Hamlet: To Be or Not To Be.

       I was really looking forward to watching each on screen portrayal of the “To Be or Not To Be” speech after reading it in class. After watching all four movies I once again felt that Branaugh's film depicted this scene the best. In this particular version, Branaugh chooses to set his scene in a large hall filled with two-way mirrors. Branaugh delivers the speech to one of the mirrors were, unbeknownst to him, Polonius and Claudius are hiding. This added suspense that I felt was not present in the other films.  I also liked Branaugh's incorporation of the dagger during this scene. The use of the dagger worked well with Hamlet's suicidal soliloquy and made the scene more enjoyable to watch.   

       Olivier's adaptation of the "To Be or Not To Be" speech was my least favorite. This particular scene takes place on top of a castle over looking a body of water. Half the speech is spoken while the other half is giving in the actor's head. In my opinion this took away from the scene. I didn't understand the reason for this and was immediately thrown off. The actor's delivery of the speech was calm and slow. In general I felt this scene was boring and lacked the emotion displayed in the other films. 

       I enjoyed Zeffirelli's adaption of Hamlet's speech. This scene takes place in the catacombs below the castle. I felt this particular setting was appropriate but dull. There was nothing really exciting about this set. With that said, I felt Gibson's delivery of the speech was good. It was emotion and well read. I also felt that Hawke's delivery of this speech was emotionally read. However, I did not enjoy Almereyda's version as much. I felt the modern setting (Blockbuster) took away from the speech. Similarly to Olivier's Hamlet, Hawke resists the speech both in his head and aloud. Once again I felt this was unnecessary. In my opinion Almereyda's Hamlet fell flat. 

       

Hamlet: The First Ghost Scene.

       In Branagh’s version of Hamlet the director chose to set his film in the 19th century. His sets are vibrant and his depiction of past events gives the audience a better understanding of life before the King's death. In my opinion this film is acted the best. The sets are how I envisioned them to be and the actors, especially Branagh, play their parts well. The film is dramatic and the acting is over the top when necessary. The first ghost scene is a pivotal part in Hamlet and should be played with as much emotion as possible. The foggy forest setting and loud music creates a dark and ominous atmosphere that is essential to the story. Overall, I felt this movie was the most successful in reenacting this particular scene.

       Zeffirelli version of Hamlet is Medieval based. For this reason the sets were much darker compared to Branagh's. This immediately threw me off. I was not as drawn or interested as I had been for the first film. Moreover, the acting for me fell flat. Gibson as Hamlet was not convincing and I often found myself bored. The ghost scene was anticlimactic and unappealing. There was little emotion shared between the two characters and I was not as enchanted during this scene as I had been for Branagh's. In my opinion, this subtle approach to Hamlet's first ghost scene was unsuccessful. 

       Of all three visions, Almereyda adaptation of Hamlet is the one I remember least. The film is set in Modern day Manhattan but uses the same dialogue as the play. While watching this scene I felt very underwhelmed.The acting, for the most part, was mediocre and the contemporary setting clashed with the dialogue. In my opinion, this was the worst film of the three. If I were to interpret this scene through film myself, my approach would be similar to Branagh's. I would use dramatic lighting and settings to convey the importance of the scene.