Hamlet: Other Question (Week 10)

{Duel of the Hamlets}

 

Kenneth Branagh VS. Mel Gibson

 

 

Let's start with the Branagh version of Hamlet. If I could use only one word to describe it, I would have to choose "Complete". When comparing the original play to Branagh's movie adaptation, nary a word is out of place. That's right, it follows the source material to a "T", something that is rarely seen nowadays. Something else that really stuck out at me was the ghost scene. The camerawork was superb, balancing exploding patches of earth, stone cold close-ups of the ghost's pale facial features, and horrifying flashbacks. Together with the unearthly sound effects and music, this scene's chilling demeanor made it one of my favorites. By contrast, there are a few things I disliked about this version; most notably (in my opinion) is that in trying to fill us with a huge and sweeping sense of magnitude and grandeur, Branagh made his movie just a bit to "Hollywood". To explain what I mean by this, I'll compare the bright and glaring spotlights of the Branagh version to the flickering firelight of the Gibson version: Face it- it's just not as dramatic. While the glamorous Hollywood style worked for some scenes, it fell flat during others.

Next, I discuss the pros and cons of the Gibson version. If I could use only one word to describe it, I would have to choose "Moody". Since the movie mostly took place in a stone castle, the play was literally "Set in stone", which combined with the eerie torchlight, made the it seem very dark. Mel Gibson also made an extremely moody Hamlet, with his sad moments feeling gloomier, his moment of anger being truly filled with rage, and his fear is one that penetrates our own souls. On the other hand, Gibson's version lacked what I liked about Branagh's (and vise-versa). The ghost of King Hamlet, for instance just isn't as spectral as it is the Branagh version. Sure, there was howling wind, and he did stick mostly to the shadows, but he just didn't live up to the expectations set by Branagh.

I could go on and about this version not having what I liked in that version, but that version having less of what I liked in this version, but that's simply because this simple idea echoes my feelings on both plays, and I belive it sums up my thoughts quite nicely.

 -McKinley :D