Thursday, May 5, 2011
something is rotten in BHS
The 21st century version of Hamlet by Mike Almereyda was by far the most interesting and enjoyable. As the movie opens, there are images of death and destruction being seen through a video camera reel. The reel also suggests the difference between appearance and reality. After seeing clips of Hamlet Sr. and Gertrude, the screen then stares into Hamlet's eyes. It directly relates the idea that what the people are seeing and the public image of the happenings with the King and Queen are very different from what Hamlet sees. Also, the actor for Hamlet, wearing the sunglasses with his hair disheveled fits beautifully into what I felt Hamlet should look like during this time of chaos in his life. The pompous celebration that is going on seems to not affect Hamlet whatsoever. He only continues his filming, almost as if he is hiding behind it. He appears to be relatively happy, yet he ignores Claudius' attempt to speak to him and walks away. So, while the opening of the movie focuses a lot on themes, it also creates a minute conflict between Hamlet and Claudius which will only grow.
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I also wanted to add how Gertrude's hair helps in representing her mood. During the videotape with Hamlet Sr., Gertrude's hair looks clean and neat, representing her purity, but when Gertrude is seen with Claudius, her hair is more disheveled, showing that she has become corrupted.Also, I like how Ophelia was placed in front of a water fountain possibly foreshadowing the tears she would shed in the near future. There are definitely many things to appreciate in this version but I found that it lacked the ominous atmosphere that the Zefferelli version had.To me, it just didn't send out a feeling of rotten events taking place.
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