Essay on William Shakespeares Hamlet movie - 756 Words

I am not a big fan of the 1990 movie version of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, starring Mel Gibson. I feel that while it stands alone as a very well made movie and contains great acting performances throughout, I think that it strays too far from the original text and layout of the play. The omissions and transposing makes the play weaker, and while it is a great screenplay, it fails in comparison to Shakespeare’s original work. The three things which bother me the most are the omission of Fortinbras and the handling of the, â€Å"To be or not to be†¦Ã¢â‚¬  soliloquy and the â€Å"Get thee to a nunnery†¦Ã¢â‚¬  scene, and Hamlet’s Oedipus complex. Omitting the subplot of Fortinbras took away the whole political aspect of the piece. It also weakened the ending.†¦show more content†¦I felt they through away the Hamlet/Ophelia scene and turned something beautiful into something boring. The only thing that makes it work is the great acting perfor mances of Mel Gibson and Helena-Bonham Carter. Carter is superb as Ophelia, much better than Kate Winslet, who was great in the Branagh version. I was pleasantly shocked at the performance, especially the scene where goes insane after finding out her father is dead. That is something else that greatly bothers me. I don’t like the way Gibson was directed to play the scene in which he kills Polonius. He doesn’t even play it like he cares that he did it. That also makes Hamlet seem like a man who does not have a mind. I read somewhere once that Gibson felt the same thing about the scene. Ian Holm gives a very fine performance as Polonius. Alan Bates also shines as Claudius. He gives such a fine performance in the role. I am not a big fan of Glenn Close, but she was wonderful as Queen Gertrude. I just don’t agree with Oedipus story line. I don’t feel that the original text calls for it to be so played out. Shakespeare hints at incestual activities in a lot of his plays, including between Tybalt and his aunt in Romeo amp; Juliet. But I don’t feel it should be taken so literally. It made Hamlet seem as though he really was completely insane. That, to me, keeps the whole play from working. But again, as a movie, it works. Mel Gibson gives a very fine performance as the tragic hero. The only times which heShow MoreRelatedHamlet: Zeffirelli vs. Branagh Essay922 Words   |  4 PagesTo play one of Shakespeare’s most complex roles successfully on stage or on screen has been the aspiration of many actors. William Shakespeare’s Hamlet has been the focus on various accounts throughout the 20th Century, each actor attempting to bring something unique and unmarked to the focal character. Franco Zeffirelli and Kenneth Branagh, both film directors, introduce varying levels of success on the screen through downright differences in ways of translation and original ideas. 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