lowefreddy
Joined May 2017
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lowefreddy's rating
Reviews64
lowefreddy's rating
I love Shakespeare - but I've always been unsure about Hamlet. Its appeal has evaded me, and until this film, I had never found a screen or stage adaptation that I really liked. Let us not ever speak of Ken Branagh's 4-hour uncut version (why did he cut no dialogue? Why did he make it so bloated and self-indulgent? Shudder). The Paapa Essiedu stage version was fine, but it didn't especially grab me. I've seen a clip from the Olivier film, where he performs "O that this too solid flesh would met". Not for me.
But this film is brilliant. It makes Hamlet engaging, compelling, and eminently watchable. It is not a perfect film - it is the tiniest bit staged in places and not very emotionally naturalistic - but that is more than expected for Shakespeare adaptations. Far more importantly, Gibson makes a splendid Hamlet; Helena Bonham Carter's Ophelia captures her vulnerability and youth brilliantly. Glenn Close interprets Gertrude as a doting mother who prioritises her son above all else - she does it phenomenally, of course.
And Gibson does a fantastic job at displaying all of Hamlet's qualities: his rhetorical checkmating of everyone he meets, his sheer psychopathy in places (conveyed through those piercing, terrifying blue eyes), and - at the very end - his vulnerability and genuine desire to put things right. The scenes after Polonius's death are especially dramatic and moving. You really feel the havoc Hamlet has caused; everyone's lives are uprooted now after this mindless act of violence.
Ultimately, this film's best achievement is that it conveys how exciting the story is. Hamlet has rhetorical genius, yes, but also drama, intrigue, ghosts, murder, backstabbing, adventure, and ACTION - all set in a glorious gothic castle. (This film's sets were brilliant by the way. Very beautifully shot.) This film was the first I've seen to properly convey that frenetic action and excitement. That, combined with Gibson's layered performance, make it a solid adaptation that has helped me appreciate this play a tad more.
But this film is brilliant. It makes Hamlet engaging, compelling, and eminently watchable. It is not a perfect film - it is the tiniest bit staged in places and not very emotionally naturalistic - but that is more than expected for Shakespeare adaptations. Far more importantly, Gibson makes a splendid Hamlet; Helena Bonham Carter's Ophelia captures her vulnerability and youth brilliantly. Glenn Close interprets Gertrude as a doting mother who prioritises her son above all else - she does it phenomenally, of course.
And Gibson does a fantastic job at displaying all of Hamlet's qualities: his rhetorical checkmating of everyone he meets, his sheer psychopathy in places (conveyed through those piercing, terrifying blue eyes), and - at the very end - his vulnerability and genuine desire to put things right. The scenes after Polonius's death are especially dramatic and moving. You really feel the havoc Hamlet has caused; everyone's lives are uprooted now after this mindless act of violence.
Ultimately, this film's best achievement is that it conveys how exciting the story is. Hamlet has rhetorical genius, yes, but also drama, intrigue, ghosts, murder, backstabbing, adventure, and ACTION - all set in a glorious gothic castle. (This film's sets were brilliant by the way. Very beautifully shot.) This film was the first I've seen to properly convey that frenetic action and excitement. That, combined with Gibson's layered performance, make it a solid adaptation that has helped me appreciate this play a tad more.
