As most readers of this blog will learn, I have seen, I think, every film adaptation of Hamlet in existence, excluding the Russian version available on Netflix, but only because the subtitles were bad. It is far and away my favorite play ever and it holds a magic that can explain why I love film, theater, and all forms of drama.
I could speak on Hamlet forever probably, but I need to focus on this adaptation to keep myself from running on forever. My favorite Hamlet is still probably Kenneth Branagh's version, but this is definitely second, as of now.
Again, because of proximity, these two adaptations of Hamlet will be heavily compared with one another. I gave a 10 for wit to both of them. This is first for writing. I think this is the best written play ever and it seems silly to go into too much detail here about that, but suffice to say it is the essential compromise between plot and character, that is, there is no compromise one for the other.
That said, the real standout here is David Tennant. His portrayal of Hamlet may be the best I've ever seen. This is for one really big reason. I think he's the funniest person I've seen play Hamlet (no offense to some very funny portrayals from friends of mine). I think Hamlet is heavily underplayed as a comedic character. I actually cracked up when he exploded with kooky faces and yelled at Polonius.
Having said that about David, there are not a lot of other well-known actors in this one. Patrick Stewart, well-known in America for Star Trek, is a fantastic Shakespearean actor. His starring role in Macbeth is the best I've ever seen of that play. He played both Claudius and the Ghost in this film and knocked both out of the park. That decision, to have him play both parts, is for me an act of genius. It calls into question what Hamlet says about his father and Claudius being so dissimilar. Patrick's soliloquy about his inability to pray is striking and awe-inspiring.
As for the rest of the cast, many of the smaller parts are unconvincingly cast, such as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and the Player King, but the main parts are solid. Peter de Jersey is a very solid Horatio and I really approve of Mariah Gale as Ophelia. She's boring in the main, but she does the mad scene perfectly. The Gertrude and Polonius are fun and interesting if not out of the ordinary. One of the best of them is Edward Bennett as Laertes. He is passionate, but not corny or unconvincing. It may be his face, but he really pulls off a part I think few do.
I do not give out 10's for wit easily, but any convincing portrayal of one of Shakespeare's greats is eligible.
I gave an 8 for wisdom to this one, which is up from 7.5 for Branagh's. This is hard to explain, but the message seems better. I know that this may be due to leaving out any suggestion that Hamlet and Ophelia had fornicated, but in general, this Hamlet seems to have a better sense of himself. This is heavily dependent on the actor's performances.
9 is the wonder score. This is above Branagh and that is easier to explain. The Royal Shakespeare Company production crew put together a great set and really pushed the film to be like their stage production, even when hard. The most impressive is the use of mirrors. The floor and most of the walls are a mirrored surface. They play Ophelia and Hamlet against the floor and it is fantastic. The decision to have Patrick play both Claudius and the Ghost is the .5 in my opinion. I don't believe I've ever seen it done before and I like it very much.
Thus we have it: 10, 8, 9.5, 27.5. This may be high again, like Live Free or Die Hard, because I get excited when I see a great new movie, but, even though I expect Branagh to surge a bit ahead after both have had the official second watch, I believe this is nearly exactly right.
I could speak on Hamlet forever probably, but I need to focus on this adaptation to keep myself from running on forever. My favorite Hamlet is still probably Kenneth Branagh's version, but this is definitely second, as of now.
Again, because of proximity, these two adaptations of Hamlet will be heavily compared with one another. I gave a 10 for wit to both of them. This is first for writing. I think this is the best written play ever and it seems silly to go into too much detail here about that, but suffice to say it is the essential compromise between plot and character, that is, there is no compromise one for the other.
That said, the real standout here is David Tennant. His portrayal of Hamlet may be the best I've ever seen. This is for one really big reason. I think he's the funniest person I've seen play Hamlet (no offense to some very funny portrayals from friends of mine). I think Hamlet is heavily underplayed as a comedic character. I actually cracked up when he exploded with kooky faces and yelled at Polonius.
Having said that about David, there are not a lot of other well-known actors in this one. Patrick Stewart, well-known in America for Star Trek, is a fantastic Shakespearean actor. His starring role in Macbeth is the best I've ever seen of that play. He played both Claudius and the Ghost in this film and knocked both out of the park. That decision, to have him play both parts, is for me an act of genius. It calls into question what Hamlet says about his father and Claudius being so dissimilar. Patrick's soliloquy about his inability to pray is striking and awe-inspiring.
As for the rest of the cast, many of the smaller parts are unconvincingly cast, such as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and the Player King, but the main parts are solid. Peter de Jersey is a very solid Horatio and I really approve of Mariah Gale as Ophelia. She's boring in the main, but she does the mad scene perfectly. The Gertrude and Polonius are fun and interesting if not out of the ordinary. One of the best of them is Edward Bennett as Laertes. He is passionate, but not corny or unconvincing. It may be his face, but he really pulls off a part I think few do.
I do not give out 10's for wit easily, but any convincing portrayal of one of Shakespeare's greats is eligible.
I gave an 8 for wisdom to this one, which is up from 7.5 for Branagh's. This is hard to explain, but the message seems better. I know that this may be due to leaving out any suggestion that Hamlet and Ophelia had fornicated, but in general, this Hamlet seems to have a better sense of himself. This is heavily dependent on the actor's performances.
9 is the wonder score. This is above Branagh and that is easier to explain. The Royal Shakespeare Company production crew put together a great set and really pushed the film to be like their stage production, even when hard. The most impressive is the use of mirrors. The floor and most of the walls are a mirrored surface. They play Ophelia and Hamlet against the floor and it is fantastic. The decision to have Patrick play both Claudius and the Ghost is the .5 in my opinion. I don't believe I've ever seen it done before and I like it very much.
Thus we have it: 10, 8, 9.5, 27.5. This may be high again, like Live Free or Die Hard, because I get excited when I see a great new movie, but, even though I expect Branagh to surge a bit ahead after both have had the official second watch, I believe this is nearly exactly right.
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