Thursday, May 5, 2011
Something is Rotten in the State of BHS!
Out of the three versions we have seen, my favorite version was Ken Branagh's take on Hamlet. I love how Branagh really played with appearance versus reality. I thought it was clever how during the wedding scene when the camera pans from the cheering, bright crowd and behind the stands a dark, gloomy, Hamlet hidden in the shadows. It shows while the kingdom puts on this facade of being happy and cheery (shown by the crowd), it's really dark and corrupt (shown by Hamlet brooding behind the stands). I thought it was interesting how during Hamlet's first soliloquy Branagh started talking in the bright light behind the thrones and then ended back in the shadows across the hall. I love how it again shows the appearance of this united kingdom, but in reality it's falling into the shadows. I liked the fact the director showed us flashbacks. It helped me visualize what was happening prior to the story better. I really love the way Branagh directed the movie. I feel he really made it interesting and put a lot of his own twists and spin on Hamlet.
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Although this was not a poor version of Hamlet it would not be my first choice to watch. The actors didn't seem fit to their parts and were not how I imagined them to be. The scenes were also too bright for a dark play like Hamlet. The use of color made it less accurate of what the true Hamlet would seem to be. Another fault I found in this version of Hamlet was the accent of one of the guards in the beginning of the movie. It was not at all fit for the scene. It was a poor choice of an actor and someone else could have done better. This version was not bad, but only average, although it could be because I appreciate Mel Gibson more and I am just being biased. :D
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