Here's The Rub
There have been quite a few Hamlet's on film, but the most famous is almost certainly Laurence Olivier's 1948 version. He didn't just star in it, he directed it, produced it and wrote it (adapted from Shakespeare's play, of course). It was highly regarded, and won Olivier an Oscar for his acting as well as one for Best Picture.
Felix Aylmer as Polonius is pretty good, and Stanley Holloway makes an interesting appearance as the gravedigger, but most of the supporting cast doesn't particularly stand out. Of course, it's Olivier's show all the way. And while he can command the screen, his Hamlet doesn't seem to capture either the high drama or even the comedy of the role.
It's also a somewhat simplistic take on the play. Olivier announces as the beginning it's about a man who can't make up his mind. Is that really it? Plus there's all the Freudian stuff Olivier liked. And I miss Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, who are cut entirely.
Of course, I have trouble with much Shakespeare on screen. Compared to the abstraction of theatre, film tends to be a more realistic medium. (Imagine a move where a house is represented by painted flats.) In such a medium, the artificial speech, as beautiful as it is, puts a distance between the audience and the story. On the other hand, Olivier's other major Shakespeare films, Henry V and Richard III, are better, so maybe it's this specific take.
But what do I know? It won all those Oscars.
posted by LAGuy @ 7:30 AM
3 Comments:
I think I recall SNL or maybe Second City doing something called "Sylvester Stallone's Hamlet" where there were a lot "aaayyyy" s
I think was from when Mel Gibson did her film version.
I enjoy reading Shakespeare but don't enjoy seeing it performed- the language is too unfamiliar and sing-songy and requires too much mental interpretation/ translation that it seems something else as happened by the time you've deciphered the previous line. OK- probably not so bad for those more fluent in Shakespearean English
I remember Robin Williams did a similar bit.
Shakespeare wrote his plays to be heard, not read. I still think they work on stage, even if it's true his verse and diction are a barrier for the modern audience.
Branagh's Henry V is one of my top ten films of all time. I rewatch it at least every other year. His performance (and edits to the original text) make it a thrilling war film, commenting on leadership vs arrogance, class differences, and a decent dose of humor.
I also think his Much Ado About Nothing works quite well, and makes 17th century humor quite accessible. I'm hoping he will do MacB - err - the Scottish Play someday.
I've never liked Olivier's Shakespeare films. As you note, they all center on him - his overwhelming performance, whereas Branagh surrounds himself with excellent film actors, to whom he give ample opportunity to shine (In Henry V - Paul Scofield, Derek Jacobi, Ian Holm, Emma Thompson, Judi Dench - and Brian Blessed!)
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