The viewer does need to listen carefully in order to enjoy the music and depth of Shakespeare’s lines, however. HAMLET is an extremely well-produced movie. The court setting has been imaginatively constructed so that the actors’ exits and entrances appear natural, not contrived. The costumes, while authentically reflecting medieval court dress, are simple and even plain. The photography, overall, is splendid, too. Zeffirelli, for instance, frequently captures the sea in the background to frame his scenes. The realistic photography in the grave-digging scene where Hamlet addresses the skull of Yorick, the Court Jester, also proves memorable.īest of all, Mel Gibson is believable and superb as Hamlet. The depth of his acting came as quite a pleasant surprise. Unfortunately, Glenn Close and Helena Bonham-Carter are not as good as they could be. Close drifts into her fatal attraction character at times, while Helena does a superb mad scene, but fails to seem real or attractive in her early scenes with Hamlet. Thus, the audience wonders, “What does Hamlet see in this young woman?” Helena can do better and did so in LADY JANE (a great movie). Of course, the fault lies not with these two fine actresses, but probably with director Zeffirelli, whose own sexual ambiguity no doubt contributes to his fine direction of men and his spotty direction of women. Zeffirelli has done a superb job of trimming the four-hour epic into a fast-paced, entertaining film which captures the essence of the play and the total attention of the viewer.Įven with Shakespeare, however, there are some cautions for Christians.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |