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| Hamlet 6 of 10 |
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| Directed by Kenneth Branagh Cinematography by Alex Thomson Kenneth Branagh Derek Jacobi Nicholas Farrell Kate Winslet Billy Crystal G�rard Depardieu Charlton Heston Jack Lemmon Robin Williams |
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| Let me start out by say that any effort to make a complete Hamlet is to be commended. And Branagh certainly makes every attempt to film a complete Hamlet. And for that, I commend him. But, I think that he misinterpreted Shakespeare at several key points, particularly at the end. So my overall impression of the film was lower than I would have thought when I started out, or even what I would have thought half way through. I can sum up my unhappiness by saying that Fortinbras is a jerk. And I think that's a huge problem. I think portraying him as a virtuous man is essential to the story. But, putting that aside, there are other points I would critique as well. One of them is that the film is very uneven. Sometimes it feels like a stage production, and sometimes it feels like a movie. But jumping back and forth between the two makes the viewer feel like the director isn't sure exactly what he wants to do. Which is always bad. And another problem is that, although the cast was really excellent, there was one person that I did not particularly like: Branagh himself. He acts a crazy Hamlet really well. (The scene where he reveals Polonius' death to Derek Jacobi was the best moment in all 4 hours of film.) But his sane Hamlet is crazy. Also, he fills the movie with famous actor cameos, which is always a risk. It worked pretty well in this case, but you still found yourself wondering who was going to come in next, and that was a distraction. I would have liked to have seen more of Depardieu, myself. And a lot less Lemmon; he was not good. Williams was OK, although he couldn't actually be taken seriously. But Charlton Heston and Billy Crystal were wonderful. They both fit their parts perfectly, and you were really able to forget who they were, which is the key to any cameo. Finally, there are several errors in the film, but I'm not so sure that's an objection. I believe Branagh may have left them in on purpose, so emphasize the stage aspect of things. OK, now to the good stuff. The famous speeches are very well done; enough variation to prevent them from feeling boring, but still very true to Shakespeare's intent. And another thing that goes along very closely with this the film's SteadiCam work, which is really exceptional. Lots of long, long speeches, all filmed with one take, and with lots of motion. Some great camera work, indeed. And finally, Nicholas Farrell as Horatio. Probably the real gem from the movie, at least in my mind. He was really, really great. In fact, I felt more sorrow over his predicament than any other member of the story. Because he was the noblest, most virtuous man, by far. (Which just serves to emphasize my disappointment with Branagh's portrayal.) Oh. One final note. Brian Blessed may be the best character actor I have ever seen. And certainly my favorite. "If thou didst ever hold me in thy heart, absent thee from felicity awhile. And in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain to tell my story." |
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