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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 20 page research paper that contrasts and compares 3 film versions of Shakespeare's Hamlet, which are directed by Laurence Olivier (1948), Kenneth Branagh (1997) and Franco Zeffirelli (1990). The writer discusses how each director shaped his vision of Hamlet using the tools of cinematography, particularly focusing on what scenes were chosen for inclusion and which were cut. (Branagh does the whole play, 4 hours, uncut.). Specific scenes are contrasted, as well as offering a general overview of each film. The writer concludes with personal observations and preferences. Bibliography lists 10 sources.
Page Count:
20 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_kh3hams.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
resist" (Thomas). There have been innumerable film and television adaptations. Laurence Oliviers 1948 production of Hamlet, which Olivier directed and also took the starring role, is considered by many to
be the definitive film version of the play. Likewise, Kenneth Branagh both directed and starred in his 1997 version. Director Franco Zeffirelli, however, made the interesting choice of casting action/
adventure star Mel Gibson as his Hamlet in his 1990 version of the play. While all of these films use Shakespeares text, they are quite different in their interpretation,
casting, cinematography, and also in what the director chose to keep of the original text and the order of the scenes. A close examination of these three films reveals how
these decisions create three distinctly different visions of Hamlet. There are undoubtedly many professors and scholars who prefer Kenneth Branaghs Hamlet simply because it is the most loyal to
Shakespeares original text. However, other critics insist that this is not the point, as there is "no definitive Hamlet," as Shakespeare himself did not leave one (Hamlet-Zeffirelli). These voices argue
that the questions that should be asked of any production of Hamlet are: Is this Hamlet an esthetically fulfilling work in its own right? Does it function on its
own terms, as an interpretation for a modern mass audience of a compelling story that gives shape to some of the deepest-rooted human fears and aspirations? Does it, in short,
satisfy...both the critics and the groundlings, the intellectuals and the fans" (Hamlet-Zeffirelli). Oliviers Hamlet Filmed in black-and-white, Oliviers Hamlet is a "quicksilver nightmare" that has a heavily gothic
atmosphere, rather like a 1940s horror film (Gleiberman 35). Olivier, as Hamlet, is a "neurotic viper slithering through the corridors of Elsinore" (Gleiberman 35). It was not a simple decision
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