Comparing Hamlet And Zeffirelli's Movies

The purpose of this report is to compare and contrast two movies made about Hamlet. I will present and discuss different aspects of the version directed by Kenneth Branagh to that of Franco Zefirelli. During this paper you will be presented with my opinions in reference to determining which version of Hamlet best reflects the original text by Shakespeare. I will end this paper with my belief and explanation of which movie is true to the original play.

Hamlet a play written by William Shakespeare is solely revolved around the seeking justice. Hamlet is a tragic play, which involves the Prince of Denmark (Hamlet) seeking revenge for his father’s death. Hamlet was published in the early sixteen hundred’s, and after that there has been a lot of storylines of movies, books, and TV shows that are derived from the play. One of the most similar pieces of work to Hamlet is The Godfather the movie directed by Francis Ford Coppola in 1972. The Godfather is a prominent crime film about a war hero of World War 2 named Michael Corleone, who openly volunteered to take control of his father’s (Vito Corleone) mafia business, after the death of his father and his older brother (Sonny

Kenneth Branagh’s interpretation of Hamlet emphasized different importance's of the play. His version differs from that of Zeffirelli’s because; he makes use of the entire text from Shakespeare’s original work. Branagh also does not hold the time period authentic. Although his version of the play was not altered as much as Zeffirelli’s, he is still able to hold the attention of modern critics and viewers. However, by transfiguring the play into a Victorian background, Branagh’s film completely alters the mindset and feel of a true Shakespearean play.

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.

The play Hamlet by William Shakespeare is about a king that was murdered by his brother and the main character Hamlet, who is the prince and also the king’s son was told by the ghost of his father to avenge his murder. In the play Hamlet, there are many differences compared to the movie “Hamlet 2000” directed by Michael Almereyda. The reason to these differences is to show a modern setting in the movie “Hamlet 2000”, to show the audience a better understanding of the characters, and the difference in the way the movie ends compared to the original play by Shakespeare.

Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a work of immense depth in character development, most notably the personal, moral and psychological battles

Over the course of the past fifty years there have been many cinematic productions of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, some of which remain true to the text while others take greater liberties with the original format. Director Kenneth Branagh’s 1996 production of Hamlet was true to Shakespeare’s work in that the film’s dialogue was delivered word or word as it is presented in the text. In contrast, Franco Zeffirelli conducted his 1990 production of Hamlet in a much more liberal direction in which lines, scenes and characters were omitted from the film. I argue that from the perspective of an individual with moderate knowledge in Shakespearian literature, that the best film versions of Hamlet are those that take the most liberties from the text. I

Franco Zefferelli’s film, Hamlet, adapted from Shakespeare’s text, Mel Gibson’s Hamlet, struts and frets his life in Denmark, convincing almost everyone that he is “mad.” The film bases the question of whether or not Hamlet is actually insane almost solely on Gibson’s acting interpretations, but Zefferelli’s editing choices assist in making the point that Hamlet is not insane, but either in a fog of confusion and anger from his grief, or pretending to be mad to manipulate others.

Shakespeare’s Hamlet has countlessly been formatted into film depictions of the play. Each film seemed to be on one end of the spectrum of either being closely interpreted or completely remodeled a different idea of what Hamlet is. The film version of Hamlet released in 2000 seems to follow closely to the play in some aspects, yet at the same time having its own unique identity Despite there being many differences with the play Hamlet and the film adaptation of Hamlet (2000) by Michael Almereyda there are three categories that really stand out, those are the character portrayal, interrelationship between the characters, and some of the essential themes differ as well. Although there are many differences, one aspect that remains the same is the dialogue of the characters which stays true to the Shakespearean dialect.

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

Shakespeare’s Hamlet is an interesting play in many ways. The character Hamlet is particularly intriguing in regards to his fatal flaw. Hamlet’s fatal flaw is a specific trait that forces him to postpone killing the king and it is this trait that drives Hamlet mad (Shakespeare 1.4.23-38). This Shakespearean tragedy is open to many interpretations of Hamlet’s fatal flaw. Two recent film productions of the play, Kenneth Branaugh’s Hamlet and the Zeffirelli’s Hamlet, each show a different fatal flaw in Hamlet. Branaugh shows his fatal flaw to be that Hamlet over thinks everything. Zeffirelli accentuates the Oepipus Complex in Hamlet meaning that Hamlet is jealous over his mother. Branaugh and Zeffirelli both use different methods to

Throughout the movie I started to see the small factors that played a big role in being similar to Hamlet. As a whole I will explaining the evidence and scenes in the movie as prime examples connected to Hamlet.

Among the myriad of interpretations, two movie versions of the speech caught the audience’s attention. The two versions of the soliloquies present the same materials, however, the Kenneth Branagh version, Hamlet is presented as passionate and contemplative, while the Ethan Hawke version focuses on presenting Hamlet in a depressed, suicidal state. In order to successfully present the stark difference, the producers use various elements, including the setting, along with the presentation of the lines and actions by each actor that contribute to the overall understanding of the speech.

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is by far one of the playwright’s most famous works, not to mention one of the most famous plays of all time. Due to this, many film directors have gone on to make an adaptation of the work, all with varying interpretations. From Michael Almereyda’s modern day New York or Kenneth Branagh’s lavish unabridged masterwork, it is undeniable the impact this piece of literature has had. Director Tony Richardson’s adaptation was, for the most part, based on Richardson’s theatrical adaptation for the show for London’s West End. The movie’s biggest strength is the phenomenal casting, with Nicol Williamson as the titular character and Anthony Hopkins as the villainous King Claudius. While Tony Richardson’s film was a

In this paper, the author first considers issues in psychoanalytic interpretations of literary characters, especially the question of treating the character as fiction (the aesthetic illusion) or as a real person. (Anders 137) In his opinion, he tries to regard Hamlet as a person who Shakespeare created by himself from whom he can show his intuitive and true personality of human to readers. I agree with this statement. As we all know, there are five main parts of a story which are plot, character, conflict, theme, and setting. It is highly common for authors to create a man like author himself who has same hobbies, opinions, even falls in love with same girl. Perhaps, Shakespeare not only crates a brilliant character but also adds his own advantages and disadvantages to this great role called Hamlet.