Hamlet Today; Oh Yet Again

"The thing reminded me of a B-17, tail shot off,
and one motor out but still a great play."--Doug Palmer

Last year, the Royal Shakespeare Company filmed their
latest version of HAMLET (2009), starring David Tennant.
Palmer had his reservations about the production.
I liked it somewhat more than he did.

The synopsis for the DVD on Amazon.com:

It's to director Gregory Doran's incredible credit that his staging of that most familiar of English-language plays, Shakespeare's Hamlet, should be completely reinvigorated by a modern interpretation of the tragedy as a true psychological thriller. This Hamlet, filmed in 2009, presents the inner torment of the Danish prince Hamlet as a believable, relatable controlled explosion of emotions, each more unmanageable than the last. Besides the director, the casting is also brilliant, including the Scottish actor David Tennant (Doctor Who) as Hamlet and Patrick Stewart as Hamlet's uncle Claudius and the ghost of Hamlet's father--who, Hamlet becomes convinced, was killed by Claudius. The direction is brisk, and the acting is first rate. Tennant plays a heartbreaking Hamlet, whose paranoia and weird inner reflections are given a modern spin by the lush, shiny mirrorlike surfaces in the palace, as well as by small but excellent details, like a closed-circuit camera system. And Stewart is menacing but completely collected as Claudius, and unnerving as his brother's ghost. Other strong performances are contributed by Penny Downie as Hamlet's mother, Gertrude; Mariah Gale as Ophelia (who's not quite up to par with the rest of the cast, until she goes mad; then boy does she ever go mad); and Oliver Ford Davies as Polonius. But it's Tennant as the mad prince who is riveting in Hamlet. His "To be or not to be, that is the question" soliloquy--perhaps the best-known speech in English theater--is delivered in a hushed, anguished, all-too-believable manner--occasionally addressing the camera, which is fixed close on Tennant's face. The DVD also includes a must-see documentary on making Hamlet, which includes great interviews with director Doran, cast members and the art directors, set designers and others who give this Hamlet a fresh, polished sheen--while keeping the ages-old tragedy of Shakespeare's words and the explosion of needless death close to the original. The impact is unforgettable; this Hamlet is a terrific achievement. --A.T. Hurley



I have enjoyed David Tennant as Dr. Who for years now.
This season, there is another actor taking on the role. I
On PBS-- the Great Performances, screened last Saturday,
HAMLET emerged as yet another fresh and stunning vision,
a new perception of this classic. Tennant had the manic
energy to strut, leap, and saunter through the title role.
He uses his body well illustrating his theatre training. I felt
that Tennant was a bit too fey as the forlorn Dane, but his
film acting prowess made up for it. He played so delicately,
so naturally to the camera during the soliloquies that they
became even clearer. There was no archaic sing-song John
Geilgud feel to this Hamlet, and even though the athletic
vibe of an Olivier, a Richard Burton, or Mel Gibson, that
physical danger, was missing for Tennant; what he did
get right was the imbalance, the twisted madness.



Patrick Stewart was very good as Claudius,
but for me Stewart's Shakespearean roles have
a polish that though have lustre, lack certain
depth, and layers of meaning, less shadings
than I would want. Penny Downie found that
Helen Mirren sensualness in her Gertrude. The
bed chamber scene with Hamlet bordered on the
Oedipal, as her braless night wear gave the
scene new more sexually charged edges. Mariah
Gale was often much too pedestrian, plain, and
clumsy for my taste. She does have a smashing
figure, and her mad scene did take us to a
new place.




My favorite filmed version of HAMLET, was done by Franco
Zeffirelli in 1991. Mel Gibson was stunning in the role.



More about this DVD from Amazon:

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 Keogh

Treachery. Madness. Murder. The story of Hamlet has been told for 400 years...but it's never been told like this! Mel Gibson (the Mad Max and Lethal Weapon films) takes on his richest part to date, the title role in a dynamic new version of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Directed by Franco Zeffirelli (Romeo and Juliet, Jesus of Nazareth), the location-shot production has a sumptuous look that won Academy Award nominations for Art Direction and Costume Design. Gibson plays the prince of medieval-era Denmark, who senses treachery behind his royal father's death. Glenn Close (Fatal Attraction, Dangerous Liaisons) plays Hamlet's mother Gertrude, all too dangerously entangled in that treachery. A brilliant supporting cast, including Alan Bates as Claudius, Paul Scofield as the ghost of Hamlet's father, Ian Holm as Polonius and Helena Bonham-Carter as Ophelia, adds its powerful presence to this immortal tale of high adventure and evil deeds. Big, bold and heroic, this is a vivid and virile Hamlet for the modern age and all time.

It is always a pleasure to greet the latest version of
HAMLET, and discover what treats or disappointments
await us within it.

Glenn Buttkus