Productions Flashcards
Laurence Olivier 1948 film
. Strong contrast between light and dark
.Deliberately exaggerated camera angles; the camera almost becomes a person, pursuing and prying
. Scene with Hamlet and his mother given an incestuous overtone
. The voice of the ghost is the same as Hamlet’s and this is only heard by him
. To be or not to be soliloquy done on a crenulation; Hamlet is literally on the edge of dyina
. In the final act Gertrude acknowledges that the cup is poisoned which makes her death courageous as she defies Claudius “do not drink” request
Mel Gibson 1990
. The camera shows Elsinore to be both claustrophobic and terrifyingly open
. Hamlet was unusually more decisive -› a conventional action hero than a philosophical prince as he is aggressive and erratic
. TBONTB speech takes place in the crypts of Elsinore and looks upwards to the “undiscovered country”
. 3.1 sees Claudius and Polonius speaking to Ophelia before GTTAN speech
. The closet scene is also sexualised - he is on top of Gertrude - cries when he compares his father to Claudius
. Fight scene with Laertes is comedic at first then bloody
Kenneth Branagh 1996
. This is the longest adaptation as all scenes were filmed (4hrs)
. Use of mirrors is very impactful - Hamlet does his TBONTB speech in front of a full length mirror + walks till he is right up to the mirror and put out a dagger to his head
. Yorick skull scene shows flashback when Hamlet was younger
Ethan Hawke 2000:
Ophelia is physically bugged before the GTTAN speech
David Tenant 2009
. Hamlet is exceptionally melancholic and speaks low and is almost agitated. Elsinore almost imprisons the characters as they can never escape observation
. Modern setting with sparkling chandeliers and the floor -which is glossy black- reflects the action
. There is a huge floor length mirror at the back of the stage which shatters dramatically after Polonius is shot
Maxine Peake 2014:
. Very modernised with male characters being played by women (Marcellus, Rosencrantz, Polonius and Hamlet)
. The ghost is depicted with lights at the start but when alone with Hamlet the Ghost is played by Claudius actor and the lights move closer to the stage
. Dumbshow is played by children, Mousetrap scene
. The player Queen is played by a male actor
. Closet scene Hamlet points a gun at Gertrude
. During Ophelia’s madness she takes off her clothes and gives it to others as flowers
Benedict Cumberbatch 2015
Dark and ominous but modern. TBONTB speech is given while sitting, sweating (crying?) - touched his neck which is has a noose around it - almost mentally claustrophobic
Andrew Scott 2017
TBONTB speech is given in the dark, Hamlet is standing still rubbing his chest (where his heart is) till to “dreams” section then he became erratic begins pacing. GTTAN scene Ophelia cries
