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UCFC Movie Reviews Hamlet Year: 2000 Director: Michael Almereyda Fencing Coach: Scott Hull Starring: Ethan Hawke, Kyle Maclachlan, Bill Murray, Liev Schreiber, Sam Shepard, Julia Stiles, Diane Venora Review by V. Bjerreskov (01 09 03) Readers of the play know that Hamlet teems with emotion. It is a very passionate, intense play. Therefore, on first viewing, Almereyda's film seems a little off, because this is a very quiet film. Lines are rarely delivered above a soft spoken voice, and many of the more memorable soliloqueys are done as voice-overs, which are by nature quiet. Almereyda, the film's writer and director, does an admirable job transferring the story to modern day. He uses modern architecture, glass, steel and concrete, effectively, creating a visual Denmark Corporation of smooth lines and cleanliness, while placing Hamlet in a modern apartment cluttered with posters, photographs, videos, and other mass media remnants. The famous "To be or not to be" soliloquey happens inside a Blockbuster video store as Hamlet wanders the aisles, and the confrontation with his uncle after Polonius' murder takes place in a grungy laundromat, where Hamlet is washing his bloodstained clothes. Visually, this Hamlet is very effective. Audibly, I believe Almereyda made this Hamlet quiet as a comment on the numbness to emotion present in modern society. The actors in this film were suprisingly well cast. Ethan Hawke's good looks and haunted eyes that have served him well in other films are perfect here, especially under that ridiculous toque and behind the tinted lenses of his film-maker sunglasses. Liev Schreiber is an excellent Laertes, and is paired well with Julia Stiles as Ophelia. Stiles makes a convincing heroine, and Almereyda gives us many visual clues to the appropriateness of the match between her and Hamlet. For example, Ophelia is a photographer, while Hamlet is an independent film maker. Both are involved in the arts, and both are betrayed by the business, Denmark Corp. As for Bill Murray, I have never seen a more sinister and less funny Polonius than his. It was very well done. Unfortunately, the fencing is terrible. I almost believe that Scott Hull was only employed to teach Hawke and Schreiber to do the basic moves, and was barred from viewing the filming of the duel. He would have loudly protested, I'm sure. First of all, the pair wear lamés to fence épée. If that weren't enough, Laertes discards a foil for an épée with the line, "This is too heavy. Let me see another." The first point is fairly well managed, but for the second, Laertes runs forward swinging his épée like a broadsword. Please... I won't ruin how they all end up dead for those who want to watch the film, but I will say that it is initially laughable, but appropriate upon reflection. What can I say? It wasn't terrible. It certainly wasn't as bad as Mel Gibson's Hamlet, but it wasn't on par with Kenneth Branagh's. I almost hesitate to put it into that group, because Almereyda obviously used Shakespeare's play only as a framework, and then made his film into a commentary on modern society. This film is less about Hamlet than it is about all the rest of us. As that, it was well conceived and executed. As Hamlet, it left a little to be desired. Back to Movie Reviews Home  |  About Us   |  About Fencing   |  Links  |  Photo Gallery Image Bank  |  Reviews   |  Fencing Fun  |  Contact Us