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Lyndsey Turner's Horror-Esque Production Of Hamlet

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Director Lyndsey Turner’s modern take on Hamlet starring Benedict Cumberbatch creates a darker, horror-esque production of the well-known tragedy. Cumberbatch’s portrayal of the Prince of Denmark, though somewhat hard not to compare to other performances, stood out due to his phenomenal and pragmatic performance. The director’s decision to switch the characters in the first scene creates an interesting twist but ultimately takes away from the suspense and introduction of the ghost of King Hamlet. The only one dressed in black, Hamlet’s attire juxtaposes the celebratory garments worn by the court and their royals. The play’s ambience begins fairly light as they introduce the banquet honoring his uncle’s marriage to his mother, just months after …show more content…

The lighting overall played a large role in this production, allowing the audience to listen to Hamlet’s inner thoughts through his soliloquies without dismissing the rest of the characters on the stage as they stood frozen with only Hamlet in view, speeding up the pace of the performance. The iconic “To be or not to be” speech comes earlier than originally intended, but still manages to conjure the same emotions of despondency and fear. Cumberbatch’s performance in the iconic soliloquy stands out as the audience can visibly see the emotional thought process going through his mind, rather than appearing to be just reciting the lines, over whether or not he should end his suffering. The opening lines said with his hands around his throat and the employment of a noose around his neck that he removes as he loses motivation towards action made the speech powerful and convincing of someone contemplating the idea of death. The ghost of King Hamlet only appears a few times during Turner’s production, but still gives Hamlet the motivation and drive to attempt to avenge his father’s

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However, Kinnear’s portrayal is not as good as Kenneth Branagh’s, as Kinnear fails to capture Hamlet’s anguish and rage in his expressions as well as Branagh does. Kinnear’s voice in the soliloquy is very clear with a sad tone expressing Hamlet’s displeasure of his mother’s marriage. His bodily movements from slamming his hands on a table to shrugging at Cornelius when compared to Hamlet’s father all express Hamlet’s feelings effectively, yet despite this Kinnear is missing something. Kinnear lacks the brimming rage that Branagh displays throughout his soliloquy by keeping a disapproving sneer as he talks about the marriage of Hamlet’s mother. By failing to show Hamlet’s teenage emotions ready to break free and try to fix the recent marriage, Kinnear expresses a less passionate Hamlet which is inferior to

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In Branagh’s version of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the ‘To be, or not to be’ speech is interpreted differently than other actors’. Branagh’s character, Hamlet, knows he is being watched by Claudius and Polonius. His disclosure about not committing suicide for fear of the afterlife is part of his plan to keep Claudius at bay until he can convince himself that Claudius is the assassin and find a way to get revenge. The set of this scene includes mirrors and mirrored doors but it is difficult to tell them apart. These are used very intriguingly by Branagh.

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Kenneth Branagh’s “To be or not to be” speech most effectively displays Hamlet’s deep philosophical ponderings by emphasizing Hamlet’s image and the contemplative nature of his thoughts. In Branagh’s version of the speech, Hamlet stands in front of a mirror, slowly approaching as the camera zooms into his face. This imagery focuses attention on Hamlet himself, emphasizing the reflective nature of his musing through the mirror, which serves as both a visual tool and a symbol. In the scene, Hamlet wears black, bringing attention to him rather that his clothing. When Hamlet unsheaths his bodkin, he points it at the mirror rather than himself, maintaining the idea of the contemplation of suicide, but emphasizing that his thoughts do not exceed

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The best portrayal of Hamlet’s “To Be, Or Not To Be” soliloquy is the Kenneth Branagh interpretation of the scene because, in my opinion, Branagh does the best to demonstrate Hamlet’s feelings of madness through his tone and body language. Even though Branagh’s speech is quite slow, and in my opinion too slow, the speed at which he is speaking allows him to place more emphasis on the topics that drive Hamlet insane, such as “Th' oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of despised love, the law's delay…” The slow listings of these flaws Hamlet sees in today’s world places emphasis on each and every one, as well as an emphasis on the total flaws themselves. Branagh also does an excellent job of demonstrating Hamlet’s madness

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William Shakespeare’s plays have become some of the most influential works of literature today, many of which are still read four hundred years after the playwright's death. One of these works is Hamlet, the story of the Danish prince as he seeks revenge for the murder of his father, the previous King of Denmark. The play performed on a stage, however, has also been turned into a countless number of films. In a 1996 version of Hamlet, director Kenneth Branagh uses flashbacks and inserts other scenes that aren’t found in William Shakespeare’s written version of the play to add another layer to the meaning of the work, and give the audience a better understanding of the play and the characters themselves. These additional scenes, in particular the scene involving King Hamlet’s murder, enhance the meaning of the play, and fill in the imagination of the audience in a way that can’t be done by Shakespeare’s words alone.

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This scene is essential to the plot of Hamlet as it clarifies many of the characters’ motives and intentions, as well as progressing and intensifying Hamlet and Claudius’ plots against each

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Hamlet is one of the most remarkable tragedy plays in the world, thus there are many reproductions to create same sensation. Films of Hamlet are the most famous versions of these and there are so several films created. These include Branagh’s version released in 1996 and Tennant’s version released in 2009. Branagh 's film is four hours long movie trying to create the exact version of story Hamlet on the screen and Tennant’s is three hours long television film, famous because it is a modernized version of Hamlet. Although Branagh’s and Tennant’s versions films have vast differences, they are both be able to convey the play’s theme of madness in their films.

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Speech has zero hindrance on Doran’s ‘to be or not to be’ and the film techniques he uses such as setting are successful only due to their accompaniment to this. Doran’s lack of setting allows him to use lighting more effectively to reflect the melancholy madness of Hamlet. Using the film technique chiaroscuro Doran shows Hamlet’s dark thoughts as he is constantly cast in a shadow. In particular, this enables Doran to highlight Hamlets face which during this soliloquy shows the anguish portrayed in his facial expression. However, speech remains center stage here as this is a very simple film technique only used to visually expand the speech of the soliloquy and the actor's ability.

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Hamlet’s “To be or Not to be” soliloquy, played by Kenneth Branagh, is threatening. Branagh’s character seems as though he is speaking to those behind the mirror, as he is addressing the mirror. His desire is for his speech to sound like a threat. To accomplish this tone, Branagh speaks in a slow, effective whisper and uses serious facial expressions throughout the scene. This casts an eerie presence over the audience and depicts Hamlet’s mental state.

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It’s amazing how different directors can interpret the same exact scene in their production of Hamlet. The four scenes of Shakespeare’s Hamlet are unique in their own way with each director breathing life into their production of a classic Shakespeare play. The differences in each production whether subtle or extreme can make or break the film adaptation. The actors, costuming, music and set design also play a pivotal role in comprehending a production such as Hamlet. There are those who appreciate a more pared down simplistic version of Shakespeare’s work or, like myself, yearn for a complete visual masterpiece that not only seduces the eyes but also speaks to the mind as well as the heart.

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Throughout the Zeffirelli and Branagh adaptations of Hamlet and the actual text itself, a variety of different views can be

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The Shakespearean soliloquy performed by Hamlet in Hamlet, “To Be or Not to Be,” provides a complicated text which actors may interpret and manipulate to fit their vision, incorporating props, costumes, sets, music, and camera angles. Actors combining these choices create different performances which audiences are free to further interpret. Mel Gibson’s version of the Hamlet’s soliloquy displays an obsession with death but not suicidal tendencies. Dressed darkly in a dimly lit scene, Hamlet enters a mausoleum where the white sarcophaguses are the only focal point, and he begins to speak, reflecting Hamlet’s questioning whether he should continue living or commit suicide. His crazed eyes open as he steps in front of a hollow space in the wall where a skeleton lies.

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Acting out a play requires effort, hard work, and the feel as if the play is happening right then and is believable. Setting, costumes, gesture and facial experiences are amongst the many requirements to achieve a excellent play. In watching the different scenes of Hamlet act 3 scene four, it was evident that, although the same scene, were all done quite differently. Kenneth Branagh did an admirable job and portrayed Hamlet brilliantly all the while keeping the feel of “Shakespeare”. The Ethan Hawke version is more modern with guns and clothes, thus losing the feel of “Shakespeare”.

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The 1996 play was the modernized version of Hamlet and this is clear through just the character of Hamlet with blonde hair, sharp mustache and goatee. In a contrasting manner, in this version of the film, the scene from “to be, or not to be speech” was shot in a huge empty room with mirror to make it seem even larger where in the 1990 version by Zeffirelli, there was a dark background in which Hamlet was the only focus. One of the key points of this scene was that the massive brightly lit ballroom was surrounded by double way mirrors as Hamlet seems to know that Claudius and Polonius are watching him from the other side. Branagh also used the mirrors to deliver the monologue in one continuous shot, some breaks only at the beginning before the speech to demonstrate that Claudius and Polonius are behind the double way mirror for the speech. Having the camera look over his shoulder and slowly zooming in on the reflection as he walks closer to the mirror and his hidden listeners.

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In Hamlet’s “to be or not to be” soliloquy, the film takes advantage of visuals as he enters the room in stupor. He gives this soliloquy while leaning on the wall, shutting his eyes as he imagines death. The weariness is clear on Hamlet’s

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