David Tennant's Hamlet Movie Review

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.

To play one of Shakespeare’s most complex roles successfully on stage or on screen has been the aspiration of many actors. William Shakespeare’s Hamlet has been the focus on various accounts throughout the 20th Century, each actor attempting to bring something unique and unmarked to the focal character. Franco Zeffirelli and Kenneth Branagh, both film directors, introduce varying levels of success on the screen through downright differences in ways of translation and original ideas. Zeffirelli’s much shorter interpretation of the film is able to convey the importance of Hamlet as a masterwork by using modern approaches to film but still capturing the traditional work behind Shakespeare’s well-known play.

The props and costumes the Kenneth Branagh version used are very modern and unique while the Mel Gibson version of Hamlet costumes are more old and traditional. In the Kenneth Branagh version the costumes are very elegant while the costumes worn in the Mel Gibson version is seen more as rags. For instance, Ophelia is seen wearing old rags covering her when she acts insane in Act 4 Scene 5. In the Kenneth Branagh’s film the director uses flashbacks as a way to illustrate scenes like the scene where Gertrude explains Ophelia drowning in the river. Camera techniques in the Kenneth Branagh version of Hamlet were creative as the camera slowly pulls back in Act 4 Scene 4 of Hamlet’s soliloquy. However in the Kenneth Branagh version the scenery and props adapt more to the Shakespeare’s play Hamlet.

Kenneth Branagh made it seem like Hamlet was following his father’s orders even though in the play he wasn’t. This made the audience feel better about Hamlet because he was actually taking action. Although Kenneth’s version of Hamlet’s character took action it is not as tragic as Hamlet’s character in the play because by Hamlet not taking action it shows how sensitive and hurt he was.

When comparing two different Hamlet movies I found that one scene in particular was obviously more different than the others. I compared Columbia pictures 1996 version with Kenneth Branagh playing the role of Hamlet versus BBC’s 2009 Hamlet in which David Tennant played the honorable role of Hamlet. When comparing both movies I found a lot of similarities but there was one major difference when I compared the “To be or not to be” scene. The scenes vary in multiple ways whether it is lighting, focus, camera movements, and even the actors that play Hamlet.

The use of security cameras throughout the film really helps to capture a sense of corruption, and also foreshadows the fact that something bad will happen within the kingdom. The Tennant version also alters the time period in which the story takes place by having it set in modern day times. This can be seen through costume choice, scenery, armory, and dialog between characters. Using this helps viewers to better connect and understand the storyline, since characters are in a setting that is more current. Tennant portrays Hamlet as truly mad, angry, and vengeful. His timing and delivery of lines gives watchers an excellent insight into the manic characterization of Hamlet, that shakespeare intended on. Hamlet’s insanity can be seen through his many outburst, body language, and pauses. The emotional state of Hamlet is delivered with the use of mirrors and cinematic zooming. This provides dramatic and emotional effect, since it seems as though Hamlet is speaking directly to the audience while also looking into himself for answers. Shakespeare's vision for Hamlet is truly captured in this film through cinematic angling and intense acting.

When the audience first meets Hamlet, he is dressed in black. He is in mourning over the death of his father. When questioned by Gertrude about his attire and his disposition, Hamlet replies 'But I have that within which passeth show—these are but the trappings and the suits of woe.'; (Act 1,

This movie is a modern version of the play, you can tell this by the setting itself. The play was originally written around 1599, therefore the year gives you a sense of the time period and how the setting looked. When reading the plays originally text, you don’t get pictures or videos to watch so you make a vision in your head of what everything looks like. Knowing that the play was written in 1599, when reading the play you think of old settings, also we know that Hamlet was part of a royal

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

In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet there are many unanswered questions such as if Hamlet is really mad or if it is just an act. There are many film adaptations which use their movie elements in order to hint towards the answer of these questions. In Gregory Doran’s film interpretation Hamlet starring David Tennant, David Tennant truly shows the raw emotions of Hamlet. He shows how Hamlet feels through his movements and facial expressions. These little things allow the viewer to see the true meaning and intention behind Hamlet’s words.

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.

       Hamlet is organized around various pairs of opposing forces. One of these forces is the difference between that what seems and that which actually is, in other words, appearance versus reality. What is, and what merely appears to be? We can discern two principal angles from which this question is approached in Hamlet. First, we have the angle of inward and outward emotions, and the profound distinction that is drawn between them. In other words, the tranquil face that we all show to the world is never the same as the turmoil of our souls. In Hamlet, Shakespeare explores this both explicitly, through the device of the play within the play, and implicitly, through the ways in which he uses

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

Hamlet is introduced with his iconic line in response to Claudius 's introduction, “A little more than kin and less than kind” (Shakespeare, 14). As shown in the image above, Hamlet stands alone, framed by the curtain to the left and the wall lined with candlesticks to the right. This long shot clearly places Hamlet as the center of focus. This is done primarily through contrast. Most of the surrounding image is dark, and the only area illuminated at this time is around Hamlet. Contrast is taken one step further by clothing

All the character were wearing normal clothing nothing special. In the first scene where Hamlet is approaching the press conference. He pulls up in a hat and loose fitting jeans he has this hipster type of look. A complete three sixty from the medieval clothing that he was in when Shakespeare wrote the play. Through the play he is wearing normal clothing that would have been popular in the 2000. For Ophelia she was dressed casual but her hair was in braids which is something that women would have worn in later years. I liked how they incorporated that in the movie. Claudius was far dressed from the typical king clothing he did not have a crown or anything like that. The entire movie he was dressed in a fancy suit and a suitcase which is the modern version of a