Film Criticism - Research Paper Assignment

Film Criticism - Research Paper Assignment

With the nation as a diseased body, the mystery of death, the complexity of action and

generally the impossibility of certainty, Hamlet is without question the most famous play in the

English language. The experience of seeing two different film interpretations of Hamlet gave me

a different perspective on the well-known play.

I first watched the films with Kenneth Branagh's interpretation and concluded with

Franco Zeffirelli's version, starring Mel Gibson. The way in which the directors direct their film

is quite different from each other. Zeffirelli's Hamlet is more straightforward in comparison to

Kenneth Branagh's extravagant version of the same tale. Zeffirelli cuts the script quite

extensively. In his editing, Zeffirelli removes the character Fortinbras, rearranged several scenes

and shortened or eliminated some of the soliloquies. Branagh, on the other hand, films the entire

play for the most part unchanged compare to the originally script.

As I watched the film, the first thing I noticed is the setting chosen between Branagh and

Gibson is very different. For example, the gloomy Gibson feels perfectly at home in his dark

mansion in the late medieval. On the other hand, the meditative Branagh is continuously catching

glimpses of himself in the mirror-lined rooms of his castle against the background of Denmark in

the late 19th century. Both versions of Hamlet also portray their main character in different ways.

Gibson portrays a moody, miserable yet clever and cunning young Hamlet. By contrast,

Branagh's Hamlet is a determined young man whose wealthy surroundings reflect an intellectual,

socially and politically smart strategist. Although both films were directed differently, both walk

the line between sanity and madness.

After watching both versions of Hamlet, some of the parts that strike me the most are the

ghost scene, the appearance of the ghost, the tension between Hamlet and Gertrude and the

fencing scene. In the ghost scene, it is clear to me that the Branagh version is most effective in its

creation of suspense as agreed by Roy Lisker: "The horrors of the physical landscape are good

deal." In Branagh version, the ghost scene was filmed outside the castle. It was cloudy and cold,

which created suspense to the viewers. This setting proved to be more ghostly than the Gibson

film in which the wind was heard and that the men were not only to be uncomfortably cold, but

also fearful for what was to come.

Another significant contribution was the appearance of the ghost of King Hamlet and the

special effects used to portray him as agreed, again, by Roy Lisker: "The Ghost's speech is

excellent. Special effects are good, like the close-ups of Ghost's and Hamlet's eyes and lips."

In the Branagh version, Hamlet is seen chasing the ghost through the forest. When they stop in

the dark, Hamlet asks the ghost "Whither wilt though lead me? Speak; I'll go no further." The

ghost, in a terrifying voice spoke for the first time, asking Hamlet to listen to the cause of his

death. Because of the flashbacks as to what happened to the King, Branagh's audience quickly

understood what the cause was. As Hamlet became more aware of the past occurrences, the

factor I found most effective in the Branagh version was the parallelism to nature. As Hamlet's

knowledge increased, scenes of rushing water and splitting rocks were appeared as Hamlet's rage.

Pictures of nature were then changed as lightening struck and rocks split when the incestuous

relationship between Claudius and Gertrude was shown. This completely adds fear to the viewers

as it sympathizes with Hamlet's situation. One other way the Branagh version was more

effective was the acting of the ghost of King Hamlet. So much rage is seen in the eyes of the

King in the Branagh version when compare to Zeffirelli's version which the King only looked

into Hamlet's eyes as he speaks to him.

Branagh's character was most successful in the portrayal of suspense. However, one

aspect I find in Gibson version that contributes to the fear more so than in the Branagh version is

that Gibson is seen chasing after the ghost with his sword held as a cross. This held interest in the

audience's eyes and increased the feelings of fear in the eyes of the audience.

One of the part that was created in the Gibson version and not in the Branagh version nor

was it in the originally script was the sexual tension between Hamlet and Gertrude. While