After viewing clips from all three movies, I definitely saw
the importance of using different methods in order to convey certain character
thoughts and emotions. The Zeffirelli version stood out the most with having
the strongest emotional appeal. The eerie music combined with the ominous
darkness that consumed the entire background created feelings of despair. While
some may interpret this version as being just plain or dull, I would say the
simplicity of the setting could have been key to having the audience focus solely
on the acting. Gibson’s intense delivery of a variety of facial expressions and
tone of speech opened the audience to be more empathetic towards how Hamlet
must have been feeling in Shakespeare’s play.
The second version directed by Branagh had to be my
favorite of the three, based off of what we’ve seen in class. I don’t know if
Branagh was my favorite actor as Hamlet, but this version of the ghost scene
matched almost exactly what I had pictured in my head while reading it. Although
also taking place in a somber environment, Branagh’s scene managed to still be
vibrant in contrast to Zeffirelli’s. To grab my attention, I like to have bright
and interesting visuals, and this clip provided that. If I was the director, I’d
make similar choices, especially the choice to use flashbacks of the King’s
death while he was explaining how he died to Hamlet. The reenactment of the
betrayal of the king by his own brother is more effective in stirring emotions
in the audience than simply narrating it- just how Hamlet would be more furious
replaying the scene in his head as his father explains it to him. I too as the
director would choose to leave my audience with the aggravation Hamlet must
have felt.
Unlike the other two versions,
Almereyda’s version didn’t take place outside in the dark and mysterious
night. In the dark, one’s perception of
reality is more open to interpretation. The supernatural suddenly becomes viable
and the impossible seems like it can indeed be possible. The fact that Hamlet
and the ghost of his father meet in his brightly lit apartment and they have
physical contact between them indicate that this scene wasn’t constructed just
based off of Hamlet’s imagination. Ethan Hawke, the actor playing Hamlet in
this version, seemed to have an almost cautious and hesitant attitude when first
seeing his father. In the play, Hamlet also has an initial feeling of amazement
and disbelief which then quickly turns to faith in the credibility of the ghost.
In my opinion, the directorial choices
connected well with how Hamlet must have taken in the scene in the actual play.
