On Hamlet...
Dec. 28th, 2009 12:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
karenorSo I've had a bit of time to mull over my thoughts on Hamlet. It was... a lot to take in. And try as I might, it was impossible to stay objective and not compare the film to the stage version, even though they are two very different animals.
That said, I think this was probably the best version of Hamlet ever committed to film and is made of intense awesome. And also a really good adaptation from stage to screen. Keeping much of the atmosphere and flavor. Almost as close as you could get without sticking a camera in the theater. However, i think the camera and the adaptation both added and detracted, depending. Some directorial decisions puzzled me, some were just astounding.
Overall, what struck me is that, from stage to screen, very different scenes resonated the most with. With the stage version it was the nunnery scene and the closet scene that had me closest to tears. With the film it was the grave scene and the end. As for why, that's probably best explained by a list.
Probably easier to start with the dislikes...
1. There were several points where the humor didn't come across like it did on stage. And as such, this film seemed even more somber than it might have. Most notably, that delightful, "It's very cold," line on the battlements, (when we really see Hamlet's wit and his cleverest person in the room thing) and the fishmonger scene. Which, if you find that audio clip of the stage performance, you can hear the whole audience laughing. It was staged differently, I think, but mostly it didn't have the same energy.
1a. And Polonius, in general, was portrayed a lot less of the bumbling old. Which was so awesome with the play. So that fishmonger scene in particular, the whole Hamlet making fun of him to his face thing didn't come off as well.
2. The "atmosphere of surveillance" we've heard so much about. I don't think it needed to be SO obvious. It's already there in the text. The cctv cam view got repetitive and annoying, and particularly detracted from the Nunnery scene. As did the repeated images of Claudius and Polonius behind the mirror. That scene is SO good, so important, and I felt a lot of it was lost.
2a. I mean, you don't even notice he's barefoot until the fishmonger scene, I think, because the camera was so all over the place.
3. I'll get to part of this as a positive in a bit, but the camera angles were, well... All over the place. In some soliloquies, the camera settled for a few minutes on the character's face and it got a bit boring. Sometimes it was off an actor's face when their character was speaking and it didn't seem justified. Of course you can't reproduce the stage where people choose where to look, but some of the choices seemed... Disruptive? Most notably (it gets it's own number)...
4. The "To be or not to be" soliloquy. I didn't watch any of the pre-released clips because I wanted to see how the scene slotted in to the whole... As hot as it was to see DT in profile and half shadow angsting, it did not work nearly as well as Hamlet standing in the middle of an empty stage. Neither did the repeated glimpses of him (though incredibly guh-worthy) of him waiting in the hall for everyone to leave. We know he's coming, it's in the script, twice or three times. Done this way it makes it much more... Well it draws attention to the enormity of the moment. The shadow, against a pillar thing separates it out visually, and all that waiting in the wings stuff I just mentioned takes away from the...organicness (for lack of a better word) of the scene. It doesn't seem off the cuff, like he was just having those thoughts right there and then. It seems... rehearsed. And this isn't a performance review, necessarily. I'd have to watch it again. I think it's mostly all that other stuff that colored it less than favorably for me. The other big ones worked much better, I thought ("too too solid flesh" and "what a piece of work is a man").
5. The Laertes is going off to Paris scene. The actors were great, mostly. But that set? Big disservice. The movement sround the stairs and such seemed forced, especially Ophelia going to her brother's bag and pulling out the condoms. The whole area was cramped and felt claustrophobic compared to the openess of the lobby at Court (THAT set was used to GREAT effect, I thought). And again, Polonius's humor seemed deliberately dampened...
5a. Not to do with that scene, but the fact that the set got in the way sometimes. And kind of tainted the amazing closet scene for me. It was too small, too close together. Claustrophobic, and lost its sense of movement. The acting was tremendous. And the whole mother comforting her son part was perfect. But it was even harder to buy all that when a dead body was just chillin, so to speak, right there.
6. Finally, I think... And I'm not sure if this is a directorial decision, an actor-driven one, or even a costuming one (Patrick Stewart's beard obscuring some emotions), or a combination of all of those, but Claudius was a much less sympathetic character. One of things that was amazing about the stage production was that you ended up really feeling for him. That he regretted what he'd done but had to see it through. In the film he was even more sinister, as is, I guess, traditional. And it had much more an atmosphere of, I must cover my ass, with less of the feeling of him being caught, practically reluctantly, in a trap of his own devise. This, though, is ultimately minor, is based on nuances, and was probably something that changed from night to night on stage. Just so happened that when I saw it, that was the impression I got.
7. Wait, not finally. Probably my least favorite moment of the whole production. Hamlet's voiceover while deciding whether or not to stab Claudius. This threw me right out of the story and made me laugh. Not in a good way, NOT at a good time. You have to just accept the whole aside thing and go with it. They do on stage, they did throughout the rest of the film. Why right here did they decide it wouldn't make sense if he talked out his thoughts while Claudius was right there? I'm puzzled by this.
On to the stuff I LOVED...
1. Horatio! This character is hard to get right. Here I think he was perfect. You really get the sense that he's Hamlet's bff and the only one he can trust. He is the only one who is on his side, without a doubt (except perhaps the audience) the whole time. I think this translated MUCH better on film. On stage it was hard to get a sense of him at all. You weren't really sure what he was doing there, except saying the lines and moving the action along. Again, not a performance review. The actor was great in both intances, but allowing the camera to focus on him, give us some of HIS emotions and mindset, greatly enhanced his moments.
2. Laertes. Ed Bennett rocks my socks. He's a cool dude and a great actor and I really kind of wish I could have seen his Hamlet. But truth be told, I felt I missed a lot of what Laertes was about on stage. He's a confusing character anyway, and you never know quite where he's coming from. But in the film, I think you got a much better sense of the charcter. The portrayal was more intense, his motivations clearer. That scene with Claudius and Gertrude and the gun? Perfect. The camera helped a lot here too, giving us the focus we needed to connect there. And how he related to Hamlet, to his sister, all made much more... palpable.
3. Ophelia. I remember that I was not overly fond of this portrayal on stage. I found it one of the weaker parts of the production. It was a combination of elements. But I never quite understood how she felt about Hamlet, her father, or why she goes mad. All of that was wonderfully illuminated by this film. You saw her more subtle descent into madness. You saw the depth of her love for Hamlet, how much it hurt her to deny him and to betray him and to be betrayed in turn. And even the strange flower scene was spot on.
4. Hamlet and Old Hamlet's ghost and right after. Oh I loved this bit. On stage, I'm not sure you really understand Hamlet's resolution as well. What his plan is, WHY he cuts his hand. Here you could really see his thought process. And I loved the sparceness and the darkness of the scene.
5. The grave scene. I cried. Even before the funeral began. The "poor Yorrick" really got to me. And then, when the funeral began and the camera would go back and forth from the mourners to Hamlet. Oh man. When he finds out it's Ophelia? I was done for. Here the camera added SO much because we got to BE with Hamlet. And then with Laertes. On stage you had to swivel your attention back and forth and weren't sure where to look when. And the Hamlet/Laertes smackdown? Made of Awesome. You GOT the nuances there. You really understood Hamlet's rage and you better understood wth was going on in Laertes's head.
6. Right before (and after) that voiceover moment I really didn't like. On stage, Hamlet happening upon Claudius felt forced. Like, well, it's in the text, you have to do it. Go out there, see him, and have a think about getting stabby. On film it really did seem like he was just passing through and saw him. That it wasn't planned at all. It was perfect. And after, when he pulls away (this time the shadows and tight focus for the soliloquy worked just right, imo). And, allow me a fangirl moment right here... I don't think I've ever wanted to BE a switchblade before. But in any case, that but resonated (no, not just for the hotness), especially so as it came right after a moment that threw me out. This reeled me back in.
7. This may have been a small moment, but one part where I was very impressed with DT's performance was the part with the recorder. Telling him to play and then going off about how HE will NOT be played. On stage, I was a little distracted by him leaping around and such. Here it was tighter and you just got every drop of that bitterness. So, so good.
8. I really really loved the whole ending. That scene with Horatio, Hamlet and whatshisface with the hat? OMG perfect. You get everything there that Hamlet is. He's still the guy that hates all the falseness of the court that is his "prison." But he's one that's already learned lessons and is ready to accept his fate. Still not going down without a fight, though. And I found this was one of the more beautiful scenes. The mirror, the lighting, the deliberateness of putting on the clothing (first the shirt, then the fencing whatchamacallit), and whatshisface was perfect too. The pacing of the funny dialogue here was excellent. Probably the best of the funnier bits. And came across better than it did on stage.
8a. The final scene. Perfect. And didn't feel quite as chaotic as on stage. While I'm still unsure if Gertrude knew the cup was poisoned, I'm okay with that ambiguity. I loved Laertes, and god bless them all, it's so hard to make 'I'm dying' speeches not ridiculous. But they did it. I was really crying for Hamlet dying in Horatio's arms, and it's not like I didn't know what was going to happen, you know? I was very impressed with everything in this final scene.
9. And finally. Rosencrantz, Gildenstern and David Tennant's belly, which I think might have needed a credit of its very own. R&G were awesome. Every time they were on, you got a great sense of how they were, as![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
missperkigoth said when we talked about it, cardboard cutouts. They are the ultimate yes-men and you are as okay with it as Hamlet is when you hear that they're dead, but you still kind of have to love them when they're there. That red shirt, it's shortness and the amazing flash of belly? Worth the cost of the flight to England and the price of admission, and I am so happy it's been immortalized for fangirls everywhere. It may be shallow, but I don't care. It's relevant! (Watch me make it so!) This Hamlet is, as I think Shakespeare intended, highly sexualized. The fact that he's highly sexy adds to that. Also, pretty. Guh. Just right. And okay, still distracting. But strangely enough, I am just fine with that. :D
There, I think that's most of it. ;) Thanks for slogging through if you have. What did you guys think?
That said, I think this was probably the best version of Hamlet ever committed to film and is made of intense awesome. And also a really good adaptation from stage to screen. Keeping much of the atmosphere and flavor. Almost as close as you could get without sticking a camera in the theater. However, i think the camera and the adaptation both added and detracted, depending. Some directorial decisions puzzled me, some were just astounding.
Overall, what struck me is that, from stage to screen, very different scenes resonated the most with. With the stage version it was the nunnery scene and the closet scene that had me closest to tears. With the film it was the grave scene and the end. As for why, that's probably best explained by a list.
Probably easier to start with the dislikes...
1. There were several points where the humor didn't come across like it did on stage. And as such, this film seemed even more somber than it might have. Most notably, that delightful, "It's very cold," line on the battlements, (when we really see Hamlet's wit and his cleverest person in the room thing) and the fishmonger scene. Which, if you find that audio clip of the stage performance, you can hear the whole audience laughing. It was staged differently, I think, but mostly it didn't have the same energy.
1a. And Polonius, in general, was portrayed a lot less of the bumbling old. Which was so awesome with the play. So that fishmonger scene in particular, the whole Hamlet making fun of him to his face thing didn't come off as well.
2. The "atmosphere of surveillance" we've heard so much about. I don't think it needed to be SO obvious. It's already there in the text. The cctv cam view got repetitive and annoying, and particularly detracted from the Nunnery scene. As did the repeated images of Claudius and Polonius behind the mirror. That scene is SO good, so important, and I felt a lot of it was lost.
2a. I mean, you don't even notice he's barefoot until the fishmonger scene, I think, because the camera was so all over the place.
3. I'll get to part of this as a positive in a bit, but the camera angles were, well... All over the place. In some soliloquies, the camera settled for a few minutes on the character's face and it got a bit boring. Sometimes it was off an actor's face when their character was speaking and it didn't seem justified. Of course you can't reproduce the stage where people choose where to look, but some of the choices seemed... Disruptive? Most notably (it gets it's own number)...
4. The "To be or not to be" soliloquy. I didn't watch any of the pre-released clips because I wanted to see how the scene slotted in to the whole... As hot as it was to see DT in profile and half shadow angsting, it did not work nearly as well as Hamlet standing in the middle of an empty stage. Neither did the repeated glimpses of him (though incredibly guh-worthy) of him waiting in the hall for everyone to leave. We know he's coming, it's in the script, twice or three times. Done this way it makes it much more... Well it draws attention to the enormity of the moment. The shadow, against a pillar thing separates it out visually, and all that waiting in the wings stuff I just mentioned takes away from the...organicness (for lack of a better word) of the scene. It doesn't seem off the cuff, like he was just having those thoughts right there and then. It seems... rehearsed. And this isn't a performance review, necessarily. I'd have to watch it again. I think it's mostly all that other stuff that colored it less than favorably for me. The other big ones worked much better, I thought ("too too solid flesh" and "what a piece of work is a man").
5. The Laertes is going off to Paris scene. The actors were great, mostly. But that set? Big disservice. The movement sround the stairs and such seemed forced, especially Ophelia going to her brother's bag and pulling out the condoms. The whole area was cramped and felt claustrophobic compared to the openess of the lobby at Court (THAT set was used to GREAT effect, I thought). And again, Polonius's humor seemed deliberately dampened...
5a. Not to do with that scene, but the fact that the set got in the way sometimes. And kind of tainted the amazing closet scene for me. It was too small, too close together. Claustrophobic, and lost its sense of movement. The acting was tremendous. And the whole mother comforting her son part was perfect. But it was even harder to buy all that when a dead body was just chillin, so to speak, right there.
6. Finally, I think... And I'm not sure if this is a directorial decision, an actor-driven one, or even a costuming one (Patrick Stewart's beard obscuring some emotions), or a combination of all of those, but Claudius was a much less sympathetic character. One of things that was amazing about the stage production was that you ended up really feeling for him. That he regretted what he'd done but had to see it through. In the film he was even more sinister, as is, I guess, traditional. And it had much more an atmosphere of, I must cover my ass, with less of the feeling of him being caught, practically reluctantly, in a trap of his own devise. This, though, is ultimately minor, is based on nuances, and was probably something that changed from night to night on stage. Just so happened that when I saw it, that was the impression I got.
7. Wait, not finally. Probably my least favorite moment of the whole production. Hamlet's voiceover while deciding whether or not to stab Claudius. This threw me right out of the story and made me laugh. Not in a good way, NOT at a good time. You have to just accept the whole aside thing and go with it. They do on stage, they did throughout the rest of the film. Why right here did they decide it wouldn't make sense if he talked out his thoughts while Claudius was right there? I'm puzzled by this.
On to the stuff I LOVED...
1. Horatio! This character is hard to get right. Here I think he was perfect. You really get the sense that he's Hamlet's bff and the only one he can trust. He is the only one who is on his side, without a doubt (except perhaps the audience) the whole time. I think this translated MUCH better on film. On stage it was hard to get a sense of him at all. You weren't really sure what he was doing there, except saying the lines and moving the action along. Again, not a performance review. The actor was great in both intances, but allowing the camera to focus on him, give us some of HIS emotions and mindset, greatly enhanced his moments.
2. Laertes. Ed Bennett rocks my socks. He's a cool dude and a great actor and I really kind of wish I could have seen his Hamlet. But truth be told, I felt I missed a lot of what Laertes was about on stage. He's a confusing character anyway, and you never know quite where he's coming from. But in the film, I think you got a much better sense of the charcter. The portrayal was more intense, his motivations clearer. That scene with Claudius and Gertrude and the gun? Perfect. The camera helped a lot here too, giving us the focus we needed to connect there. And how he related to Hamlet, to his sister, all made much more... palpable.
3. Ophelia. I remember that I was not overly fond of this portrayal on stage. I found it one of the weaker parts of the production. It was a combination of elements. But I never quite understood how she felt about Hamlet, her father, or why she goes mad. All of that was wonderfully illuminated by this film. You saw her more subtle descent into madness. You saw the depth of her love for Hamlet, how much it hurt her to deny him and to betray him and to be betrayed in turn. And even the strange flower scene was spot on.
4. Hamlet and Old Hamlet's ghost and right after. Oh I loved this bit. On stage, I'm not sure you really understand Hamlet's resolution as well. What his plan is, WHY he cuts his hand. Here you could really see his thought process. And I loved the sparceness and the darkness of the scene.
5. The grave scene. I cried. Even before the funeral began. The "poor Yorrick" really got to me. And then, when the funeral began and the camera would go back and forth from the mourners to Hamlet. Oh man. When he finds out it's Ophelia? I was done for. Here the camera added SO much because we got to BE with Hamlet. And then with Laertes. On stage you had to swivel your attention back and forth and weren't sure where to look when. And the Hamlet/Laertes smackdown? Made of Awesome. You GOT the nuances there. You really understood Hamlet's rage and you better understood wth was going on in Laertes's head.
6. Right before (and after) that voiceover moment I really didn't like. On stage, Hamlet happening upon Claudius felt forced. Like, well, it's in the text, you have to do it. Go out there, see him, and have a think about getting stabby. On film it really did seem like he was just passing through and saw him. That it wasn't planned at all. It was perfect. And after, when he pulls away (this time the shadows and tight focus for the soliloquy worked just right, imo). And, allow me a fangirl moment right here... I don't think I've ever wanted to BE a switchblade before. But in any case, that but resonated (no, not just for the hotness), especially so as it came right after a moment that threw me out. This reeled me back in.
7. This may have been a small moment, but one part where I was very impressed with DT's performance was the part with the recorder. Telling him to play and then going off about how HE will NOT be played. On stage, I was a little distracted by him leaping around and such. Here it was tighter and you just got every drop of that bitterness. So, so good.
8. I really really loved the whole ending. That scene with Horatio, Hamlet and whatshisface with the hat? OMG perfect. You get everything there that Hamlet is. He's still the guy that hates all the falseness of the court that is his "prison." But he's one that's already learned lessons and is ready to accept his fate. Still not going down without a fight, though. And I found this was one of the more beautiful scenes. The mirror, the lighting, the deliberateness of putting on the clothing (first the shirt, then the fencing whatchamacallit), and whatshisface was perfect too. The pacing of the funny dialogue here was excellent. Probably the best of the funnier bits. And came across better than it did on stage.
8a. The final scene. Perfect. And didn't feel quite as chaotic as on stage. While I'm still unsure if Gertrude knew the cup was poisoned, I'm okay with that ambiguity. I loved Laertes, and god bless them all, it's so hard to make 'I'm dying' speeches not ridiculous. But they did it. I was really crying for Hamlet dying in Horatio's arms, and it's not like I didn't know what was going to happen, you know? I was very impressed with everything in this final scene.
9. And finally. Rosencrantz, Gildenstern and David Tennant's belly, which I think might have needed a credit of its very own. R&G were awesome. Every time they were on, you got a great sense of how they were, as
missperkigoth said when we talked about it, cardboard cutouts. They are the ultimate yes-men and you are as okay with it as Hamlet is when you hear that they're dead, but you still kind of have to love them when they're there. That red shirt, it's shortness and the amazing flash of belly? Worth the cost of the flight to England and the price of admission, and I am so happy it's been immortalized for fangirls everywhere. It may be shallow, but I don't care. It's relevant! (Watch me make it so!) This Hamlet is, as I think Shakespeare intended, highly sexualized. The fact that he's highly sexy adds to that. Also, pretty. Guh. Just right. And okay, still distracting. But strangely enough, I am just fine with that. :DThere, I think that's most of it. ;) Thanks for slogging through if you have. What did you guys think?
