Hamlet

Rating:
Summary: Not bad, but could be better
Review: We all know the story so there is no need for me to summarize.

It's not a bad rendition but there are a few problems. It suffers mainly from a strong Ophelia and a weak Horatio. Ophelia, as played by Helena Bonham Carter, is played too strong to believe she would go mad and kill herself. Nowhere, in the movie, is there any indication she is ruled by her father, brother and whomever else would try. She herself, as written, is a weak person and needs to be played weakly.

Horatio, as Shakespeare wrote him, is the only one Hamlet trusts. Yet, nearly 75% of his lines are cut and he spends the majority of the movie looking concerned but standing around doing nothing.

The pacing really stumbles until about halfway into the movie. The best part is the dueling sequence. The rest of the time, the pacing doesn't quite make it.

I was also disappointed the "From this time forth, my thoughts be bloody or be nothing worth" soliloquy was cut. It, along with the "To be or not to be" speech are two of the most important moments of Hamlet's progression.

Gibson delivered the "To be or not to be" soliloquy extremely well, fortunately. His Hamlet is most believable after he sees the ghost.

However, if you have not seen this version, be prepared for one thing: the director suffers from what I call the "Olivier Complex." Just because Olivier played Hamlet with an Oedipus complex doesn't mean he was right. When Hamlet confronts his mother in her closet, it is an extremely annoying scene in the movie. Much better to portray him as a son who loves his mother as a MOTHER, not as a lover.

Otherwise, the scenery is gorgeous, the costuming was nice, other than Glenn Close's operatic braids--I kept expecting her to break out in a Wagner opera--and the rest of the casting is quite good. Ian Holm plays an excellent Polonius.

All in all, it wasn't bad. It wasn't great but it wasn't bad.

Rating:
Summary: Pure cinema
Review: Alfred Hitchcock believed in the power of pure cinema: "Pictures without words." This is opposed to what he called "pictures of people talking." Now the theatre is the theatre, and film should be film. And this is what I like about Director Zeffirelli's film. It is still overwhelmingly Shakespeare, but as an artist, Zeffirelli takes some liscense. He makes the work his own, knowing what is better for the theatre and what is better for film. The other major film of "Hamlet," in contrast, is too long. It is, I think, a word-for-word adaptation, something that belongs in the theatre.

Mel Gibson's interpretation of the character Hamlet is absolutely brilliant. He spares us a cliché performance of a meek, painfully-introverted Hamlet. In a revisionist interpretaion, Gibson shows that he is more than just a blood-and-guts "Lethal Weapon" junkie. There is lots of forward motion to the characterization. Gibson swings between the quiet thinker and the manic warrior, but with a personality that is unique. The scenes that are especially notable are: Chasing his father's ghost, the explosive and hypnotic bedroom scene with his mother (not to be missed!), the play, Ophelia's funeral, and the closing scene.

Glenn Close is excellent as Hamlet's mother and the queen, and Helena Bonham-Carter does a great job portraying Ophelia, from innocence to madness. It has been suggested that Ophelia's decent into madness is too sudden. I disagree. I think that Director Zeffirelli's purpose for this was precisely to give the plot a certain unevenness that generates aesthetic tension in the film. Any other cuts or switches made were minor or unnoticable, to me at least. The poetry, music, and filmic lyricism of the powerful closing shots are unforgettable.

For the record, the film is 135 minutes long and was shot entirely on location in the beautiful countryside and castles of rural Britain (Wales, I think).

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful acting
Review: I like almost everything about this 'Hamlet'. Gibson brings a physical sense to the lead role that I've never seen before, and it works. He's always done well playing unstable, potentially explosive characters - face it, that's Hamlet.

Ophelia worked well, too. She seemed to struggle, in the play scene, placed in a grown-up situation and not quite sure how to act grown up. She later fell back into over-dramatic snits and weepy romanticism. That sure looked like a teenage girl to me. I was interested by Ophelia's choices in clothing - gray, in many scenes, and the least colorful of all the costumes on stage. I felt that, if she'd hold still for a moment, she'd simply vanish against the gray stone of Elsinore's walls. Perhaps she wasn't so different from a modern girl affecting a black-on-black wardrobe - both trying to attract attention and to avoid it at the same time.

Elsinore and it surrounding country-side were wonderful, and almost became characters themselves. Brooding, stark, and solid, it seemed almost to ignore the player's doings inside, as if it were above such transient events. I was a bit disappointed, however, that the castle was so bare. Castles were cold and echoic - any king that could afford the labor involved in building a castle could also afford carpets, wall hangings, and other furnishings to make it look lived in. Elsinore didn't look like a working structure, more like a near-ruin with strangers wandering around inside.

I was careful to say that I like the acting - vivid physicality really brought the characters to life for me. I wasn't so thrilled with the recitation of the script, though. Elizabethan English is very nearly a foreign language, with a rhythm and flow of its own. Gibson, in particular, sounded as if he had learned the lines without learning the language. Lacking the cues of meter and sound, I sometimes found the listening hard.

There are lots of good renderings of Hamlet, and this is another good one. If the actors could have seemed more comfortable with the language, it might have been great.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful primer and more accurate than people think.
Review: Gibson as the Melancholy Dane.

Originally, Shakespeare's plays were intended for the masses. At the time they were looked at like Adam Sandler movies are today. What's wrong with making his greatest work more accessible to contemporary audiences and possibly setting off a few sparks of interest in folks who may have otherwise been content to spend their $10 on a Happy Gilmore sequel instead?

I was an English major in college and spent a lot of time that first semester 'decoding the bard'. It wasn't until my sophomore year that I was able to truly immerse myself in the language and enjoy Shakespeare for what it is. Had Gibson's Hamlet been around I may have been able to get into the waters a bit quicker. His performance was riveting and the rest of the cast was simply amazing. I fell in love with Helena Bonham Carter's Ophelia and nearly cried when she... Wait! Spoiler there. (Yes, Shakespeare can be spoiled for the uninitiated.)

One last thing I would like to point out to those who complained about Mel being far too animated and crazed as Hamlet. Melancholia was considered a medical term in Shakespeare's time. It was a generic term used to describe a variety of psychological maladies, which included mood swings and possibly even schizophrenia. Just because Gibson chose to go in a different direction from more traditional interpretations doesn't make him wrong. He may have been closer to The Bard's vision of the character than Olivier or Richard Burton. (Maybe.)

Regardless, this is at the very least a very entertaining interpretation of a great classic. Now let's talk about why Brannaugh's uncut, super, four hour edition has not been released... What fools these mortals be.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful DVD
Review: Warner Bros. has really come through on this release. This DVD features an excellent transfer of this film. The source print is nearly immaculate, and there are no compression artifacts or edge enhancement to be found anywhere. The picture is sharp and life-like. Based solely on the VHS edition of the film, not having seen it on the big screen, I had no idea that the color scheme of the film was so vibrant and alive, but it comes through full force on the DVD. Many of the costumes and tapestries are stunningly beautiful.

Also, the extras on the DVD are really appreciated. The Making-Of documentary is a fifty minute video diary Mel made on the set as production progressed, and the brief Actor's Journey features a more recent Mel looking back on the film.

Would that all DVDs were done this thoughtfully and attentively.

Rating:
Summary: The way Hamlet should be!
Review: This is an excellant film! It's the way Hamlet should be unlike the re-make that was set in New York a few or so years ago.
The cast is excellant and the costumes and castle setting is great! Just the way Shakespeare envisioned. Mel Gibson's performance is flawless. He should do more Shakespearian roles.
If you're going to get a film of Hamlet, this version starring Mel Gibson is all you need.

Rating:
Summary: Icky
Review: Hamlet is the ultimate revenge drama, but doesn't anyone else get tired of watching Mel Gibson doing his tired old man-loses-his-mind-and-takes-revenge-for-a-wrong character? It's no surprise that he would play Hamlet. He's been playing Hamlet in just about every movie he's ever made.

I gave it three stars on the strength of Helena Bonham Carter's Ophelia, but I would be a shame if anyone watched this thinking it was a valid representation of Shakespeare's finest work. As an introduction, it may work, but only as an introduction. The play has so much more depth than this version indicates. Watch it in addition to reading the text and watching a live performance and even Branagh's film. (And keep in mind that Hamelt would have been in his early twenties--Gibson could be his DAD, and Branagh is too old also.)

Rating:
Summary: After 13 years, FINALLY, way to go Warner Bros.!!!
Review: Finally after 13 years of waiting (even though DVD wasn't around all that time), Warner Bros. realized that this wonderful film version of the Shakespeare classic needed to be made. I have seen all the extra features listed and they will be a wonderful addition to the background of the film. Many people raz this version for "revisionism and story-chopping" (WHATEVER)??? I say, "the plays the thing". Shakespeare SHOULD be about interpretation not windbagging (Branaugh).

Rating:
Summary: Been Waitin' for This
Review: I've been waiting for this version of HAMLET to hit DVD for years now and I'll be one of the first in line to buy it. I'm also glad to see that they're including some extras.

This was the first Shakespeare film to really bring one of his plays to life for me. Stripped down, but accessible. If I talk to anyone about checking out one of the Bard's plays, I always point them this way. Snobs may sniff away, but this is a HAMLET for an audience looking for drama--the same folks who stood in the pit of the Globe 400 years ago.

Mel Gibson is one of those rare actors who brings an emotional intensity to a role that can overwhelm his considerable physical presence. That's definitely on display in HAMLET. His grief and rage and confusion threaten to push him over the edge, even as he plots to expose his father's murderer, Hamlet's own uncle.
The rest of the cast is wonderful: Glenn Close, the late Alan Bates, Helena Bonham Carter. It was a thrill to see the great Shakespearean actor Paul Scofield as the ghost of Hamlet's father.

Hollywood and the Theatre both owe Franco Zefferilli a debt of gratitude: he introduced Shakespeare to new generations of fans (who didn't watch his ROMEO AND JULIET in high school?) and connected the Bard to modern events (casting Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton during Le Scandal in THE TAMING OF THE SHREW was inspired).

If you're curious about watching one of Shakespeare's plays and you never have, try this one.

Rating:
Summary: This is a great performance
Review: Obviously I have not seen the DVD - it's not out yet.
I remember renting this on VHS a long time ago.
I wasn't expecting much from Mel in this kind of role - as much as I liked the Mad Max movies for what they are. He very effortlessliy brings a fiery sort of "everyman" to the Hamlet role. You're rooting for this guy even though he's doomed. The only flaw I found in the movie was Ophelia's part - there's not much of it. She's just suddenly crazy - you're not really shown why. It was puzzling. It happens in a flash and your supposed to understand why. I have this hope that the DVD version puts back in some of the scenes from the cutting room floor and fills out the background in her role more.
This is a good movie and worth watching.