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DVD Hamlet
Perhaps the least important thing about this latest film version of Shakespeare's masterpiece is its setting in modern-day New York. Yes, such locales as the Guggenheim Museum are used wittily; answering machines and faxes are logically worked into the plot; and it was both inspired and entirely appropriate to make the prince of Denmark a moody, introspective filmmaker whose avant-garde collages provide the context for some of his famous monologues. All of which would be so much pleasantly humorous eye-candy if it didn't come hand in hand with a sympathy for and understanding of this remarkable cast of characters.For that, ultimately, is what makes Michael Almereyda's Hamlet such a delight to watch. Forget that the immortal rumination on suicide is placed in a Blockbuster Video aisle and notice instead how Ethan Hawke's own youthful, callow arrogance makes Hamlet's vacillations believable. And how the comical but infantilizing way Bill Murray's Polonius dotes upon his daughter Ophelia (Julia Stiles)--and her mute acceptance of his attentions--lead her to thoughts of a watery grave even before her bout of madness. And also notice how much Claudius truly does love Gertrude (when gazing at her, Kyle MacLachlan's face relaxes from its usual plasticity) and how Sam Shepard's ghost is less vengeful or tortured than stiffened by remorse. These are the shining moments of invention in Almereyda's bold updating of the play, and they are why this will be a film to watch and enjoy long after its setting has made it as much a period piece as Olivier's adaptation, with its broodingly lit castle, or Branagh's, with its gleaming 19th-century court. --Bruce Reid
I'll admit that parts of this version is a bit slow, but I felt the same of Zeffirelli's version. I didn't know what to make of it when I first watched it, but I found myself comparing it to other versions of Hamlet, including the text version. But each director has his own take that may be different from the original writer or playwright (Zeffirelli focused on complications caused by the Oedipus complex). You can't say this is Shakespeare's Hamlet because it's Almereyda's Hamlet. In any case, I think it's a brilliant take for the modern viewer.
What better setting to place Denmark than in a cold and sterile corporate business world where everything is fed and filtered to us by TV (ironic that we're watching this film on the screen). Hamlet is the typical disillusioned Gen-Xer with no motivation. He only finds a purpose in his life through revenge. Ophelia like Hamlet, has no motivation and even contemplates suicide before her father dies and she becomes insane. It's a really bleak movie, I thought, but one worth watching.
If this is Hamlet then I'm a corn muffin...
...which I'm not. I think that pretty well summs it up.
Not for the average viewer
Personally, I really enjoy this version of Hamlet. It is an artsy, updated version that to me does more justice to the original script than Baz Luhrman's Romeo and Juliet. I think they tried to stick with the essence of the story--even though it takes place on Wall Street and Hamlet uses a gun.
I have used the scene between Laertes and Ophelia to help introduce Shakespearean language in a Hamlet unit, and it works well to convey the original language in a modern setting. I like seeing the hint of Ophelia's suicidal thoughts; her desperate madness seems more realistic, and though I didn't get the crossed eyes, I really loved her stopping in a busy building and screaming her head off. The new take on the "play within a play" was done well and fit in with the shocking nature of its content.
Ethan Hawke does a good job as the brooding Hamlet, but I have to say that out of the performances, Bill Murray as Polonius and Liev Schriber as Laertes did a wonderful job, each adding a certain tenderness, even though Polonius is quite overbearing.
If you can handle the "artsy-ness" of the film, you'd probably enjoy it. If you're looking strictly for entertainment, go with Branaugh or Zefferelli.
Franco Zeffirelli's stripped-down, two-hour version of Shakespeare's play stars Mel Gibson as a rather robust version of the ambivalent Danish prince. Gibson is much better in the part than many critics have admitted, his powers of clarity doing much to make this particular Hamlet more accessible than several other filmed versions. The supporting cast is outstanding, including Glenn Close as Gertrude, Alan Bates as Claudius, Ian Holm as Polonius, and Helena Bonham Carter as Ophelia. Zeffirelli's vigorous direction employs a lively camera style that nicely alters the viewer's preconceptions about the way Hamlet should look. --Tom KeoghMore Info about this DVD Actor(s): Mel Gibson - Glenn Close Director(s): Franco Zeffirelli DVD Release Date: Released the 24 February 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Campbell Scott directs and stars in this not-quite-modern-dress version of Hamlet. A production can easily lose itself in attempting such a notorious great work of literature, but this one largely keeps its head. The film starts with a few silent establishing scenes--a nice touch when one already knows the characters. Some well-thought-out stage business also enhances the play, such as Gertrude frolicking with Claudius just outside an open window while Hamlet delivers his first soliloquy. Occasionally cinematic concerns seem to get in the way--the production appears so concerned with making the old King Hamlet's ghost scary that it forgets to make him ominous--and every now and then Scott falls into the self-indulgent traps that directors who cast themselves as Hamlet tend to.... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Eric Simonson - Campbell Scott DVD Release Date: Released the 18 December 2001 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Rarely has The Merchant of Venice, one of Shakespeare's most complex plays, looked as ravishingly sumptuous as in this adaptation, directed by Michael Radford (Il Postino). In a decadent version of renaissance Venice, a young nobleman named Bassanio (Joseph Fiennes, Shakespeare in Love) seeks to woo the lovely Portia (newcomer Lynn Collins), but lacks the money to travel to her estate. He seeks support from his friend, the merchant Antonio (Jeremy Irons, Reversal of Fortune); Antonio's fortune is tied up in sea ventures, so the merchant offers to borrow money from a Jewish moneylender, Shylock (Al Pacino, Dog Day Afternoon). But Shylock holds a grudge against Antonio, who has routinely treated the Jew with contempt, and demands that if the debt is not... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Al Pacino - Jeremy Irons - Joseph Fiennes - Lynn Collins Director(s): Michael Radford DVD Release Date: Released the 10 May 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Kevin Kline directs and stars in this first-rate production of Shakespeare's most famous play. Originally produced by Joseph Papp for the New York Shakespeare Festival, this version was adapted by Kline and television director Kirk Browning for PBS. While one occasionally longs for the live audience reaction, the television production does offer the advantage of seeing Hamlet with close-ups. The design is beautiful, with sets full of dark, gloomy halls and characters in elegant modern dress. Kline's interpretation of Hamlet is an enjoyably accessible one; he never lets melancholy obscure Hamlet's wit. Veteran stage actress Dana Ivey is an excellent Gertrude, pliable without ever straying over into idiocy. This production is equally enjoyable as an introduction to... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Kevin Kline DVD Release Date: Released the 18 September 2001 Usually ships in 24 hours
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