Olivier's Hamlet
In my opinion the best thing about this scene of the "To be or not to be" speech is the setting. The setting creates a feeling of uncertainty; whether or not it is it worth it to take your own life away. The actor ponders over a cliff which also gives you a dangerous feeling that this man might really kill himself. However, one thing I didnt like about this film is that there's no real emotion in the actor's face. His lips are barely moving and there's not much emotion in his eyes. The director does choose to zoom into the actor to emphasize certain parts. Such as when the actor was thinking, the director zoomed into the directors forehead trying convey to the audience how deeply he is thinking.
Zeffrelli's Hamlet
In this version, the director chooses a somewhat spooky setting for the 'To be or not to be' speech; a room filled with tombs. By this he is conveying the idea of death and giving off a feeling of being dead. The lighting is quite dark except for some light here and there. That scarce lighting reminded me of when people say 'I can see the light' when referring to dying. Once again, in this film, Mel Gibson portrays alot of emotion. He raises his voice in certain parts and then whispers in other parts making the audience sort of understand how hes feeling.
Branaugh's Hamlet
The "To be or not to be" speech in this film is also very dramatic and emotional but in another way. The actor portrays a lot of anger and pain in his eyes. He uses a knife as a prop which is really effective and makes the scene more suspenseful with the idea that hes going to kill himself. Also the fact that the actor is looking at himself in the mirror while making the speech was very compelling; it had a powerful effect on the audience. The audience could get a powerful feeling of the actor's monologue just by the way he looked into his reflection. However one thing I found very ineffective in this scene is the setting. It does not go along with the speech in any way because it is in the middle of the palace and the lights are very bright which does not go with what he is saying at all.
Almereyda's Hamlet
The director included many symbols in this scene. Hamlet is in Blockbuster when he makes the speech. He is walking down the action isle towards a television screen displaying a film of destruction as he speaks about suicide. This allows the audience to sort of interpret the However, despite the director's use of symbols, this setting didn't go with the speech very well either. Also, one of the things I strongly dislike about this version is that it is being spoken in old english even during modern times. I think the director should have translated the entire speech into modern english being that everything else is modern.
2 comments:
i like how you included the symbolism you found in each versions. Also, the comparisons between the settings were good because it showed your understanding and how you feel about the different versions. I think you should compare the different versions to each other more and state which version stood out to you the most. I also agree with your idea that Almereyda's version wasn't very appealing because the setting and the way they spoke did not match up.
I certainly agree when you state how Olivier's Hamlet didn't have that much emotion, as the other actors in the other films. Further more I like you you noticed how the director zoomed into the actors forhead to explain to the audience how much hes thinking, I didn't notice that part in the film. Also I agree when you say that Mel Gibson presents alot of emotion, in my opinion I think he did the best acting in this film, than the others. In Branaugh's film it is agreeable that the setting makes no sense, since its random and confusing, and doesn't go along with his speech, but then again the room is effective because hes confused about whether he should kill himself or not. So the setting with its different patterns; checkered floors and frequent mirrors, gave off that confusing, decision making effect. Lastly I also agree when you state how theres many symbols in Almereyda's Hamlet. Also its also true how everything is modern yet he speaks old english instead of presenting the modern english we speak today, which makes this film weird.
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