences in the scene that the players put on a play, and differences in the way the productions end.
It is said that Shakespeare wrote plays, not scripts. His work was meant to be read aloud and not just read. This became apparent while I watching the BBC 's 2009 version of Hamlet. I choose this version because the director Gregory Doran put a modern twist on the classic tale. The director’s display of contemporary technology, dress, and presentation of relationships enhanced the idea that Hamlet’s madness was simply a dramatic act.
William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is one of the most produced plays of all time. Written during the height of Shakespeare’s fame—1600—Hamlet has been read, produced, and researched by more individuals now than during Shakespeare’s own lifetime. It is has very few stage directions, because Shakespeare served as the director, even though no such official position existed at the time. Throughout its over 400 years of production history, Hamlet has seen several changes. Several textual cuts have been made, in addition to the liberties taken through each production. In recent years, Hamlet has seen character changes, plot changes, gender role reversals, alternate endings, time period shifts, and thematic alternations, to name only a few creative liberties modern productions of Hamlet have taken.
An orchestral background that enters the scene halfway through, as if to add emphasis to the point that Hamlet was driving toward, cheapens the scene even more. David Tennant’s approach to the scene is the opposite of the Branagh interpretation. Tennant’s Hamlet in a manner in which he is isolated and the only audio that the audience hears is the actor’s voice, in addition to a slow, detached speech pattern during the recital of the lines that Branagh seemingly sped through without necessary pause. Tennant’s version connects with the audience in a more real way, making the onlooker feel as if he or she could be in Hamlet’s position and the weight that he feels in that moment.
Shakespeare's Hamlet has been adopted to the screen many times, each with its own interpretation of the dialogue. The directors Kenneth Branagh and Michael Almereyda both bring the words of Shakespeare to life with vivid and original settings, costumes, and personalities. Of course they both attempt to convey different moods and tones. Branagh's on-screen version is very traditional as it is set in the 1800's and every word of Shakespeare's is included verbatim. On the other hand, Almereyda presents the world a completely modern version of the famous play complete with cell phones, laptops, guns, and your mundane company take-over!
Hamlet, one of the most intricate and influential plays by Shakespeare, debatably of all time. It has inspired not only appreciative readers and writing critiques but continuous generations of people. The inspiration led to the fabrication of many great movies, which wasn’t achievable until the 20th century. Before cinema was the prevalent method of sharing appreciation and spilling emotion for a specific subject, art portrayed what would fly through our minds such as the many interpretations of Ophelia’s death. With the imagery put into motion we can try and pick apart how certain people might view the play being portrayed and choose what best suits our expectation of this tragedy. Other things that only film has been able to present to us is the various camera angles, a setting that isn’t restricted to a stage and an audience that can be reached anywhere in the world. Also who is casted and how they will be dressed is crucial to the success of the movie although sometimes overlooked during the production process. Some movies represent these elements of mise-en-scene in an excellent matter such as the Kenneth Branagh version of Hamlet, while others would seem to disappoint my expectations for a great re-visualization of our suicidal hero like Micheal Almereyda’s Hamlet staring Ethan Hawke. Admirably though every Hamlet film to date has its own unique style, something that will please all audiences, with its unique pros and cons.
How does the use of comic relief best contrast the tragedy of Hamlet? In great works of literature a comic relief is used as contrast to a serious scene to intensify the overall tragic nature of the play or to relieve tension. As illustrated in Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet, intense scenes are joined with character’s banter and vacuous actions as to add a comic relief. In Hamlet, Polonius acts as a comic relief by his dull and windy personality, Hamlet uses his intelligence and his negativity toward the king and queen to create humor, while on the other hand Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are a comic relief by their senseless actions and naïve natures. Polonius, Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are all used as a comic relief to increase the ultimate tragic nature of the play.
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
There have been numerous remarks of William Shakespeare’s most celebrated drama Hamlet. Almereyda managed to make Hamlet a theoretical play, into an intense, action-driven movie without losing much of the initial tragic atmosphere of the original play. The play Hamlet focuses strictly on the state of Denmark on the original Elsinore castle, however Michael Almereyda was able to modernize the movie to New York City. In many ways I think that the modernized version of Hamlet is easier to appreciate but in review that diminishes the play’s “greatness,” in my personal opinion.
A home is a place to call one’s own. It is used for social interactions, shelter, and daily human maintenance. Houses also play a role in social structure. A person can be defined by the type of house they have because it symbolizes their income. This rule is active in modern and ancient civilizations. In Rome, housing was used to symbolize wealth and power: the bigger the house, the higher the status. Housing has always been a symbol of income and importance. In ancient Rome, this stereotype plays a significant role in society. Housing area and type outlined social classes, thus dividing the roman citizens and emphasizing different social groups.
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.